Danes Moss
A cut-over, lowland, raised mire SSSI, surrounded by a woodland fringe. Characteristic bog plants include sphagnum mosses, cotton grass and cross-leaved heath. 11 species of dragonfly and damselfly have been recorded on the reserve along with the green hairstreak butterfly.
Location
The Moss lies to the south of Macclesfield, between the A536 and the Macclesfield - Kidsgrove railway line. The Trust nature reserve lies to the south of the footpath which runs roughly east-west across the southern end of the area (O.S. Grid Ref.: SJ907704).
Access
Leave Macclesfield via the A536 (Macclesfield-Congleton road). In Gawsworth Warren turn left at the crossroads, bearing left after 200 metres. Conitinue for approximately 0.9 miles (1.5km) where a footpath leaves the road on the left hand side, just before a sharp bend. Cars should be left at the side of the road. Proceed on foot along the public footpath. After 300 metres turn right, walk along the track until the reserve is reached. The footpath marks the northern boundary of the reserve. The reserve is open to all; for reasons of safety please keep to the public footpath.
Danes Moss (13.4ha) situated in Gawsworth, near Macclesfield, is the largest and highest lowland raised bog in Cheshire. The site was notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1985.
Although the site comprises mainly lowland raised bog, there is also an area of broadleaved woodland that exists within it.
Danes Moss is known to support at least eleven species of dragonfly and damselfly many of which are rare in Cheshire, including the black darter, which is Britain’s smallest dragonfly. The black darters habitat requirements are very specific requiring nutrient poor acidic pools in boggy waters with associated sphagnum cover. The site supports at least six species of sphagnum moss. A few of which are important precursors to bog development as they degrade over time to form peat, thereby creating bog habitat.
At least 19 species of butterfly occupy this site including the green hairstreak, which has declined across the Cheshire Plain. Bilberry is one of its favoured food plants a plant, which grows in profusion on Danes Moss. Over thirty species of moth have been recorded, one of which is a county rarity, the ‘Clay’.
Other species of botanical interest include cross-leaved heath, heather and cotton grass, another important precursor to peat formation.
The site supports a small population of common lizards, which are protected under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981).
Several bird species have been recorded on this site. Nationally notable species, which include the green woodpecker, willow warbler, reed bunting and bullfinch are known to breed here.
Management Objectives
Cheshire Wildlife Trusts main objectives at Danes Moss are to return the site to its original state. This is a slow and careful process that could take several hundred years.
Sheets of recycled plastic piling have been driven into the moss to act as sluices and bunds to retain water and direct it to where it is most needed.
The retention of water encourages the growth of sphagnum mosses, which will degrade over time thus creating bog habitat and forming peat.
The removal of invasive succession species such as silver birch and controlling re-growth is another important aspect of the plan. These woody plants remove valuable moisture from the moss through transpiration and can in the long-term change the chemical make up of the soil through the decay of leaf litter and affect the whole structure of the site.
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