Map of the Month - July 2025

July’s Map of the Month shows species richness of Sphagnum at Askham Bog, York!

Welcome to our final instalment of Map of the Month! This month’s Map of the Month was kindly donated to us by Steve Heathcote, a bryophyte recorder. The map was originally made to accompany a report into Sphagnum moss species at Askham Bog, located just outside of York. Due to degradation and loss of wetlands, Sphagnum species are uncommon in lowland environments in Yorkshire, however Askham Bog has long been known to support this group. Recently, restoration work that has been undertaken at the site is believed to have increased the extent of Sphagnum cover, so Steve’s work acts as an important baseline survey to help monitor future changes in Sphagnum species richness and distribution at the site. Our July Map of the Month shows the survey routes undertaken across the site across two visits, and Sphagnum species richness in each recording location (10mx 10m grid square).

Our Ecological Data Officer, Hannah, also attended one of the survey dates and contributed to the recording of Sphagnum at the site.

With Map of the Month coming to an end, keep an eye out for our new series, Monad of the Month, starting in August!