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Antrim Town, Co Antrim
The lakeshore reserve, which has grown up on the old bed of the lough contains a mixture of wet woodland and reed swamp. When the lough level was lowered in the 1930s sand bars were exposed, and it is these underlying ridges and hollows that provide a choice of habitats to a wide range of plants and insects. The site is owned by Forest Services and managed in partnership with Environment Service.
Ridges & Hollows
The ridges have a dry sandy soil which suits trees such as ash and birch plus a rich array of woodland flowers and butterflies. In contrast the dank dark peaty hollows provide an ideal home for many different snails, slugs and beatles which live on the rotting vegetation. They share the wet world with mosses, ferns, sedges and alder trees.
Management
If left to nature the range of habitate would eventually change to become one woodland. In order to retain the variety of habitats and the many plants, animals and insects that they support, the site must be actively managed. This may include excavating ponds to keep open water with a reed swamp fringe and coopping trees to retain woodland glades.
Map of Rea's Wood and Shore.
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