St. John’s Point is a 10 km-long, narrow peninsula running south-west from Dunkineely into Donegal Bay. Grassland occurs on limestone on low ridges with outcropping rocks and ‘V’ shaped valleys with peaty formations. The exposed limestone forms pavement where some unusual plants are found including Bloody Crane’s-bill, Northern Bedstraw, Stone Bramble and Blue Moor-grass. More abundant plants on the thin soils and rocky clefts include Mountain Everlasting, marsh-orchids, Burnet Rose, Common Knapweed and Heath Spotted-orchid. The wet valley bottoms contain flushes rich in Bogbean, Common Cottongrass, Marsh-marigold, Lesser Spearwort, Grass-of-Parnassus and Common Scurvygrass. Heathy areas have developed on thin, peaty soils near the end of St. John’s Point.
Areas of the EU Habitats Directive-listed ‘Molinia Meadow’ also exist, with Purple Moor-grass dominating, along with Common Spotted-orchid, Early Marsh-orchid and Heath Spotted-orchid.
Thanks to the abundance of Devil’s-bit Scabious, St. John’s Point is a great site to see the Marsh Fritillary butterfly.
