Caheroyan Farm, Athenry, Co. Galway
August 1996
Fox Covert is a small, roughly hexagonal, area of ancient peat bog over carboniferous limestone strata. It survives as an island amidst drained pasture from which most of the peat has been stripped. To the south the land rises through a boggy field to a lightly wooded area which appears to have sprung from neglected hedges. To the north it is bounded by a deep (about 2 metres) ditch which flows westwards into the River Clarin. In a past attempt to drain the land, about 30 ditches have been cut from south to north, feeding the boundary ditch. Two of these are about 1.3 metres deep, the majority are about 0.8 to 1 metre deep. There is a connecting ditch running east-west through the centre of the area.The NW corner is densely planted with Betula pendula around 7 metres high, and much of the remainder is sparsely planted with Picea abies saplings.
The plot has a very rich flora with 109 species recorded in August 1996. The diversity is due mainly to the presence of base-rich soils in the SW corner, in which calcicoles such as, Parnassia palustris, Blackstonia perfoliata and Carlina vulgaris thrive alongside Mentha aquatica, Schoenus nigricans, and Cirsium palustre. This contrasts strongly with the typical bog flora of the eastern end. Linum catharticum extends over much of the plot, apparently as happy in acidic as in basic soil. An interesting component of the flora of the SW corner, and a great surprise to an English botanist. i s Plantago maritima: This is an essentially coastal plant, but it is stated in [1] that it occurs also “inland on limestone in W. Ireland “. This is consistent with the distribution map shown in [2]. The plant community of this SW section of Fox Covert is more typical of established coastal duneland than of an inland peat bog. Wide are-as of the plot are extremely colourful, with abundant Lythrum salicaria, Leucanthemun vulgare, Ulex Gallii, Mentha aquatica, Succisa pratensis, Galium verum, and Filipendula vulgare. Pedicularis palustris is particularly fine in some central areas. The eastern end is dominated by Myrica gale, and there are small patches of Narthecium ossifragum, and Eriophorum angustifolium. Most of the larger Myrica gale specimins are dying, probably due to drainage, but smaller plants are regenerating in other areas. Close to the NE ed g e was a small patch of Stachys palustris, but the plants were not thriving, and only one plant had flower buds about to open on 16th August; at least six weeks after its usual flowering time. |
The insectiverous Drosera rotundi, folia, and a small-leaved Potomogeton are restricted to constantly damp ditch bottoms. Triglochin palustris is further restricted to the wetter northern ends of the two deep south/north ditches. It is reasonable to suppose that these typical marsh and bog plants were more plentiful before drainage.
Three orchids were found in flower. Gymnadenia conopsea is abundant at the western end, and around the periphery. Dactylorhiza maculata occurs less frequently over most of the plot. A single plant of Dactylorhiza purpurella was found on the northern periphery. This is very clearly of the form shown by “many Scottish and W Irish populations” as described in the footnote on page 1 047 of [I], with a broad, rounded, and distinctly three-lobed labellum. This last species can probably be grouped with those of the previous paragraph, and similar comments apply. The boundary ditches with free standing water have a good stream flora with M enyanthes trifoliata, Sparganium erectum, Alisma plantago-aquatica, and Iris Pseudacorus. In conclusion, this small area holds much interest for the botanist, and much of beauty for the casual observer. Doubtless many more species will be added as surveys are made at other times of the year. Grasses in particular are under-recorded, due to the limited time available in this initial survey, and the desiccated state of most species in August. Fox Covert could serve as a valuable and easily accessible resource for ecological and botanical education at all levels from local schools to universities. It is to be hoped that it can be preserved and managed to maintain the diversity of the flora. To this end further drainage of the land should be avoided, or preferably reversed.
