Highfield Moss
Nature reserve in Greater Manchester, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Highfield Moss is a nature reserve of the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, near Lowton in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester. It is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[1]
| Highfield Moss | |
|---|---|
| |
  Location in Greater Manchester | |
| OS grid | SJ 614 956 |
| Coordinates | 53°27′17″N 2°35′05″W |
| Area | 17.9 hectares (44 acres) |
| Operated by | Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside |
| Designation | Site of Special Scientific Interest |
| Website | www |
Description
The area, of size 17.9 hectares (44 acres), is a lowland raised mire, an unusual type of wetland among those in the Greater Manchester area, with diverse habitats over deep peat, including wet heath, tall fen and standing water.[2]
Peatlands are important, because they store carbon dioxide, which has been absorbed over thousands of years, whereas degraded peatland emits carbon dioxide; and peatlands reduce flooding by soaking up water. Restoration is also important for species of wildlife which are adapted to this particular environment, and which would otherwise disappear.[3]
There is access to the reserve by public footpaths.[4]
Wildlife
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway, built by George Stephenson between 1826 and 1830, crosses the area; heaps of sand left by the construction are occupied by several species of bees including tawny mining bees and buffish mining bees.[4][5]
There are several pools where dragonflies and damselflies can be seen such as black darter, common hawker, four-spotted chaser and emerald damselfly.[6]
Birds which may be seen include whitethroats, linnets, hobbies and kestrels.[4]
Plants in the reserve include in particular the marsh gentian, which is generally rare in the UK, and because of the diverse habitats there is a variety of species, including species rarely found in the Greater Manchester area, such as petty whin, false fox-sedge, cross-leaved heath and lousewort.[2]
Inclusion in national nature reserve
The reserve in one of the sites included in the Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss National Nature Reserve, a national nature reserve created in 2025, consisting of eleven sites of varied lowland peat areas in Greater Manchester and Cheshire.[7]