Skip the NI Direct Bar
Department of the Environment logo
Northern Ireland Environment Agency logo

Carrickastickan ASSI

Last updated: 5 February 2010

picture of Carrickastickan ASSI

Site No ASSI 215
Area 3.74 (ha)
Declared Date 05/10/2001
Confirmed Date 27/02/2002
County Armagh
Council(s) Newry & Mourne DC
Keywords Dry grassland,
semi-natural, species-rich

The two fields at Carrickastickan are typically grass dominated with a wide range of associated herbs. The grasses crested dog's-tail, red fescue, common bent and sweet vernal-grass are constant in the sward with other grass-like species such as field wood-rush also found scattered throughout. Herbs typical of traditionally managed grasslands are frequent throughout the swards and include oxeye daisy, meadow vetchling, yellow-rattle, Yarrow, common knapweed, common spotted-orchid and meadow buttercup. picture of lady's bedstraw in flowerWhere soils are thin lady's bed-straw and bird's-foot trefoil are locally very abundant with a range of other small herbs including fairy flax, eyebright and bulbous buttercup. These species reflect the slightly base-rich soil conditions.
In addition field scabious and burnet saxifrage occur in one of the fields. Both of these species have a fairly restricted distribution in Northern Ireland with the former usually being more associated with verges than pastures and the latter with only a few known sites in County Armagh.

Site Related Documents

Site map (.PDF 751 Kb)Opens in new window., Citation document (.PDF 119 Kb)Opens in new window. and Views about Management document (.PDF 62 Kb)Opens in new window..