Bog Cotton growing in abundance on Emlagh Bog, Kells, County Meath, Ireland
Image details
Contributor:
Carol Lee / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
CRWD1NFile size:
51.5 MB (2.6 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
3459 x 5208 px | 29.3 x 44.1 cm | 11.5 x 17.4 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
24 May 2009Location:
Emlagh Bog, Kells, County Meath, IrelandMore information:
Emlagh Bog, Kells, County Meath, Ireland One of Ireland's most characteristic features is the bog. Covering 1, 200, 000 hectares (1/6th) of the island, Ireland contains more bog, relatively speaking, than any country in Europe except Finland. Across Europe, as well as in Ireland, bogs have been exploited in recent centuries as a source of fuel. With many of the bogs in the rest of Europe already gone, Ireland's now have an increased importance to the scientific community, as well as the tourist industry. Bog wet, soft, and spongy ground, where the soil is composed mainly of decayed and decaying vegetable matter which ultimately forms peat. Because of their extreme acidity, bogs form a natural preservative and have been found to be a valuable repository of animals and plants of earlier times. Bog-lands have a low-nutrient soil and are waterlogged most of the time. The plants that grow on this inhospitable soil are specially adapted to these conditions. Bog Cotton, the most common species of bog cotton is the many-flowered bog cotton (Eriophorum angustifolium) which is especially conspicuous in areas which have been recently cut for peat. Birch will grow in poor soils, but likes a sunny position. Downy birch is tolerant of wet sites, birch wood has been used for many purposes, wooden walkways across bog-land, were made from Birch. Bell heather, or Erica cinerea, is one of the most common plants found on the acid peaty soils of Irish bogs and mountains. Its common name, bell heather, comes from the bell shape of its flowers.