Carrickastickan ASSI

The two fields at Carrickastickan are typically grass dominated with a wide range of associated herbs. The grasses crested dog's-tail, red fescue, common bent and sweet vernal-grass are constant in the sward with other grass-like species such as field wood-rush also found scattered throughout.

Herbs typical of traditionally managed grasslands are frequent throughout the swards and include oxeye daisy, meadow vetchling, yellow-rattle, Yarrow, common knapweed, common spotted-orchid and meadow buttercup. Where soils are thin lady's bed-straw and bird's-foot trefoil are locally very abundant with a range of other small herbs including fairy flax, eyebright and bulbous buttercup. These species reflect the slightly base-rich soil conditions.

In addition field scabious and burnet saxifrage occur in one of the fields. Both of these species have a fairly restricted distribution in Northern Ireland with the former usually being more associated with verges than pastures and the latter with only a few known sites in County Armagh.