"the Dungonnell Way ... through Glenariff Forest Park... 9.5-mile circular route...
The Dungonnell area lies on the watershed between the source of the Glenariff River, which drops six miles north to the sea at Red Bay, and the source of Glenravel Water, which flows south to meet the River Bann and on to Lough Neagh 30 miles away. ... Dungonnell lies in the Garron Plateau Area of Special Scientific Interest, designated because of its outstanding geology and peatland flora and fauna. The area also contains habitat types and species that are rare across Europe, earning it a further designation as a Special Area of Conservation. The Garron Plateau is the biggest area of intact blanket bog in Northern Ireland. Blanket bogs are characteristically wet underfoot and usually dominated by carpets of bog-moss sphagnum species, cotton grasses and heathers. The site is rich in rare and notable plants including narrow leaf[v]ed march orchid [Dactylorhiza traunsteineri], bog orchid [Hammarbya paludosa]... Open areas have been left at the top of the woodland... supporting plant species like the common spotted orchid [Dactylorhiza fuchsii]" URL : http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/features/daily-features/article2720936.ece ************* Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
