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Managed Wetlands and Herb Rich Meadow
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Habitually Waterlogged Areas.
Wetland habitats and the communities they
support have been dwindling throughout the British Isles
and in Europe due to intensive agriculture use in the last
fifty years.
Here in the Park we have designated a series of habitually
Managed Wetland sites of Ponds, Dykes, Flushes, Springs and natural
Streams to protect and enhance the natural flora and fauna
of the area.
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Plantlife in the Managed Wetlands.
Flowering species produce spectacular displays at different times of the year - such as Flag Iris, Lady's Mantle, Meadow Sweet, Ragged Robin, Winter Dropworth, Water Forget-me-not, Digitalis and the golden yellow Monkey Flower.
Many of the plant species of Entomological importance require
unshaded conditions and for this reason the Managed Wetlands within
the Park provide an ideal habitat and food source for a
wide variety of insects, moths, and plants including Bilberry
(Vacinium
myrtillus), Bedstraw (Galium),
Sallow (Salix
aurita),
Ladys Mantle (Alchemilla)
and Bramble colonise these areas.
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Birds and Insects of
the Wetlands.
The Meadow Pipet, Skylark, Dipper, Kestrels,Merlins, Phesant,
Mallard, Snipe, Raven and the Sparrow Hawk are all common
to the area.
Interesting insects and moths include:- Damselflies and
Dragonflies (Odonata). Popular Butterflies and Moths
(Lepidoptera) such as the Green-Veined White Butterfly
(Irelands most common species), Orange-tip Butterfly,
Peacock Butterfly, Buff Arches Moth, Red Carpet Moth,
the Northern Eggar and Emperor Moth.
Slugs, Caterpillars and Frogs
The 'Kerry Slug' is very numerous, particularly on moist
evenings. You cannot miss this large black specimen up
to 7cm long.
The Emperor Moth Caterpillar (Pavonia - Pavonia) can
be seen feeding on the purple heather, The Park has a
very large population of Frogs (Ranidae), most notable
during the mating season in February and March, when
it croaks to warn of intruders approaching.
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Mushera Managed
Wetland Project.
The Managed Wetlands
Entitled the “Mushera Managed Wetland Project” we carried out substantial work
during 2007 to develop and improve the overall species richness of the Park. To
achieve this we have created a series of new ponds, a new managed flush and increased
the vegetative cover of this fairly exposed north facing site. The prolific occurrence
of springs and the drainage efforts which were carried out here on this site
in the 1970s have resulted in a disturbed local topography which has now been
successfully exploited to create a very good quality Managed Wetland area which we will
continue to manage to improve biodiversity over the coming years as the site
matures.
In the works we have carried out we focussed particularly on creating a multi-faceted
wetland area which would exemplarise two of the key criteria for evaluating the
importance of a wetland under the Ramsar Convention i.e. 1. A wetland of special
value for maintaining the genetic and ecological diversity of a region and 2.
a Wetland which particularly characterises the region in which it is found.
We are aware of the additional need to make the Managed Wetland an educational
resource and therefore there is a significant need to provide suitable and safe
access to the site without consequential damage or reduction in biodiversity.
This we believe we have achieved very successfully and have over 20 schools
visit the Wetlands since we completed the project in early September.
We are grateful to the Heritage Council for funding support towards this important
project through their Biodiversity Grant scheme.
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Meadow
Management
The present Herb Rich Meadow was planted in 1992 with
a mixture of 25% wild flowers and 75% grass mixtures.
The species included the Cowslip, the Common Daisy, Wild
Carrot, Foxglove, Ox-Eye Daisy, Harebell, Wild Pansy,
Violets, St.John's Wort, Sheep Sorrel, Storks Bill, Red
Clover, White Clover, Chicory, Teasel, Common Vetch,
Red Fescue and sixteen others. A mural at the entrance
to the Herb Rich Meadow will help you identify some of the individual
species.
In order to retain the meadow in its present and diverse
state we do not use any fertilisers or herbicides and
conduct only one cutting in late summer with a traditional
mowing bar. The hay is turned frequently and made into
haycocks, this activity further dispersing loose seed
for next year. Finally the hay is put to practical use
on the deer farm as winter fodder. |
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Herb Rich Meadow
The Herb Rich Meadow is a pasture conservation that provides a floristically
rich area, where the optimum conditions for native flora
and fauna now exists. A specially mown grass walk takes
you right through this vernacular meadow of beauty and
colour recreated to reflect the plant life and grasses
that would have been faithful to this area, but for the
intervention of mankind. The traditional name of the
meadow was "Turin na Blath" - the little hill
of the flowers.
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