03/23/2026
What my brain sounds like after visiting a bog:
These are mostly (if not all) types of sphagnum moss, a type of moss (the only genus in its family) found almost exclusively in or near bogs and fens. They thrive in the acidic environment where many other organisms struggle. Sphagnum moss makes up a huge portion of the biomass of peatlands along with shrubs and some other plants adapted to this nutrient poor environment. As the moss and other plants die, they don’t get decomposed because of the low oxygen acidic environment they live in. So as they die, layers and layers of peat build up and create peatlands.
These clips were all taken on a trip to the Adirondacks last fall where I learned a lot about bogs and their mosses (and shrubs, trees, insects, grasses, sedges, fungi…) from my friends who know a lot more about them than I do 🤗
I had no idea there could be so much diversity within just one genus/family of moss! Some sphagnum mosses like slightly dryer conditions and grow higher up on hummocks in the bog or on the forest floor nearby - while others are content in the lower, mushier parts. Some look sorta spiky, or have little mullets, or have more rounded branches or leaves. There’s also a whole spectrum of vibrant colors of green and even bright shades of red and pink! 🤩
Many bogs and fens form in places that have been previously glaciated, like here in New York’s Adirondack Mointains. As the glaciers retreated at the end of the last glacial period about 10,000 years ago, they deposited lots of sediment in basins known outwash plains. They sometimes also created kettle holes where an ice berg was left behind and melted. These basins are cut off from groundwater supply or in some cases streams, since the hard resistant bedrock creates isolation from the water table. Because of this, most if not all water comes from precipitation, and the water is very stagnant and acidic with minimal nutrients that would normally come from flowing water.
Who knew moss could be so intertwined with the ice age? 🤓🌱
