Save A Sod or save one or more for a friend, colleague or family member – A perfect gift for those interested in nature, wildlife, taking action in response to the climate emergency and protecting Irish land and its Biodiversity. Each sod is €25 which will help to care for a piece of land and the species that live on it.
We invite you to save a sod for one year to help us protect and preserve Ireland’s wild acres at the key sites in our care – Connemara Co.Galway, Rosscarbery Co.Cork, Red Bog Co.Carlow, Ballinrobe Co.Mayo, Kinnegoe Co. Donegal, Arderry Co. Cavan.
Contributors who Save one Sod will receive a Digital Certificate to acknowledge their donation. Those who Save more than one Sod will receive a beautiful Letterpress Certificate. The certificate is hand-made by Dublin Letterpress Studio ‘One Strong Arm’ using card made from recycled coffee cups and printed with ecological ink.
More details can be found on our Save A Sod FAQ sheet.
The Connemara land contains many distinct ecosystems from wet heath and rocky outcrops to native woodland. This land with its small ancient oak woodland is home to the yellow orchid and the large marsh grasshopper and much more. Steps are being taken to enrich this bountiful biodiversity that is such an important part of Wild Acres in Connemara.
This is a rich and diverse Wild Acre site, comprising young woodland, meadow, wet woodland, wet meadow and pond life with potential for immense biodiversity growth. In time, this site will develop into an ideal valley woodland, supporting a wide range of plants, birds, mammals and insect species. Major steps have been taken to increase the site’s biodiversity value and nature preservation potential.
This land, in the form of five fields, is species-rich grassland and has a raised boundary bank of furze bushes, with a stream bordering one side. The land and its rich organic garden is being allowed to thrive in all its biodiversity for posterity. Green Sod Ireland’s main function is to continue to support nature to take its course and as a result the land is teeming with wildlife, (flora and fauna).
Comprising a large habitat area in the 10 interlinked grassland fields, there is an abundance of native tree and hedgerow species. The different features, diversity of flowering and fruiting times, of the hedgerows on this land are important because many species use them. The older hedges contain amounts of dead wood and plant litter within its structure – these provide valuable habitats for invertebrates, which in turn attract predators such as hedgehogs, birds and bats. Our best practice management is crucial to the maintenance of these healthy hedgerows, so vital to wildlife and biodiversity.
A small native woodland consisting of oak, birch, Scots pine, and willow trees, ferns, ivy, wood sage and more. Work is beginning now to ascertain the biodiversity of the area and what management practices need to be put in place to enhance and strengthen the health and well being of the ecosystem.
The land at Meenletterbale, Inishowen, Co. Donegal was gifted to Green Sod Ireland in 2019.
Most of the area north of the road which divides the land is comprised of the most celebrated of Ireland’s peatlands; an upland blanket bog and scrub mosaic, which over time will be restored to good conservation status. These upland blanket bogs are characterised by the presence of ling heather (Calluna vulgaris), crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus). Species included Yorkshire fog, creeping thistle, creeping buttercup and redshank, perennial ryegrass, crested dog’s-tail, white clover and soft rush. Scrub vegetation is composed of gorse, hazel, trees such as ash, willow and sycamore, and low shrubs mixed with grasses and herbs.
Two small streams flow through the site, with hedgerows and trees offering covering for native species. This magnificent land has huge biodiversity potential and is a very significant first Wild Acres in Donegal.
