Lough Scolban ASSI

Lough Scolban is a mid-altitude lake that lies between the Pettigoe Plateau and Lower Lough Erne. It is a special place because of its aquatic flora and fauna, which is dependent on the unpolluted water and low levels of plant nutrients. The diverse substrate of the lake, which ranges from boulder to rock to gravel with sand predominating in deeper waters, provides a range of habitats for a wide range of plants and animals. This type of lake is becoming increasingly rare in Northern Ireland due to pollution.

On the shore and in the shallows, shoreweed is abundant with the rare quillwort and water lobelia found in the deeper waters. Growing amongst these submerged lawns are stoneworts and bulbous rush. Pondweeds and alternate water milfoil grow in submerged beds while Water lilies and floating bur-reed form floating rafts on the surface.

The lake is partly fringed by a natural belt of woodland, which consists mainly of ash wood with pockets of wet woodland. In sheltered locations woodland ferns grow in profusion over a thick moss ground cover, whilst elsewhere bluebells, wood sorrel, common twayblade, yellow pimpernel and dog violet bring spring colour to the woodland floor.

Emergent swamp is restricted to the sheltered bays where bands of common club-rush are backed by common reed and bottle sedge. A wide variety of sedges and herbs dominate the surrounding fen area that occasionally exists behind the band of swamp. Here fen plants such as bay willow, bog pimpernel and marsh hawk's-beard are indicative of the prevailing alkaline conditions. The fen area is of great importance as this habitat is rapidly disappearing from our countryside due to drainage, infilling and nutrient enrichment.