South Woodburn ASSI

Situated in the hills above Carrickfergus, the site is composed of three reservoirs and a small wooded glen.

The fluctuating water levels of the reservoirs provides habitat for a group of specialist mosses, some of which are rare.

These mosses grow on exposed mud in the draw-down zone around the edge of the reservoir. They tend to be short lived, appearing in early winter or spring following a lowering of the water-levels. There is one rare moss found in the reservoirs in South Woodburn.

It is called beaked beardless-moss and has only been recorded recently in Northern Ireland on three other County Antrim reservoirs.

In places, the margins of the reservoirs have been colonised by grey willow scrub, with species such as reed canary-grass, common sedge, bladder-sedge, silverweed, marsh ragwort and water mint.

Further diversity is provided by narrow stretches of species rich grassland which edge the reservoirs. Herbs typical of traditionally managed grasslands are frequent throughout the sward and include common knapweed, eyebright, yellow-rattle and Lady’s-mantle. Where drainage is impeded, species more typical of wetter soils become more common, such as meadowsweet and cuckooflower.