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ContentsContentsHow Raised Bogs Grow 3

Walking on Water 4

Sphagnum Moss 5

What Lives in a Bog? 6

My Raised Bog - How manyPlants do you know? 8

Bog Pool Dipping 10

Bog Archive 11

Why are Raised Bogs Important? 12

Action You Can Take for Bogs 14

What Raised Bogs Can I Visit? 15

My Raised Bog Challenges 16

Prepared by: Dr Catherine O’ConnellCover images: Girley Bog, Co. Meath © C. O’Connell

© 2019Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Bog of AllenNature Centre, Lullymore, Rathangan,Co. Kildare R51 V293. Tel: 045 860133,Email: bogs@ipcc.ie,www.ipcc.ie

My Raised Bog isan education programme ofthe IPCC, supported by the

Peatlands Community Engagement Scheme2019 and funded by the Department ofCulture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht C

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Raised Bogs are wetlands madeof peat, plants and water combined together. They occur inthe midland counties and in theBann River valley of Ireland. Peatis the result of the accumulationof partially decayed plants overthousands of years. The deadplants don’t rot because theygrow in waterlogged conditionswhere there is little oxygen.

Raised bogs formed in lakes leftbehind after the Ice Age 10,000years ago in the Irish midlands.Bacteria and fungi - the agents ofdecay were prevented from working in the waterlogged conditions found in such lakes.The lakes slowly filled with un-decomposed plant materialwhich thickened into peat to fillthe lake basin. Sedges invade thesurface peat to form a fen.Groundwater feeds the plants inthe fen and a rich alkaline wetland habitat develops. Eventually the plants lose contact with the groundwater andrainwater becomes the mainwater source which means thepeatland becomes acidic pH 4. Inthe mineral poor wetland Sphagnum mosses establish andgrow rapidly laying down peateach year until it thickens to 10mdepth or more. All of this peat isstored carbon and as long as the

bog remains wet, that carbon isnot released to the atmosphereas greenhouse gas.

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How Raised Bogs GrowHow Raised Bogs Grow

AMAZINGFACTS

A raised boggrows by

1mm eachyear.

Peat is forming in a lake basin

Fen

Lake basin filled with fen peat

Raised Bog

Raised bog with 10m of peat

Lake

RaisedBogs

Walking on WaterWalking on Water

Walking on a raised bog is theclosest you might ever get tobeing able to walk on water. Thisis because a raised bog is 90%water and only 10% solid earth.The ground is so soft that it takesthree years for your foot print todisappear from the moss cushions. If you jump up anddown on the bog you can feel andeven see it move, proof that it isreally wet.

All of this water is stored in avery powerful bog moss known asSphagnum. It grows quickly and

can hold up to 20 times its ownweight in water. When Sphagnummosses die their remains do notdecay but collect as peat or turf.

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Squeezing the water out ofSphagnum moss © C. O’Connell

AMAZINGFACTS

It takes 3 yearsfor a footprint todisappear from

a Sphagnummoss cushion

Without Sphagnum mosses therewould be no raised bogs in Ireland. Bogs have a living surface which is made of a thincarpet of Sphagnum mosses. Thisis floating on a thick layer ofpartly rotted plant material orpeat that is soaking wet. This iswhy when you walk across thesurface of a bog it feels bouncy.

The carpet of Sphagnum mossesis not flat. Some Sphagnum

mosses grow tightly packed together to form hummocks orcushions. These can be up to 1mhigh on the bog and can bechocolate brown or orange incolour. Scientists have counted50,000 Sphagnum plants in ahummock measuring one squaremetre. Other Sphagna form loosemats in colours of pink, red, copper and yellow. Still othersgrow as single plants surroundedby water in bog pools. These onesare bright green.

Structure of a Sphagnum Moss Plant

A single Sphagnum plant isvery small but has an interesting structure. Thehead or capitulum is thegrowing point of the moss.Attached to the stem are

two types of branches - thespreading branches stick outto interlock with other plants.The hanging branches arepressed to the stem and helpto draw up water. Water istrapped between plants in ahummock, but it is alsostored inside the plant itselfin special containers calledcells.

