Flora of the Lough Fad blanket bog to the south-west of Lough Derg

Flora of the Lough Fad blanket bog to the south-west of Lough Derg

Lough Derg--Region--Lough Fad Bog--Nature Reserve

The flora of the Lough Fad Bog National Heritage Area (NHA)

National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Ireland

Site Synopsis, Lough Fad Bog National Heritage Area (NHA) entry

National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Ireland

9 December 2003

CC BY 4.0 International License

Environmental National Heritage Area (NHA) entry

English

Biodiversity database

DD_0301

54.5797, -7.93149

Site code: 001159

The vegetation of the site is characterised by blanket bog species. The most dominant include Ling Heather (Calluna vulgaris), Purple Moor-grass (Molinia caerulea), Common Cottongrass (Eriophorum angustifolium), the locally occurring species Oblong-leaved Sundew (Drosera intermedia), Bog-myrtle (Myrica gale), Crossleaved Heath (Erica tetralix), White Beak-sedge (Rhynchospora alba), Bog Asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum), Deergrass (Scirpus cespitosus), Carnation Sedge (Carex panicea) and lichens (Cladonia portentosa and C. uncialis). Bog moss lawns and hummocks are locally frequent, consisting of Sphagnum capillifolium, S. subnitens, S. imbricatum, S. auriculatum, S. papillosum and S. compactum. Large cushions of Racomitrium lanuginosum and Leucobryum glaucum also occur. Localised flushes and wet areas on the bog surface add to the diversity of species, with plants such as Bottle Sedge (Carex rostrata), Jointed Rush (Juncus articulatus), Common Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris), Bog Pimpernel (Anagallis tenella), Broad-leaved Pondweed (Potamogeton natans), Star Sedge (Carex echinata) and Sphagnum recurvum. Small-scale local hydrological variation in the form of natural drainage channels, a quaking basin bog in a small depression and a swallow hole add substantially to the total species list.
Shallower peat soils support wet heath and acid grassland habitat. Such areas have species such as Wavy Hair-grass (Deschampsia flexuosa), Sweet Vernal-grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), Devil’s-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis), Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris), Yorkshire Fog (Holcus lanatus), Wild Thyme (Thymus praecox), Tormentil (Potentilla erecta) and the moss Hylocomium splendens.