A walk through any peatland is likely to take you through a variety of plant communities. The number of different communities will vary depending on the peatland complex you are exploring. The feel of your feet upon the ground will change from the firm, more sturdy soil of the upland and outer edges of a wooded fen, to the soft, spongy feel of the open bog. Indeed, walking in a bog feels just like you are walking on a gigantic sponge. If you bounce in place, you can see and feel the ground ripple around you, and other people nearby may feel the ground quake beneath their feet.

But, you must take care - in many areas of bogs the ground cover is deceiving, and may hide deep and very cold pools of water. The plants are also very fragile. Even just a few people walking through the more sensitive areas of a bog (usually where it is more wet and flat) can leave behind a trail of damaged vegetation that takes many, many years to recover. Several peatlands in Maine owned by the state and private organizations have boardwalks which allow access to these more sensitive areas.

An example of the variety of peatland communities you might find follows:

[photo of wooded fen]

After walking through a wooded area with trees and plants that you may already be familiar with, like hemlock, oak, maple, white pine, and delicate ferns, you find yourself stepping into a community of plants that feels a bit unfamiliar. In the wooded fen, tall shrubs like winterberry, mountain holly, high bush blueberry, mix with larch (also known as tamarack) and red maple. In the fall, many of these shrubs will be full of bright berries, good eating for local wildlife, especially birds. The larch, as the only deciduous cone-bearing tree, turns the color of gold at this time of year.

Sphagnum moss and other wetland plants and wildflowers blanket the ground beneath these trees and shrubs. If you are lucky, in the spring, you may see tall and graceful orchids, with their bright, elegant flowers. Beneath your feet, the ground may feel a bit softer because of the moss. If you dig your hands into the ground, you will find shallow layers of peat (decomposed plants), and the soil underlying them will be dark.

[photo of wooded bog]

Soon more changes can be observed as you enter the wooded shrub bog community. Sphagnum moss is more dominant as ground cover. Woody shrubs adapted to nutrient poor conditions, such as leather leaf and sheep laurel, begin to appear. Black spruce towers above you. Peat layers are thicker, the water is somewhat lighter as the plant material it contains is not as decomposed as what you find in the fen, and the acidity of the water may be higher. When you are not walking on moss, you can feel the woody plants crunch beneath you. If you pay attention to smell, you will realize that has been changing too. Particularly in early to mid-summer, when the shrubs are flowering, you will smell a sweet muskiness to the air.

[photo of open shrub bog]

This smell becomes stronger in the open shrub bog. Small shrubby plants such as bog laurel, bog rosemary, and small cranberry, mix with the taller shrubs. Rhodora, sheep laurel, leather leaf and huckleberry may become more dominant. Of course, sphagnum is ever present, and the peat layers are thickest in the open bog. Some peat bogs reach over fifty feet in peat depth. Trees here show stunted growth due to the harsh growing conditions. Dwarf black spruce barely reach above the height of nearby shrubs. You may still see an occasional deciduous tree like red maple or larch on the outer edge of the open bog, but these will be rare, short, and sparsely branched. The insect-eating pitcher plants can be found between the woody shrubs and trailing leaves of cranberry, while bladderworts are more likely to be found in more open lawn and mud areas.

[photo of moss carpet]

Spotted throughout the open bog you may find areas of moss carpet. Many different species of sphagnum moss can be found here. In these areas you are most likely to see sundews, a carnivorous plant with rounded leaves that become deadly traps for insects. Grass-like plants like sedges and rushes may be sprinkled throughout.

[photos of sedge lawns]

Sedge lawns are more commonly found in fens, on the outer edges of bogs or within a larger, mixed fen community with tall shrubs. Watch the wind create waves through the delicate stems of sedges that fill these lawns, especially beautiful on a blustery day. Cottongrass appears here, and the white cottony tufts holding seeds ready for dispersal in late summer or fall add a nice contrast to the green and reddish tones that tend to dominate in peatlands.

[photos of secondary pools]

At the base of domed or eccentric bogs, secondary pools are thought to form in areas where certain types of plant remains decompose more quickly than the surrounding vegetation. They offer an unexpected and particularly beautiful change in the surrounding landscape, and are important sources of water for insects, some breeding amphibians, and wildlife travelling through the bog.