Montiaghs Moss
Montiaghs Moss is a lowland raised bog from which much of the
peat has been removed by cutting. It now consists of an intricate
mosaic of peat ramparts, trenches, pools and drains, interspersed
with small hay fields, alder and willow carr and tall hedgerows.
These habitats support a wide range of plant and animal communities
associated with both acid bog conditions and rich fen and swamp.
It is particularly important as a site for rare plants. In addition,
the invertebrate community is of national importance for its
overall diversity and includes several rare species.
The swamp and fen are characterised by a broad range of water
conditions, from slightly base-rich to markedly acidic, depending
on the influence of the ground water on the surface peat layer.
This in turn can be related to the extent of past peat cutting
over the site. The main plant community of the wet mire surface
is formed by extensive areas of tall-fen with Yellow Loosestrife,
Purple-loosestrife, Reed Canary-grass, Wild Angelica and Meadow
Fescue forming the bulk of the vegetation.
Within the flooded peat cuttings more localised communities
include a mixed sedge sward with Bottle Sedge and Water Horsetail.
A floating-leaved 'understorey' of Broad-leaved Pondweed, Bog
Pondweed and more locally, Frogbit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae
occurs on the surface of the water.
The peat drains and trenches support a number of nationally
rare and localised vascular plant species, including Irish Lady's-tresses,
Frogbit, Fat Duckweed, Greater Duckweed, Common Meadow-rue and
Cowbane.
The area is one of the most important in Northern Ireland for
wetland invertebrates. It is significant both for the overall
diversity of the fauna, as well as the presence of a large number
of rare and localised species. It is the richest known site
in Northern Ireland for both aquatic Coleoptera and aquatic
Heteroptera. In addition, the dragonfly population is one of
the most diverse in Northern Ireland. The site is also believed
to support a rich terrestrial insect fauna, especially moths
and butterflies. Many factors contribute to this diversity,
but amongst the most important are the overall extent of the
site, the range of habitats and the presence of a large number
of open-water pools of different size, depth and age. Three
species of aquatic insect which in the United Kingdom are confined
to Northern Ireland are recorded from the area. These are the
whirligig beetle Gyrinus natator, the Irish Damselfly
Coenagrion lunulatum and the pondskater Limnoporus
rufoscutellatus.
The grassland and scrub habitats are especially important for
the Lepidoptera. A large colony of the Marsh Fritillary butterfly
is found at Montiaghs Moss. The larvae feed on the leaves of
Devil’s-bit Scabious and colonies of this species require
large areas of suitable habitat, as they utilise different patches
of the plant each year. Other locally scarce species of butterfly
include the Green Hairstreak.
Contact the Warden for access details on +44 28 3832 2398.
