Spend A Day On The Bog

18th July, 2003

Wild, wet and wonderful, bogs are home to a wealth of rare butterflies, dragonflies, birds and plants. Spend a day on the bog and celebrate the UK's precious peat bogs on International Bog Day (Sunday 27 July 2003) with The Wildlife Trusts.

Far from being soggy patches of land, bogs are beautiful!  As part of International Bog Day there will be family events taking place, such as guided walks, butterfly and bird spots and bog wildlife talks to highlight the magnificence of UK bogs. However, if you simply fancy getting away from it all visit one of the numerous bogs on a local Wildlife Trust reserve.

Stunning beauty, startling colours and spectacular wildlife – bogs need to be enjoyed and protected now before it is too late. Lowland raised peat bogs are one of the UK’s most threatened habitats. Some 94 per cent of UK’s original lowland raised peat bogs have been damaged or destroyed and the devastation continues as bogs are stripped to supply an ever-growing horticultural market.

Bogs are also a treasure trove of archaeological information, prevent flooding by soaking-up rainwater and help to maintain the earth’s climate and atmosphere by storing large amounts of carbon.

Up to 4,000 species of invertebrates depend on lowland bogs for survival, such as the huge great raft spider and the black bog ant. They are the home of rare birds, such as dunlin, skylark and meadow pipits, and many rare plants, such as the carnivorous sundew and bladderwort.

Don’t get bogged down – handy hints on the bog

• Keep waterproof-clothing handy. 
• Keep to marked paths to maximise safety and to minimise erosion.
• Stay away from green lawns of sphagnum moss as they are 95 per cent water.
• Double check access to the bogs with your local Wildlife Trust.

How to be bog-friendly
If you'd like to help protect bogs :

• Obtain a free copy of The Wildlife Trust's leaflet 'Where to Buy Peat- free Products' visit our fee publications page on our website by clicking here
• Buy peat-free composts - or make your own compost
• Buy plants grown in peat-free compost in garden centres and other shops
• Tell us if your local garden centre or store stocks peat-free products by completing the 'For Peat's Sake' post card. You can obtain a peat-free post card by contacting The Wildlife Trusts on 0870 0367711 or downloading the postcard from www.wildlifetrusts.org

For details of ‘International Bog Day’ events and how to contact your local Wildlife Trust please contact The Wildlife Trusts on 0870 0367711 or visit our events pages on our website at www.wildlifetrusts.org.

Story by Liz Woznicki

More Information

For further information please contact Liz Woznicki at The Wildlife Trusts press office on 020 7921 5407.

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