Anja Murray: The many kinds of bog cotton — and the bogs where they live

Only a tiny proportion of the original raised bogs now remain, as most have been industrially harvested. 53 of the remaining midland raised bogs are legally protected under the Habitats Directive, making restoration is a legal obligation

Bog cotton: the light, stringy fibres are the mechanism by which these plants have evolved to spread their seed far and wide

Twice in the past week I’ve sunk knee deep into wet bog, distracted by the beauty of a glowing russet sunset and partially blinded by evening light streaming across an expanse of bog cotton. I should know better. I generally pride myself on being able to read the terrain based on what’s growing there. But as the wise say, pride comes before a fall. My hiking boots may take a few days yet to dry out.

Swathes of bog cotton swaying in the wind, lit up by low golden evening sunlight, is a stunning sight. These white fluffy tufts are not the flowers but the seed heads of the plant. They are made up of fibrous strands, hence the comparison with cotton, though bog cotton fibres are too short and brittle to be spun in to useable fibre. Weaving bog cotton is a reference to attempting something futile. Rather than making fabric though, the fibres were once used to stuff pillows with and also to make insoles for shoes.