Annacullion

This 9.1 hectare site is dominated by a Marl lake, but within the ASSI boundary there is an area of cut over bog and Alkaline Fen. The calcareous fen is characterised by the predominance of Lesser Tussock-sedge and Long-stalked Yellow-sedge.

Much of the rest of the site comprises cut-over bog which is becoming progressively colonised by birch woodland.

There is no public access to this site.

Burdautien Lough

This 6.5 hectare site was  primarily declared because of the Marl lake (waterbody fed by calcareous spring water in which calcium carbonate is precipitated out of solution as marl), although it does have considerable calcareous aquatic, emergent and fen vegetation communities.

The shallow lake margins support a narrow belt of species-rich calcareous fen vegetation, characterised by the predominance of sedges such as Lesser Tussock- sedge, Bottle Sedge and Yellow-sedge , intermixed with herbs such as Marsh Cinquefoil and Marsh Marigold .

Burdautien Lough has several rare plant species, including Fen Pondweed, Lesser Bulrush and Cowbane.

Drumacrittin Lough

This 8.5 hectare site is dominated by a marl lake (waterbody fed by calcareous spring water in which calcium carbonate is precipitated out of solution as marl), which is surrounded by high quality  wetland vegetation. Some of this reflects these calcareous conditions, including extensive beds of Stoneworts  and species-rich fen and marsh communities. The Fen is  characterised by the prominence of Lesser Tussock-sedge.

Due to its clean, unpolluted waters, Drumacrittin Lough also supports a healthy population of the Atlantic Stream Crayfish, a species which is becoming increasingly rare throughout its geographical range. The marginal vegetation contains a diverse invertebrate community that includes a number of notable waterbeetles.

There is no public access to this site.

Finn Floods

The site contains an unmodified stretch of the Finn River which meanders naturally through the interdrumlin landscape. It includes an extensive marginal alluvial flood plain, a flooded peat-filled basin, and Farmhill Lough, a small interdrumlin lough to the north.

The aquatic and emergent vegetation associated with the river is natural. Other wetland plant communities have developed gradually under low-intensity grazing and hay-making, coupled with extensive seasonal flooding. The river margin and associated flooded hollows support a diverse range of swamp types. The alluvial flood plain is covered by a mosaic of inundation grasslands and fen, depending on local wetness. Although some of the vegetation types are fairly common, they are noteworthy for the extent and continuity of their cover. The fen is comprised of two distinct community types, one being characterised by a cover of tall sedges including Bladder-sedge,  Bottle Sedge and Brown Sedge  and a wide range of associates, among which are Water Horsetail , Common Marsh-bedstraw, Bogbean and Water Mint. The other is characterised by a tall, dense sward of Reed Canary-grass, and is less species-rich.

There is no public access to this site.

Kilroosky Lough

This 12.8 hectare site is dominated by a marl lake (waterbody fed by calcareous spring water in which calcium carbonate is precipitated out of solution as marl), which is surrounded by high quality  wetland vegetation. Some of this reflects these calcareous conditions, including extensive beds of Stoneworts (Charophytes) and species-rich fen and marsh communities. The shallow waters on the margin of the lake supports a species-rich stands of calcareous fen vegetation, characterised by the predominance of Lesser Tussock-sedge , Yellow-sedge and the brown mosses and with associated species like Marsh Pennywort, Marsh Cinquefoil and Marsh Arrowgrass.

Due to its clean, unpolluted water Kilroosky Lough also supports a healthy population of the Atlantic Stream Crayfish, a species which is becoming increasingly rare throughout its geographical range. The marginal vegetation contains a diverse invertebrate community that includes a number of notable waterbeetles.

There is no public access to this site.

Knockballymore Lough

This 14.5 hectare site is domoinated by the Marl Lough (waterbody fed by calcareous spring water in which calcium carbonate is precipitated out of solution as marl).

The lough vegetation exhibits the natural succession from open water to terrestrial vegetation types, and includes a number of scarce plant communities, in addition to a number of rare plant species. The aquatic vegetation is dominated by extensive submerged beds of Stoneworts, and by stands of White Water-lily  and Yellow Water-lily, backed by a tall swamp stand of Common Reed. This is occasionally replaced by Tufted-sedge or Great Fen-sedge swamp.

Behind the swamp, the shallow waters generally support species-rich stands of calcareous fen vegetation, characterised by the predominance of Lesser Tussock-sedge, Bottle Sedge and Bladder-sedge, with associated species such as Marsh Cinquefoil and Cowbane.

In addition to the scarce plant communities present, Knockballymore Lough has several rare plant species including the rare Green-flowered Helleborine, Fen Pondweed, Wood Club-rush.

Because the waters are clean and largely unpolluted, Knockballymore Lough supports a notable invertebrate community and includes the Atlantic Stream Crayfish, a species which is becoming increasingly rare throughout its geographical range. In addition, a number of locally distributed species of aquatic Coleoptera (Waterbeetles) have been recorded.

There is no public access to this site.

Summerhill Lough

Summerhill Lough is one of the best examples of a marl lake in Northern Ireland and is notable for its clear, clean water, and very low phytoplankton productivity. The lough exhibits the natural succession from open water to terrestrial vegetation and includes a number of scarce plant communities, in addition to a number of rare plant species.

Species-rich stands of calcareous fen vegetation is located along the southern and eastern margins.  The fen is characterised by the predominance of Lesser Tussock-sedge and Yellow-sedge intermixed with other sedge types and herbs such as Marsh Pennywort, Meadowsweet, and Water Mint.

The fen merges with a species-rich calcareous flush along the south shore which supports such characteristic species as Grass-of-Parnassus, Knotted, Yellow-sedge, Glaucous Sedge, Jointed Rush on a brown moss carpet. The remainder of the wet foreshore is covered by a sedge-rich marshy grassland which changes to drier mesotrophic grassland on the adjacent drumlin slope above.

In addition to the scarce plant communities, Summerhill Lough has several rare plant species, including Cyperus Sedge, and Cowbane.

The invertebrate community of the lough is typical of clean waters and includes the rare Waterbeetle Hydrochus ignicollis, a species of undisturbed fens.

There is no public access to this site.