Head (Capitulum) -the growingpoint of bog

moss

HangingBranches

pressed to thestem create awick to helpdraw water

around mossplants

Stem

Structure of a Sphagnum Moss Plant

A peat corefrom a raised

bog showing the living Sphagnumlayer above the

peat layer. © C. O’Connell

A leaf of a Sphagnummagnified to show the waterstoring cells and the greenfood-making cells inside.

© S. Anderson

1cm

SpreadingBranches - interlock

with othermoss plants

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SphagnumSphagnum MossMoss

What lives in a Bog?What lives in a Bog?C

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!!Red Grouse © F. Doyle

Painted Lady © J. FitzGerald Hare © D. MacPherson

Frog

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The endangered Large Heath Butterfly depends on raised bogplants such as cross-leaved heathand bog cotton for its food.

The Emperor Moth flies in daylightand could be mistaken for a butterfly. You may find the caterpillars (called hairy mollies) ofthe Fox moth or Oak Eggar Moth ora pure silk Emperor moth cocoonon the bog.

Frogs hunt on the bog surface butbreed in bog pools laying clumps offrog spawn in spring. The Viviparous Lizard may be seen sunning itself on hummocks onwarm days.

Snipe, curlew, skylark and meadowpipit breed on bogs. With no treesthese birds nest on the ground inhummocks. Some feed on insectswhile others probe the peat forfood with their long beaks. Evenbirds of prey such as kestrel, buzzard or merlin will patrol thebog looking for small birds, freshlyhatched chicks or other animals.Red grouse feed on Ling Heather.They have a distinct “go back, goback” sounding call. Look forclumps of their sausage like droppings on the bog.

You are most likely to see the IrishHare running away from you on thebog. Its droppings are strawcoloured oval balls. Hare’s feed onbog cotton. Foxes, Badgers andShrews make foraging journeys tothe bog but they don’t live there.

Some plants go to extremes to livein bogs. Sundews are carnivorousand they trap insects in sticky fluidfound at the tips of tentacles ontheir tiny leaves. The tentaclesmove to enclose the insect on theleaf surface so that it can be eaten.

Skylark © F. Doyle

Fox Moth Caterpillar © C. O’Connell

Viviparous Lizard © P. Foss

Fox © É. de Buitléar

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Merlin © F. Doyle

White Beak SedgeRhynchospora alba

Gobsheisc

Bog BeanMenyanthes trifoliata

Báchrán

Many-flowered Bog CottonEriophorum angustifolium

Ceannbhán

Bog RosemaryAndromeda polifolia

Andraiméid

Crossed Leaved HeathErica tetralix

Fraoch Naoscaí

Long Leaved SundewDrosera anglicaDrúchtín Móna

Lustrous Bog MossSphagnum subnitens

Sfagnam

Round Leaved SundewDrosera rotundifolia

Drúchtín Móna

Rusty Bog MossSphagnum fuscum

Sfagnam

Papillose Bog MossSphagnum papillosum

Sfagnam

Single-flowered Bog CottonEriophorum vaginatum

Ceannbhán Gaelach

Deer SedgeTrichophorum cespitosum

Cíb Cheanngheal

Matchstick LichenCladonia floerkeana

Caipín Dearg

Bog AsphodelNarthecium ossifragum

Sciollam na Móna

CranberryVaccinium oxycoccus

Mónóg

Feathery Bog MossSphagnum cuspidatum

Sfagnam

Pixie Cup LichenCladonia pyxidata

Cupán Móna

Magellanic Bog MossSphagnum magellanicum

Sfagnam

Ling HeatherCalluna vulgarisFraoch Coiteann

Red Bog MossSphagnum capillifolium

Sfagnam

Austin’s Bog MossSphagnum austinii

Sfagnam

Heath Plait-Feather MossHypnum jutlandicum

Cleitchaonach

Heath-Spotted OrchidDactylorhiza maculata

Na Circíní

TormentilPotentilla erecta

Néalfartach

Purple Moor GrassMolinia caerulea

Fionnán

Soft Bog MossSphagnum tenellum

Sfagnam

Bearded LichenCladonia portentosa

Léicean

Antler-Horn LichenCladonia uncialis

Léicean

My Raised Bog - How Many Plants Do You Know?My Raised Bog - How Many Plants Do You Know?

