Danes Moss Nature Reserve

Danes Moss Nature Reserve is a 13.4-hectare (33-acre)[1] nature reserve south of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England.[2] A Site of Special Scientific Interest,[3] it is managed by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust.

Danes Moss Nature Reserve
A path across the lowland bog, leading to the wooded area
Danes Moss NR within Cheshire
Type	Nature reserve and SSSI
Location	near Macclesfield, Cheshire
OS grid	SJ907704
Coordinates	53.23°N 2.14°W / 53.23; -2.14
Area	13.4 hectares (33 acres)[1]
Elevation	160m[2]
Operated by	Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Open	at all times

Danes Moss is a lowland raised bog, a rare and threatened habitat in the United Kingdom. The SSSI citation describes it as "the largest example in Cheshire of a cut-over raised mire...a valuable example of a habitat now rare in lowland England", noting that the peat is up to 5 metres (16 ft) deep, a substantial thickness. Seven species of Sphagnum moss are found here. Locally uncommon plants include round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), marsh cinquefoil (Potentilla palustris), bottle sedge (Carex rostrata), common lousewort (Pedicularis sylvatica) and fen bedstraw (Galium uliginosum) and the nationally rare Labrador-tea (Rhododendron tomentosum).[3]

The reserve is also known for its insects. Eleven species of dragonflies and damselflies have been recorded, including the black darter (Sympetrum danae) (Britain's smallest dragonfly) and the four-spotted chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata). They are joined by 19 species of butterfly, including the green hairstreak (Callophrys rubi).[1][3]