Notes from the Arran Naturalist

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A short piece on the properties and uses of Sphagnum Moss, from Volume 1 of The Arran Naturalist, published in summer 1978.

After this summer’s extended heatwaves and drought, and the severe wildfires across Britain and Europe, the importance of sphagnum moss, and restoring the UKs degraded wetlands more generally, has come to the fore. In one article in The Conversation, the author writes, “Sphagnum is the great ecosystem engineer of a healthy bog. It can hold 20 times or more of its own weight in water, helping keep the ground wet, creating the conditions in which more peat can form and helping reduce the risk of severe wildlfires.”

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