Knocknashangan ASSI

This area is of special scientific interest because of its species-rich wet grassland. Species-rich grassland tends to occur only where land management is not intensive, in particular where traditional farming practices have been maintained. As a result, it is not a widespread habitat in Northern Ireland and is often fragmented, consisting of individual fields, parts of fields or banks. Species-rich grasslands, like those found at Knocknashangan, are a particularly scarce resource in Northern Ireland.

Knocknashangan is situated on a landscape of rolling hills approximately 4km south-east of Garrison. It lies on the edge of the uplands with an altitude of approximately 140m above sea level. The area covers part of Gorteen hill and slopes quite steeply in places.

The vegetation at Knocknashangan is dominated by wet grassland of the purple moor-grass and rush pastures type, with occasional pockets of flushed grassland and wet heath. Fen meadow is a particular type of purple moor-grass and rush pasture. It occurs on Knocknashangan where there is a steady hydrological influence in the soil and is typified by the occurrence of species adapted to both water movement and wetter conditions. Here, species such as meadow thistle and sharp-flowered rush are constant. Other distinctive species associated with fen meadow vegetation at Knocknashangan include purple moor-grass, tormentil , devil’s-bit scabious, heather, bog pimpernel, selfheal, carnation sedge, tawny sedge, flea sedge and glaucous sedge. The predominant moss within the grassland is glittering wood-moss which is adapted to the unique conditions at Knocknashangan; other mosses present include bog groove-moss and pointed spear-moss.