Scraghy 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 Scraghy, are a particularly scarce resource in Northern Ireland.

The vegetation at Scraghy 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 Scraghy 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 Scraghy 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 golden-head moss which is adapted to the unique conditions at Scraghy; other mosses present include glittering wood-moss, neat feather-moss and pointed spear-moss.