© C. O’Connell

© P. Farrell

© P. Farrell

©C. O’ Connell ©

C. O’ Connell ©C. O’ Connell© C. O’Connell

©C. O’ Connell © C. O’ Connell © C. O’ Connell ©

C. O’ Connell

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C. O’ Connell © C. O’ Connell

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Carnivorous flying insects, suchas dragonflies and damselflies,hunt over bogs catching midgesand mosquitoes. They lay theireggs under water in bog pools.The larvae spend three years developing in the pool. They areferocious predators. After thistime they emerge from the pondto become a flying insect and exploit a new habitat for food. Within bog pools there is a richdiversity of mini beasts for

example: water scorpion, waterbeetle, water boatman, hoglouse,shrimp and tadpoles.Other minibeasts inhabit thesurface waterof the poolsuch as pondskaters and thehunting raft spider (Dolomedes fimbriata).

Bog Pool DippingBog Pool Dipping

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Dragonfly Larva © N. Madigan

Four-spot Chaser Dragonfly © T. Whyte

Great Diving Beetle © N. Madigan

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Raft Spider © C. O’Conne

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More than peat is preserved inbogs. Stumps of trees andwooden or leather artefacts suchas tools, clothing and boats havebeen preserved; even the bodiesof people who lived thousands ofyears ago. The wetness of thepeat and the lack of oxygen arethe reason why perishable itemsare preserved. Another great example is bog butter whichfarmers of old stored in the bog to

keep it fresh for use at a laterstage. Under the peat the remainsof the Great Irish Elk have beenfound. Millions of seeds and pollengrains are also preserved in thepeat. By analysing these we cansee when the first farmers arrivedin the midlands and how theforests colonised the land afterthe ice age. Even volcanic ash ortephra from the Islandic Heklaeruptions is found in bogs.

The Bog ArchiveThe Bog Archive

Steps in Time from 0 to 10,000 years ago and Peat Depths

Present Day 0 Irish Famine 155-159

Tomb Builders 5,000

First Farmers 6,000

First Settlers 10,000 years ago

First Metalworkers 4,500

Iron Age 2,650

Corlea Trackway 2,148

Book of Kells 1,200

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Why are Raised BogsWhy are Raised BogsImportant?Important?

Raised bogs are (or were) common in Ireland and scarce in Europe. They occur in few otherplaces in the world. Raised boghabitats need protecting, just likethe tropical rainforests.

When raised bogs disappear, welose more than a source of fuel,moss peat and a unique habitat:we lose a natural environmentalregulator. Bogs hold rainwater(just like a sponge), which reduces floods. The water is released during droughts. As theygrow bogs store carbon and havea vital role to play in helping totackle the climate crisis.

Originally there was 300,000ha ofraised bog in Ireland. Today only10% of that area has a value fornature conservation. Sites areprotected through conservationdesignation. Land owners arecompensated for not cutting turfin the designated sites and for assisting with their restoration.Communities are advised on howto safeguard raised bogs and onhow best to use them for recreation and education.

What has it to do with me?People use peat. Turf is cut anddried for a home fuel - a tradition carried on for hundreds of yearsin Ireland. At first turf was cutand dried by hand but today machinery is used to cut the turfwhich is then spread out to dry.About 60 years ago the peat industry began. Machines wereinvented to mill peat which isused to make electricity. On topof that peat, richin Sphagnummoss is baggedand sold to people to use intheir gardens. Weneed to stop depending on peatand turf if we areto protect thelast of the raisedbogs. It’s timeto use energy produced from renewable sourcesand to compost organic waste instead of usingmoss peat ingardening. Withthe climate in crisis we need torewet any peat reserves remainingto prevent themleaking greenhousegases whichdamage ourenvironment.

