Most turloughs have a springy, short-cropped turf of grasses, sedges and herbs. In the Burren, the highwater-mark is often shown by the shrubby cinquefoil with its attractive yellow flowers, and meadow rue. Just below, dog violets are abundant and in some turloughs there may be a dense sward of the rare sky-blue turlough violet about one metre further down. Other characteristic plants of turlough sides include orchids and speedwell. About half way down the sides, and across the bottom of shallow turloughs, silverweed may blanket almost all other plants.
Many people think that turloughs have no animal life.
However, frogs and newts may spawn there and sticklebacks may survive in the larger turloughs, retreating into underground cracks in the rock when waters are low. These hatch and grow fast, finding safety in the warm fishless waters. When turloughs retain some water all year, they may be important bird haunts. Rahasane in Galway is famous for its white-fronted geese, whooper swans, wigeon, teal and many waders in winter. However, for many years, farmers have seen the winter flooding as a waste of potential and they have attempted to find some means of draining the turloughs so that they can be used all year round.