| Danes Moss Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
 A path across the lowland bog, leading to the wooded area | |
  Danes Moss NR within Cheshire | |
| Type | Nature reserve and SSSI |
| Location | near Macclesfield, Cheshire |
| OS grid | SJ907704 |
| Coordinates | 53°14′N 2°08′W / 53.23°N 2.14°W |
| Area | 13.4 hectares (33 acres)[1] |
| Elevation | 160m[2] |
| Operated by | Cheshire Wildlife Trust |
| Open | at all times |
Danes Moss Nature Reserve is a 13.4-hectare (33-acre)[1] nature reserve south of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England.[2] A Site of Special Scientific Interest,[3] it is managed by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust.
Danes Moss is a lowland raised bog, a rare and threatened habitat in the United Kingdom. The SSSI citation describes it as "the largest example in Cheshire of a cut-over raised mire...a valuable example of a habitat now rare in lowland England", noting that the peat is up to 5 metres (16 ft) deep, a substantial thickness. Seven species of Sphagnum moss are found here. Locally uncommon plants include round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), marsh cinquefoil (Potentilla palustris), bottle sedge (Carex rostrata), common lousewort (Pedicularis sylvatica) and fen bedstraw (Galium uliginosum) and the nationally rare Labrador-tea (Rhododendron tomentosum).[3]
The reserve is also known for its insects. Eleven species of dragonflies and damselflies have been recorded, including the black darter (Sympetrum danae) (Britain's smallest dragonfly) and the four-spotted chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata). They are joined by 19 species of butterfly, including the green hairstreak (Callophrys rubi).[1][3]
References
- 1 2 3 "Danes Moss". Cheshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- 1 2 Wilmslow, Macclesfield & Congleton (Map). 1:25000. Explorer Series. Ordnance Survey. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
- 1 2 3 "SSSI Citation" (PDF). Natural England. 6 November 1992 [18 October 1985]. Retrieved 20 July 2012.