Plants
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Hare's-tail Cottongrass
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Hare's-tail Cottongrass (Eriophorum
vaginatum)
Cottongrass or bog cotton is a common sight across the fens
and bogs of Ireland. Hare's-tail Cottongrass prefers the hummocks
of raised and blanket bogs where it forms dense tussocks. Each
tussock yields multiple stems, each of which terminates in a
single, white cotton seedhead. For this reason it is sometimes
referred to as single-headed Cottongrass. Its colonization of
sites that have been burned can result in spectacular meadows
of snowy white cotton. In drained peatlands, especially blanket
bogs Hare's-tail Cottongrass can become dominant with the disappearance
of Sphagnum moss. Peat profiles reveal layers of peat comprised
entirely of Hare's-tail Cottongrass and this usually indicates
a period when the bogs' surface dried out. Hare's-tail Cottongrass
is widespread throughout Northern Ireland.
Click here to view a distribution map of the Hare's-tail
Cottongrass in Northern Ireland.
