Blanket Bog
Large areas of the uplands of Northern Ireland are characterised by the rugged landscape of blanket bog.
Due to our high rainfall, topography and poorly draining soils, Northern Ireland is particularly suited to blanket bog (PDF 79.14Kb)
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The attributes usually associated with blanket bog are areas above 200m with heavy rainfall and low temperatures. Peat can vary in nature from 1m to 6m thick due to the undulating ground. Like raised bogs, blanket bogs receive their nutrients from rainwater and the atmosphere, and are also acidic.
Blanket peat began to form around 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. As rain seeped down through the soil it deposited a thin layer of iron, known as the iron pan, in the soil. As this layer of iron built up, it prevented water from passing through, so the soil above became waterlogged. The wet conditions and lack of oxygen allowed peat to form and cover extensive areas of land, like a blanket - hence the name! Blanket bog accumulates in response to the very slow rate that the plant material decomposes under water logging conditions.
Wildlife
Both the Irish hare and the red deer are found in blanket bogs but are not permanent residents.
Other species found here include the red grouse, snipe, golden plover, common heath moth, water beetles, frogs and the common lizard.
Plants adapted to growing on blanket bog include bilberry, black bog rush, common butterwort, hare's - tail, cottongrass and heath milkwort.
The extensive area of blanket bog in the west of Northern Ireland is due to the increase in altitude and rainfall. The Antrim Plateau has the largest proportion of blanket bog in the east. The Northen Ireland Peatland Survey of 1988 stated that 85% (142,384ha) of peatland was blanket bogs.
Generally the intensity and complexity of the surface patterning of blanket bogs increase towards the north and west.
Only 15% of blanket bogs remain here, a similar decline to raised bogs. This is due to centuries of use for fuel and rough grazing. The reclamation of accessible areas only started in the early 19th century. A huge 46% of blanket bog in Northern Ireland has at some time been cut for fuel.
In the second half of the 20th century, upland peatlands declined even more due to commercial tree planting, increased grazing and recently mechanized cutting using tractor-drawn auger machines.
Cuilcagh Mountain Park is one of the best examples of a blanket bog ecosystem in Northern Ireland.
Also, some Northern Ireland Nature Reserves with public access are: Annagarriff and Mullenakill, Brackagh Moss, Slieveanoora, Aghagrefin Forest, Black Bog Forest, Bolustry Forest Moneygal, Teal Lough Forest.