Sphagnum ericaceous shrubs, as well as orchids and carnivorous plants. "Sphagnum" and the peat formed from it do not decay readily because of the phenolic compounds embedded in the moss's cell walls. In addition, bogs, like all wetlands, develop anaerobic soil conditions, which produces slower anaerobic decay rather than aerobic microbial action. Peat moss can also acidify its surroundings by taking up cations, such as calcium and magnesium, and releasing hydrogen ions. Under the right conditions, peat can accumulate to a depth of many meters. Different species of "Sphagnum" have different tolerance limits for flooding and pH, so any one peatland
Ford Moss Ford Moss Ford Moss is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), containing a Scheduled Ancient Monument, located south-west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England. The site is managed by the Northumberland Wildlife Trust and gained its SSSI status in 1968, and in 2005 it was designated a Special Area of Conservation. Ford Moss is bound to the south by the high Goatscrag Hill and the west by the Blackchester Hill, both of which are sandstone formations. It is one of two SSSIs located on the Ford & Etal estate which were originally two separate estates combined in 1908 when James Joicey,