North West’s hidden symbol
GUEST WRITER JENNY BENNION, PEATLANDS COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
HERE in the North West, we are privileged to be surrounded by some amazing peatland areas.
Astley Moss in Tyldesley and Cadishead & Little Woolden Moss near Irlam form part of Chat Moss and the Greater Manchester Wetlands areas, and even though they aren’t that far from the city, they feel like an absolute world away.
These amazing habitats are vital natural resource in the fight against climate change, soaking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and locking it away in the peat for millennia.
Peatlands also form a crucial part of our ecosystem with their very specific wet, acidic and low nutrient conditions that support some amazing specially adapted plants and animals.
Cottongrass is just one of these. In fact, not a grass at all but a member of the sedge family, cottongrass is one of the great survivors of the natural world, thriving in often unforgiving habitats where it takes advantage of the lack of competition.
In early summer you can hardly fail to miss the fluffy white seed heads, bobbing around above the mosses like frothy cotton wool balls, or even resembling a sprinkling of unseasonal snow when viewed from a distance. Cottongrass is inextricably linked with the area too.
It is the floral - yes I know it’s not a flower! - emblem of the city, chosen as it epitomises the wide open spaces that surround our urban metropolis.
Hare’s-tail cotton grass specifically is an important food source for the caterpillars of the rare Manchester Argus butterfly, whilst the adults can often be found resting in the shelter of cottongrass clumps.
Also known as the large heath butterfly, the Manchester Argus has been locally extinct for more than 150 years, as a result of the destruction of their peatland habitats due to development, drainage and peat extraction during the industrial revolution.
However due to a reintroduction project supported by The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside and the clever people at Chester Zoo, this summer will see the reintroduction of this lost species. Cottongrass has also been used for years as a waymarker, signalling the presence of boggy terrain that can be difficult or dangerous to walk across.
So if you decide to visit one of our lovely mosslands this summer, remember to appreciate our lovely cotton grass from afar – you’ll not only be saving yourself from wet feet, but also be leaving the Manchester Argus in peace to settle back into its rightful home.