Lecale Fens

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Protected area type: Special Areas of Conservation

Feature type: Habitat

County: Down

Council: Newry, Mourne and Down

Guidance and literature: Lecale Fens SAC

The Lecale is a lowland area typified by low drumlins with wide inter-drumlin hollows that are often poorly draining. The underlying rocks are mainly Silurian sandstones shales. However, calcium-rich Kearny Siltstones occur locally, and some of the fens in the area are correspondingly fed by base-rich ground waters.

The four sub-sites included within the Lecale Fens cSAC are separately designated as ASSIs and are considered the best examples of calcium-rich spring water-fed fens remaining in the area. Common reed Phragmites australis is an important element in the fen-floristics of all the sub-sites. It is the co-occurring species in places both within the reedbeds and in the usually small areas of open fen, often at reedbed margins, that elevate the conservation importance beyond ASSI status. Ponds, pools and spring eminencies add diversity to the sites and at Loughkeelan the fen is associated with an important lake.

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Lecale Fens