These mossy hummocks and pools provide essential nesting and feeding ground for wetland birds such as moorhen, snipe and the elusive water rail, whilst birds of prey including hobby, sparrowhawk, buzzard and peregrine take advantage of the abundance of prey.įoulshaw Moss is an incredibly peaceful nature reserve that offers something special for all wildlife enthusiasts.Īlthough the landscape is challenging, boardwalk makes visiting easy-going, with routes leading through peaty pools or out onto the open moss where many different butterflies, moths and insects are found.

Water-loving Sphagnum mosses, carnivorous sundews, cranberry and bog-rosemary are just some of the plants that thrive here, creating a living carpet of colour that’s interspersed with the soft white heads of cottongrass in early summer. Lowland raised mires like Foulshaw Moss are one of Western Europe’s rarest and most threatened habitats.Īround 94% of this unique habitat has been destroyed or damaged in the UK, so these remaining areas are incredibly important for a range of wildlife. These remains, halted from decaying fully due to waterlogging and acidity, have eventually built to form a dome of peat that’s higher than the surrounding land.ĭrainage and tree planting in the 1950s–60s meant much of the wetland wildlife was lost, but these species are now returning following the Trust’s ambitious 15-year restoration of the site. Peat has formed over thousands of years from the remains of the humble bog plant Sphagnum moss.

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