Carrington Moss of years this raises the level of peat and forms a gently sloping dome (hence, raised). Such areas support a wide range of flora and fauna; "Sphagnum balticum", a medium-sized bog moss, was recorded on Carrington Moss in the 1880s, although locally it is now presumed to be extinct. Lancashire- or bog asphodel ("Narthecium ossifragum"), white beak-sedge ("Rhynchospora alba"), cranberries, bog-rosemary ("Andromeda polifolia"), and the cotton sedge have also been recorded. In 1923 species of trees recorded by E. Price Evans for the "Journal of Ecology" included English oak ("Quercus robur"), and common ash ("Fraxinus excelsior"). Undergrowth included common hazel
Portlethen Moss saturated organic layers could actually rupture, spilling large volumes of mud and organic debris to surrounding fields, thus enabling a bed for further spatial expansion of the entire bog. Ultimately the colour of the moss waters became blood red in colour, from the successive organic decay and stagnation. Only in times associated with cattle grazing and significant human presence (probably the late Iron Age), would this process reverse and the bog reduce in size. A wide variety of sphagnum, sedges, rushes and other characteristic bog species inhabit Portlethen Moss. Sometimes insectivorous plants reside in mosses, since the soils are generally