Download Nature and Wildlife in Roscommon - The Heritage Council

Pitcher plant: an insect-eating plant that is not native to
Ireland but found on a few raised bogs. Photo by John Earley
peatlaNds
Bogs
Marsh fritillary butterfly visiting a knapweed flower. Photo by John Earley
22
Two types of bogs can be found in Roscommon, raised bogs
and blanket bogs. Bogs are a type of peatland that usually
have a mix of sedges, rushes, bog mosses and heathers
growing on them. Peat builds up under waterlogged and
acidic conditions to form bogs. Peat is just an accumulation
of partially rotted plant remains! The waterlogging (which
leads to a lack of oxygen) and acidity results in very low
decomposition rates so that when plants die they are
partially preserved in the peat.
Blanket bogs are found in areas where the high rainfall
and acidic bedrock are perfect for peat formation. This type
of peatland started to spread about 6000 years ago after the
first farmers arrived and started to clear woodland to make
way for agriculture. Woodland clearance opened up the soils
to leaching of nutrients and iron from the soil, which led to
waterlogging. Woodlands were often burnt to help clear
the land and the charcoal layer produced clogged the soil
also leading to waterlogging of the soils. The acidic bedrock
produces the required acidity for peat formation. On blanket
bogs peat can build up to about 2-6m depth. Roscommon
is a relatively low-lying county with few upland areas but
blanket bog is found on Kilronan and Corry mountains
(designated as Natural Heritage Areas).
Bell heather. Photo by John Earley