Some places enchant us with their magic. For me, those places have always been bogs. The diversity of species they hold and their mysterious, slightly dangerous atmosphere draw me in.
On the steep cliffs of this island, I found something I had never seen before — a little world shaped by northern peat moss.
In the hollows left behind by the Ice Age, nature has created beautiful piece of art.
Could this be called colour diversity? Greens, reds, and every shade in between. Gosh!
Drip.
Drip.
Water drips from this enormous sponge.
When you touch it, it feels rich and spongy — like a perfectly moist cake.
If I saw this image for the first time, I would think it was a textile — some kind of shaggy rug.
It feels as though this island belongs to a badger. Or perhaps a raccoon dog. Whoever lives here has turned the peat into an underground maze. Holes are everywhere, and when walking across the island, you have to be careful not to fall through the sphagnum moss. It happened to me once last summer. It was an exciting moment — luckily, I didn’t fall far, and my other leg found firm ground.
You never see the animal itself (well, I did see a badger once, but that was on another nearby island). Yet the signs of its presence are everywhere. Droppings. Remains of crayfish. Broken bird eggs.
In this video, you can peek into one of the burrows I mentioned earlier. The rock wall is incredibly wet and cold — almost icy. Cold air pours out of the opening, as if it led to a wintery Narnia.
This is how thick the sphagnum moss is. An animal had torn this piece loose, and it felt just like a slice of cake. I almost wanted to take a bite. Maybe one day I'll bake a cake that looks just like this.
There are some patches here, on the sphagnum. I don’t know what they are, but my first thought was that they might be some kind of fungal growth. I read that Sphagnum has properties that can inhibit fungal growth, but I’m not sure.
So often, it feels like there is still so much knowledge out there waiting to be discovered.
And like many other bogs, this one is also home to the sundew. Just as every beehive has its queen, it feels as if every acidic bog has at least one sundew. It is the queen of the bog, patiently waiting for its prey to arrive on its outstretched platter.
Even the crowberries have dressed themselves in red and green, as if this island were caught in an endless autumn.
If anyone would like to challenge my identification, please feel free to do so. I believe Sphagnum capillifolium is behind this explosion of colours.
You definitely don’t want to fall here — the cliffs are steep. And be sure to tie up your paddleboard properly, unless you want it to drift away like mine did last summer.
Now it is time for me to leave. I’m going to crawl into the badger’s burrow. See you again!
Just kidding. I made my way back to the boat and brewed myself a cup of coffee, trying to calm myself down after the dopamine rush this island had given me. Sometimes nature doesn’t calm me at all — sometimes it makes me feel more alive and wild.
I visited this island a two months ago, and already then I knew I wanted to share its beauty with you all. But somehow, I haven’t been able to write this post.
Do you know that feeling when you have something magical and you want to show it to others, but you’re afraid you’ll ruin it? That you’ll tell the story in the wrong way, or at the wrong moment?
This is actually what happened when I showed this island to my children. We paddled there on two paddleboards, and my youngest complained about the difficult terrain and kept asking if we could leave already. The older ones were busy eating blueberries, and I felt disappointed. The magic of the island didn’t feel quite as strong that time.
Maybe some places are better left unvisited too often. Maybe they remain greater treasures in our minds when we don’t examine them too closely. I don’t know.
I hope you’ll leave a comment and tell me what you thought of this place. Would you visit it, or would you rather admire it from a distance?
🌿 GROW WILD IN FOREST SOIL 🌿
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Cliffy Bog and the Hidden Entrance
My partner and I had some time just for the two of us, so we headed to the Päijänne National Park by boat. We have been there many times, but there are so many islands that we always find something new. This time we had no plan at all — we simply stopped whenever we felt like it.
Love your writing and I share your affinity for bogs! I especially loved this line, "as if this island were caught in an endless autumn." So, so good.
Wow this place looks fascinating. I think it should be visited as the mood strikes. The colors of the moss are a natural palette aren’t they. Gorgeous!