Mires of the Long Mynd: Part 1 Andrew Perry hostiana. Carnation Sedge Carex panicea is the most frequent, usually accompanied by Glaucous Sedge Carex flacca, Common Yellow Sedge Carex demissa and Common Sedge Carex nigra. Joined Rush Juncus articulatus, Bulbous Rush Juncus bulbosus and Common Cottongrass Eriophorum angustifolium are common, and less frequently calcicoles (calcium-loving plants) such as Fewflowered Spike-rush Eleocharis quinqueflora and Quaking Grass Briza media can be found.
Mires form the most botanically diverse parts of Long Mynd Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), with 51 axiophytes recorded in monitoring plot data, along with eight nationally notable bryophytes. This article covers the vegetation of the sedge and valley mire communities, and in Part 2, I will discuss the vegetation around springs and soakaways. As an ecologist for the National Trust, I’ve been involved in monitoring these special habitats and I’ve tried to summarise some of the key information below. Data on mosses and liverworts are mostly taken from reports by Des Callaghan (2012–2014), detailed surveys commissioned by Natural England.
Notable herbs include the sticky and carnivorous Common Butterwort Pinguicula vulgaris, Bog Pimpernel Anagallis tenella, Marsh Valerian Valeriana dioica, Lousewort Pedicularis sylvatica and Marsh Lousewort Pedicularis palustris (although I’ve yet to find the latter!). Of the bryophytes, Scorpidium mosses are abundant (mostly S. cossonii here), along with Bryum pseudotriquetrum, Ctenidium molluscum, Calliergonella cuspidata, Campylium stellatum, Philonotis fontana and Aneura pinguis.
Mires are usually dominated by combinations of sedges, rushes and bryophytes, and the composition of species can vary greatly depending on the water source, soil type, underlying geology, altitude, topography, grazing levels and geographic location. For a guide on separating the upland mire communities that occur in Shropshire see the article by Hilary Wallace in the spring 2013 newsletter, available via the Shropshire Botanical Society website.
In terms of National Vegetation Classification (NVC), these mires as best described as M10
Base-rich sedge mires These occur where calcium-enriched but oligotrophic (nutrient-poor) water flushes the soil, and are an unexpected but welcome find on the Long Mynd. Despite most of the underlying geology being fairly acidic, the water is picking up dissolved bases from somewhere and water testing at such sites by Callaghan (2012) found an average pH of 7. These mires are often very small in extent, sometimes only a few square metres, but can be recognised by their short, patchy sward of small sedges scattered amongst ‘brown mosses’. Sphagna are rare in this habitat. On the Long Mynd, they occur at a range of altitudes from the foot slopes of Townbrook Hollow to the heads of the valleys on the plateau, wherever suitable water emerges from springs or seepages. Some of our less common sedges occur here including Dioecious Sedge Carex dioica, Flea Sedge Carex pulicaris and Tawny Sedge Carex
Bog Pimpernel and Scorpidium moss (Peter and Jane Howsam)
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