Blanket bogs

The mire surface and underlying peat of ombrotrophic peatlands, formed on flat or gently sloping ground with poor surface drainage, in oceanic climates with high rainfall. The mire surface may on flatter ground be very similar to that of a raised bog, with a complex of small pools and terrestrial hummocks. In the strictest sense, blanket bogs are a habitat endemic to northwestern Europe, characteristic of the western and northern British Isles, the Faeroe Islands and the western seaboard of Scandinavia. They often cover extensive areas with local topographic features supporting distinct communities. Sphagna ([Sphagnum] spp.) play an important role in all of them, accompanied by [Molinia caerulea], [Scirpus], [Schoenus nigricans], [Eriophorum angustifolium], [Eriophorum vaginatum] and [Calluna vulgaris]. Blanket bog complexes (X28) include dystrophic pools (C1.4) and acidic flushes (D2.2) as well as the mire surface (D1.2).