What is the importance of the "bog" in the book, Fen, Bog and Swamp?

A bog is the second phase in the ecology of wetland succession and receives its water solely from rainfall. Bogs are also peat producing environments that are home to the keystone species called sphagnum moss. Water in bogs is shallower than fen water and they tend to occupy the lowest places in the geographical landscape.

Bogs have a long history of inspiring fear and concern in human beings, and as such they have been widely hated in Western Culture. Despite this fact, bogs have inspired generations of literature and harbor intact human remains that are critical to understanding the cultural practices of ancient peoples.

Bogs are unique because they are home to sphagnum mosses, a keystone species that engineers its environment for its own purposes. Sphagnum is a critical species in climate control because it is uniquely evolved to sequester carbon and methane. It also creates habitat for millions of insects and microscopic organisms not found in any other ecosystem.