meenadoan nature reserve

Although small (50 acres) this raised bog has not been disturbed by cutting, drainage or burning. From analysis of pollen preserved in the bog we know that Meenadoan has grown from a small lake which existed at the end of the last ice age around 13,000 years ago. The bed of this lake is now 14 metres below the present surface. This mass of peat has preserved clues to history that can tell us how the landscape looked centuries ago. below the present surface.

Fed only by rain, the surface of the bog is still actively growing. Sphagnum masses are the main vegetation, often forming hummocks which are raised half a metre above the main surface. Other light green sphagna thrive in pools of water between the hummocks. This mixture of pool and hummock is typical of many raised bogs and here the whole central area has a well developed pool hummock complex with long narrow pools.

In addition to the Sphagna, other mosses and lichens are found in abundance. Plants adapted for these nutrient poor conditions include cranberry, mud sedge and the insect eating sundews. All these plants are soft and so cannot withstand trampling by feet.