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Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve
Foulshaw Moss, a 350 hectare SSSI, is the largest of three raised mires making up the Witherslack Mosses. Over thousands of years, a layer of peat up to six metres deep has built up, making Foulshaw Moss higher than the surrounding land. Drainage around the moss has made the moss drier than it would naturally be and drainage and tree planting on the moss itself in the 1950s and 1960s has further reduced the water table.
This means that the characteristic bog vegetation of sphagnum moss, cottongrass, cranberry and bog rosemary is only present in small areas rather than covering the site. Since acquisition in 1998, the Cumbria Wildlife Trust has been working towards restoring the mire by felling conifers, blocking internal ditches and re-wetting areas of surrounding land.
This means that the characteristic bog vegetation of sphagnum moss, cottongrass, cranberry and bog rosemary is only present in small areas rather than covering the site. Since acquisition in 1998, the Cumbria Wildlife Trust has been working towards restoring the mire by felling conifers, blocking internal ditches and re-wetting areas of surrounding land.
| Highlights A large herd of red deer frequent the moss and in summer common lizard can be seen. Adder and slow worm may occasionally be encountered. Breeding birds include tree pipit, reed bunting, snipe and barn owl. Emperor and northern eggar moth, and large heath and green hairstreak butterflies can be seen on the areas of remnant bog vegetation at the northern end of the site. There is also a pond here where a number of different dragonflies including the emperor may be seen. | Location Just south of the A590, about 3 miles south west of levens. Grid reference: SD459838 |
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