Danes Moss Nature Reserve Danes Moss Nature Reserve Danes Moss Nature Reserve is a nature reserve south of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. A Site of Special Scientific Interest, it is managed by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust. Danes Moss is a lowland raised bog, a rare and threatened habitat in the United Kingdom. The SSSI citation describes it as "the largest example in Cheshire of a cut-over raised mire...a valuable example of a habitat now rare in lowland England", noting that the peat is up to deep, a substantial thickness. Seven species of "Sphagnum" moss are found here. Locally uncommon plants include round-leaved sundew ("Drosera rotundifolia"),
Sphagnum cuspidatum branch leaves can sometimes be faintly serrated. "S. cuspidatum" is a dioecious species. The spores produced are 29-38 µm, covered with large papillae on both surfaces, and appear to be covered in small blisters (pusticulate). "S. cuspidatum" can be found on wet humus under forests and on the bases of trees forming a hummock-hollow complex; in or near bogs. Distinguishing "Sphagnum cuspidatum" from "Sphagnum viride" is sometimes difficult as both occur over a similar geographic range and both grow in wet carpets. "Sphagnum cuspidatum" has narrower branch leaves and usually a distinct red tinge at the branch bases within the