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MY RAISED BOGCHALLENGE

Play your part.Take a My

Raised Bog challenge (see

back cover)

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Turf Cut for Home Use 46%Industrial Peat Extraction 24%

Forestry 2%Conservation Value 10%

Raised Bog Utilisation Chart 300,000ha

Action You Can TakeAction You Can Takefor Bogsfor Bogs

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Get Stuck In - Help BlockDrains

Rewetting damaged raised bogsmeans bringing the water tableback up to the surface. This isachieved by blocking up old

drains and removing any treesthat can suck water from openparts of the bog. Even forestryplantations on raised bogs arebeing felled so that the bogs canbe allowed to grow again. Somework needs special machinery butsmall jobs can be carried out bytrained volunteers. Contact yourlocal youth group or your local bog group through the Community Wetlands Forum tosee what you can do to help.

Citizen Scientists WantedEach year the Irish Peatland

conservationCouncil recordfrogs andfrogspawnseen on raisedbogs andother wetlands.Records canbe submitted

on line at www.ipcc.ie. Join theHop to It Irish Frog Survey.

Bog Habitat TransplantRe-introducing Sphagnum mossto areas of raised bogs that haveno plant cover helps theirrestoration. Sphagnum moss istransplanted from a donor siteonto freshly prepared peat. Theplants are covered with living

strands of moss and protectedwith a layer of straw. After 3-5years the moss regenerates covering the bare peat and preventing further loss of thepeat soil (whichis carbon) andwildlife. By volunteeringon community projects youcan help withbog transplants.

Volunteers blocking drains on GirleyBog © T Ó Corcora

Sphagnum moss transplant - Spot thedifferences after 3 years.

© C. O’Connell

2015

2018

AMAZINGFACTS

For incrediblebog facts andinformation

visitwww.ipcc.ie

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Like Raised BogsSpread the word about how greatraised bogs are for you. RememberMy Raised Bog = WaterMy Raised Bog = WildlifeMy Raised Bog = Carbon StoreMy Raised Bog = Flood ControlMy Raised Bog = A Day in the Wild

Bringing Raised Bogs HomeComposting household waste cutsout the need to purchase bags of

moss peat from a garden centre foruse in your garden.Moss peat is harvested fromraised bogs and this

removes the carbonand greenhouse gas

store that took thousands of yearsto build in the bog.

Planning for the FutureThe National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltachthave developed a plan to protectraised bogs for Irish people. Thisdocument sets a target area forconservation of raised bogs and

describes thework thatneeds to bedone to bringthe bogs backto goodhealth. Readmore atwww.npws.ieandwww.raisedbogs.ie.

Save the Bogs CampaignThe campaign to save a representative sample of Ireland’s peatlands for people toenjoy now and in the future began over 35 years ago. It is run by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) - an environmental NGO. IPCC

Protect biodiversity and fight the climate crisis by restoring,managing and conserving peatland habitats and wildlife.

Help Irish people save bogs andlive sustainably through education, training and fundraising for essential projects.

Read more at www.ipcc.ie.

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What Raised Bogs What Raised Bogs Can I Visit?Can I Visit?

Because of their waterlogged nature, access to raised bogs canbe difficult; however several bogshave boardwalks or walkingtracks to help protect the

sensitive bog surface from trampling. Respect wildlife andprivately-owned lands. Leave No Trace. Above all enjoy your experience.

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My Raised Bog My Raised Bog ChallengesChallenges

I took part inInternationalBog Day

I shared myraised bog experience on social media

I gave a talkabout myraisedbog to

...............

I’m going to useless electricity tohelp reduce mycarbon footprint

I volunteeredto help restore mylocal raisedbog

I went ponddipping to discoverwildlife inbog pools

I’ve decided not to usemoss peat in my garden and to recycle organic material to make my own compost

I found frogs andfrogspawn in my raisedbog and sent myrecords to the Hop To ItFrog Survey

I’veworked out the age of myraised bog