Eilean na Muice Duibhe

General site character

• Inland water bodies (Standing water, Running water) (4%)
  
• Bogs, Marshes, Water fringed vegetation, Fens (90%)
  
• Humid grassland, Mesophile grassland (5%)
  
• Broad-leaved deciduous woodland (1%)
  

Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• 7130 Blanket bogs (* if active bog)  * Priority feature

  Eilean na Muice Duibhe on Islay in the Inner Hebrides occurs at low altitude on a coastal plain and contrasts with the other Islay Blanket bogs, which have different topographic features. The vegetation shows affinities to that found on many Irish bogs because species such as black bog-rush Schoenus nigricans and purple moor-grass Molinia caerulea are present, replacing species such as hare’s-tail cottongrass Eriophorum vaginatum that are more commonly found in the UK. There is a rich variety of surface patterning, from small lochs, through continuous Sphagnum lawns to many hummock-forming species. Of particular note are Sphagnum fuscum and S. imbricatum, which are frequent across this largely active blanket bog site.

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

• 7150 Depressions on peat substrates of the Rhynchosporion

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• Not Applicable

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

• Not Applicable