Oaks, Rushes and Liverworts

2 February 2024 By Dean McCullough
Dean McCullough

Oaks, Rushes and Liverworts

Yesterday, I led a walk through Rostrevor Oakwood

A small group of us had a dander through Rostrevor Oakwood for Brigid’s Day – one of the last remaining ancient oakwood in Ireland, and is both a nationally and internationally important site for a variety of organisms.

We discussed the different habitat groups within the woodland. Acidic, free-draining slopes dominated by oak with Greater Wood Rush forming a dense herbaceous layer. In more base-rich areas, ash, wych elm and hart’s tongue ferns are more abundant. We contrasted the more open mature oak woodland with denser hazel woodland. We had to mention the abundant epiphytes that characterise oceanic woodlands and especially the polypody fern which lives habitually on oaks. Hazel trees were great for illustrating liverworts and lichens, the latter of which, forms a very important and rare community called the graphidion lichen community. We also had a look at the woodland plants such as soft-shield fern, hard fern, foxglove and sally-suckers (sorrel).

Unfortunately, Rostrevor oakwood is bound by a plantation. However, it serves as a useful comparison between the oakwood and dense monoculture of coniferous trees.

I hope that in providing people the opportunity to learn more about the wildlife that relies on the oakwood, that people will block any development or land-use change that threatens this amazing, but dwindling habitat.

Brigid brings the Spring!