Little Deer Park has been declared as an ASSI because of its species-rich dry grassland and earth science features.
Species-rich grassland tends to occur only where traditional farming practices have been maintained. Such species-rich grassland is now a rare habitat in Northern Ireland.
Little Deer Park stretches for approximately 1.75km along the shore road in County Antrim, located just to the south-east of Glenarm. The site has a general east/north-easterly aspect and the slopes rise from 10m to over 70m in places.
The vegetation at Little Deer Park is typically grass-dominated, with an important grassland fungi assemblage. Spring-sedge is dominant, along with the grasses red fescue, sheep’s-fescue, false brome, sweet vernal-grass and crested dog’s-tail.
Herbs are common and quite diverse with wild thyme, eyebright, Lady’s bedstraw, fairy flax, common bird’s-foot-trefoil, mouse-earhawkweed, heath milkwort and harebell, all of which are frequent. Species such as bulbous buttercup are locally common.
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