Yesterday afternoon CJ and I took a walk around a nature reserve near our home which is dedicated to preserving some Irish bogs or peatlands.

The cool wet climate of Ireland is ideal for producing peat, so peatlands form a characteristic part of the Irish landscape. In Northern Ireland, peatlands cover 12% of the land area, almost twice that covered by woodlands. Peatlands were much more extensive in Ireland up to the beginning of the 19th century, but have declined dramatically since then, particularly during the last 100 years. In the 1980s there was increased concern about the decline of peatlands throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, but many cases lacked detailed information about the extent of peatlands, so it was difficult to measure the losses.

Learn more about conservation and wildlife.

We took a walk through the bog garden which is very pretty and interesting, no matter the season.

Bog/Sphagnum mosses grow slowly, absorbing large quantities of water like a sponge.  They are considered one of the most important plants in the bog.

During WWI, moss like this was used for dressing wounds and babies nappies, due to it's sterile and absorbent qualities.

There are many insect eating plants in the bog.  In this bog we have Sundew which attracts insects then traps them on the glue on it's leaves.  The leaf then slowly curls around and digests it's prey.  Another is the Pitcher plant which was introduced from North America.  This plant attracts insects with a foul smelling liquid at the base of it's pitcher shaped leaves.  Once inside the insects become trapped and are slowly digested.