The sloping Raatosulkonneva mire

Raatosulkonneva has several different types of mire, born from quagmires formed by catchment water and groundwater discharging. The specialties benefitting from the flowing groundwater at the mire are star sedge, the purple moor-grass, buckthorn, and sphagnum. The southern edge of the mire is a raised bog, where the peat layer has grown out of the reach of surface and groundwaters. Mire plants like cloudberry and sundew grow here.

The cool and humid climate, and the flat landform of Finland are ideal for mire formation. There are nearly 10 million hectares of mires in Finland, but over half of them have been drained for forestry, agriculture, or peat production. Mires in their natural state are rarer, especially in Southern Finland, which in turn has diminished the living areas for mire species.