Pollardstown Fen () is Ireland's largest extant calcareous spring-fed
fen
A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetland along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires ...
, a national nature reserve, Special Area of Conservation, and Ramsar site of approximately in
County Kildare
County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...
.
Features
Pollardstown Fen was legally protected as a national nature reserve by the Irish government in 1986. It is also a
Special Area of Conservation
A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...
and is deemed to be of international importance as a habitat. 60% of the fen is owned by the Irish state, and its designation as a reserve was in response to drainage schemes from the 1960s which converted parts of the fen into agricultural land. In 1990, the site was also declared
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
Cladium mariscus
''Cladium mariscus'' is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names swamp sawgrass, great fen-sedge, saw-sedge or sawtooth sedge. Previously it was known as elk sedge. It is native of temperate Europe and Asia wher ...
Vertigo geyeri
''Vertigo geyeri'' is a species of small air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc or micromollusc in the family Vertiginidae, the whorl snails.MolluscaBase eds. (2023). MolluscaBase. Vertigo geyeri Lindholm, 1925. Acce ...
Vertigo moulinsiana
Desmoulin's whorl snail (''Vertigo moulinsiana'') is a species of small air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc or micromollusc in the family Vertiginidae, the whorl snails.MolluscaBase eds. (2023). MolluscaBase. Vert ...
''. The site's flora is dominated by black bog rush and saw sedge, with other species recorded including the
fly orchid
''Ophrys insectifera'', the fly orchid, is a species of orchid and the type species of the genus ''Ophrys''. It is remarkable as an example of the use of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as a highly selective and highly ...
, western bladderwort,
sphagnum moss
''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store water, since ...
and broad-leaved bog cotton. A large number of birds are found on the reserve such as sand martins, skylarks, mute swans, herons, little grebe, coots, moorhens, reed buntings, water rails, snipe, sedge warblers, pintail and tufted ducks. Other animals that inhabit the area include otters, hares, pygmy shrews, and smooth newts. There is a boardwalk at the site for visitors.
The fen was impacted for a time by the side-effects from the construction of the Kildare by-pass in 2003, when the water levels in the fen were disrupted.
Gallery
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File:Common reeds in February at Pollardstown Fen.jpg, alt=
File:Phragmites australis close up.jpg, alt=
File:Summer sunshine at Pollardstown Fen.jpg, alt=