Aughnadarragh Lough

This site has a considerable  area of cut-over bog. The growing conditions are directly influenced by the position of the groundwater table and can generally be related to the extent of past peat cutting. The soil waters range from mildly base-rich to markedly acidic. As a result, there is a wide range of plant communities, with fen vegetation occurring beside localised pockets of more acidic wet grassland and bog. Bogbean, Bottle Sedge, Wild Angelica, Devil’s-bit Scabious, Marsh Cinquefoil, Sweet Vernal Grass and the moss are typical of more base-rich areas. Acid grassland is dominated by Purple Moor-grass with Tormentil and Heath Bedstraw. Soft-rush  is locally abundant. These communities occur over a dense, mossy layer.

Drier, raised areas of peat support relict bog vegetation dominated by the dwarf-shrubs Heather and Cross-leaved Heath. Common Cottongrass, Hare’s-tail Cottongrass and the mosses.

Woodland and scrub occur in parts of the area. Some of the scrub consists of patches of Grey Willow and Downy Birch growing over acid grassland vegetation. More dense scrub of Alder, Hazel  and Grey Willow occur behind the fringing swamp around the lough.

The area contains a number of rare plant species. Flowering-rush, Lesser Bulrush and Lesser Tussock-sedge grow in the fen and swamp, with Grass-of-Parnassus (this being the only known County Down locality for the species) and Yellow-sedge on the lough-shore. Narrow Buckler-fern occurs in the cut-over bog.

Because of the variety and quality of the habitats present, Aughnadarragh Lough is also important for insects (invertebrates). A large number of butterfly species have been recorded for the area, including a colony of the Marsh Fritillary . The larvae of this species feed on the leaves of Devil’s-bit Scabious and colonies require large areas of suitable habitat, as they use different patches of the food plant each year. Other invertebrate groups that are well-represented at Aughnadarragh Lough include Water-beetles (Aquatic Coleoptera) and Hoverflies (Syrphidae).

There is no public access to this site.