Lowland wetlands

Lowland wetlands range from small damp hollows to the extensive floodplain marshes at Insh, near Aviemore  . As well as providing home for a wide range of birds, insects and plants, wetlands also provide us all with clean water, help to moderate floods and add a special dimension to the Scottish scenery. In addition, wetlands store large amounts of carbon and provide water during droughts to maintain river flows .

Lowland wetlands fall into two broad types: those that receive water from the soil, rock and rainfall, such as fens, marshes and swamps, and those that receive all their water from rainfall (raised bogs). The amount and different sources of water make lowland wetlands very variable and fascinating places to see wildlife, from mosses and liverworts  to wetland birds and otters . Why not visit some of our wetland National Nature Reserves  such as Flanders Moss  ,  Blawhorn Moss  , Muir of Dinnet  ,  Whitlaw Mosses  or Kirkconnel Flow  ?

Fens, marshes, swamps and reedbeds

Fens occur across Scotland and can be tiny, only covering a few square metres, whilst others may be many hundreds of hectares in extent. Fens are often very species-rich  and contain a wide range of sedges, rushes and other wetland plants.

Marshes are distinguished by areas of rushes and tall grasses on ground where the water table is close to the surface, and sometimes over the surface. Often marshes  occur on floodplains, and traditionally they were grazed when the water levels were low. 

Swamps occur where there is standing water all the year round. The plants growing in swamps    are often very lush, often with one species dominating an area.

Reed beds are a distinctive type of swamp comprising dense stands of common reed that can tower up 4 metres. Reed beds  are important for birds like bearded tits and bittern and have a useful function of mopping up nutrients  from water.

Lowland Raised Bog

Lowland raised bogs are a very special type of wetland that receive all their water from rainfall, snow and mist. These bogs started to form up to 8000 years ago in shallow depressions, where poor drainage stopped the vegetation rotting and instead formed peat. The peat is formed mainly from a moss called sphagnum  , which has the amazing property of holding twenty times its dry weight of water. This ability to act like a sponge helps reduce the amount of water flooding down our burns at peak flows.

The peat formed from the decaying sphagnum builds up at a rate of just 1mm each year, slowly making the bog rise above the surrounding land. The peat has built up to such an extent, that on some raised bogs the peat is 11 metres deep   . The peat at the bottom of the bog gives a unique insight into the climatic conditions found in that area several thousand years ago. On the surface of the bog, the very acid conditions encourage plants like cranberry    and the insect-eating sundew  to grow, whilst colourful dragonflies and damselflies breed in shallow pools.

In the north and west of Scotland and at higher altitudes blanket bog forms in a similar way.