1) “Flora of the British Isles ” Clapham AR, Tutin TG, and Warburg EF. Second edition, Cambridge University Press, 1962. Colin Sillence |
Species List
Fox Covert, Caheroyan Farm, Athenry
August 1996
Botanical Name | Common Name |
Achillea millefolium | Yarrow |
Alisma plantago-aquatica | Common Water Plantain |
Anagallis tenella | Bog pimpernell |
Angelica sylvestris | Angelica |
Apium graveolens | Wild Celery |
Bellis perennis | Daisy |
Blackstonia perfoliata | Yellow-wort |
Briza media | Quaking Grass |
Calamintha sylvatica | Common calamint |
Calluna vulgaris | Heather |
Carex flacca Glaucous | Sedge |
Carex lepidocarpa | Long-stemmed Sedge |
Carlina vulgaris | Carline Thistle |
Centuary | Centaurea nigra |
Hardheads | Centaurium erythraea |
Cerastium fontanum | Common Mouse-ear |
Crataegus monogyna | Hawthorn |
Chenopodiurn rubrum | Red Goosefoot |
Cirsium arvense | Creeping Thistle |
Cirsium palustre | Marsh Thistle |
Cirsium vulgare | Spear Thistle |
Clinopodium vuIgare | Wild Basil |
Crepis capillaris | Crested Dogstail |
Cynosurus cristatus | Smooth Hawksbeard |
Dactylorhiza maculata | Heath Spotted Orchid |
Dactylorhiza purpurella | Northern Marsh Orchid |
Drosera rotundifolia | Round-leaved Sundew |
Epilobium montanum | Broad-leaved Willowherb |
Epilobium palustre | Marsh Willowherb |
Equisetum aquaticum | Water horsetail |
Equisetum arvense | Common Horsetail |
Eriophorum angustifolium | Cottongrass |
Erica tetralix | Cross-leaved Heath |
Euphrasia officinalis | Eyebright |
Filipendula ulmaria | Meadowsweet |
Galium aparine | Goosegrass |
Galium palustre | Marsh Bedstraw |
Galium verum | Lady’s Bedstraw |
Gymnadenia conopsea | Fragrant Orchid |
Holcus lanatus | Yorkshire Fog |
Hydrocotyle vulgaris | Marsh Pennywort |
Hypericum pulchrum | Slender St. John’s Wort |
Hypericum tetrapterum | Square-stemmed St. John’s Wort |
Hypochaeris radicata | Common Cat’s-ear |
Iris pseudacorus | Yellow Flag |
Juncus acutiflorus | Sharp-flowered Rush |
Juncus conglomeratus | Compact Rush |
Juncus effusus | Soft Rush |
Leucanthemum vulgare | Ox-eye Daisy |
Lotus corniculatus | Birdsfoot Trefoil |
Linum catharticum | Purging Flax |
Lythrum salicaria | Purple Loosestrife |
Mentha aquatica | Water mint |
Menyanthes trifoliatum | Bogbean |
Molinea caerulea | Purple Moor-grass |
Myosotis arvensis | Forgetmenot |
Myosotis scorpoides | Water Forgetmenot |
Myrica gale | Bog Myrtle |
Narthecium ossifragum | Bog asphodel |
Odontites verna | Red Bartsia |
Parnassia paIustris | Grass of Parnassus |
Pedicularis syivatica | Marsh Lousewort |
Phragmites communis | Common Reed |
Plantago Ianceolata | Ribwort Plantain |
Plantago major | Greater Plantain |
Plantago maritima | Sea Plantain |
Poiygala vulgaris | Milkwort |
Polygonum persicaria | Redshank |
Potentilla anserina | Silverweed |
Potentilla erecta | Tormentil |
Potomogeton ? | Pondweed |
Prunella vulgaris | Self-heal |
Pteridium aquilinum | Bracken |
Ranunculus flammula | Lesser Spearwort |
Ranunculus repens | Creeping Buttercup |
Rhinanthus minor | Hay Rattle |
Rumex acetosa | Sorrel |
Rumex acetosella | Sheep’s Sorrel |
Rumex crispus | Curled-leaved Dock |
Rumex obtusifolius | Broad-leaved Dock |
Rubus fruticosus | Blackberry |
Rubus ideaus | Raspberry |
Sagina nodosa | Knotted Pearlwort |
Salix purpurea | Purple Willow |
Samolus valerandi | Brooklime |
Schoenus nigricans | Black Bog-rush |
Scrophularia nodosa | Figwort |
Senecio aquaticus | Marsh Ragwort |
Senecio vulgaris | Groundsel |
Solanum nigrum | Black Nightshade |
Sonchus arvensis | Corn Sow-thistle |
Sonchus oleraceus | Smooth Sow-thistle |
Sorbus acuparia | Rowan |
Sparganium erectum | Branched Bur-reed |
Stachys palustris | Marsh Woundwort |
Stellaria media | Chickweed |
Succisa pratensis | Devilsbit Scabious |
Taraxacum vulgaris | Dandelion |
Torilis japonica | Upright Hedge Parsely |
Trifolium pratense | Red Clover |
Triglochin palustris | Marsh Arrow-grass |
Tussilago farfara | Coltsfoot |
Ulex gallii | Western Gorse |
Urtica dioica | Stinging Nettle |
Veronica anagallis-aquatica | Water Speedwell |
Veronica beccabunga | Brooklime |
Vicia cracca | Tufted Vetch |
Colin Sillence Bsc Msc,
Bristol UK ,
August 31st 1996