This painting is a cross-section through a blanket bog: Sphagnum mosses carpet the dark peat below, which rests on metamorphic rock. It’s an archive of time: from minutes to billions of years.
#sciart #natureillustration #illustration #gouacheBlanket bogs lie like giant duvets across Scotland. They developed on acidic rocks where incoming rainfall could not drain away. Only plants that thrive in acidic soils - such as Sphagnum mosses - can survive there.
Dec 28, 2025 09:57The waterlogged, oxygen-poor soil means that when plants die, they slowly turn into peat. Healthy peatlands store vast amounts of carbon but commercial cutting, burning and draining have degraded them. Dry, exposed peat releases CO2 back into the atmosphere, which contributes to the climate crisis.
