Peatlands : Countryfile Book of the Year - Alys Fowler

Bog - the word sounds dank, claggy, unlovable. Yet functioning peatlands store twice as much carbon as all the world's forests combined and harbour astonishing biodiversity, from mosses and carnivorous sundews to rare butterflies, golden plovers and hen harriers. In her Wainwright Prize-longlisted paean to this unsung ecosystem, Alys Fowler roams the peat bogs of the British Isles, capturing their beauty and wildlife, from the Peak District to Scotland's Flow Country.' COUNTRYFILE BOOK OF THE YEAR A beautiful, urgent and personal exploration of bogs and the role they must play in saving our planet - for fans of Otherlands and The Last Rainforests of Britain Longlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2025 Shortlised for the Beth Chatto Environmental Award at the Garden Media Guild Awards 2025 'A fascinating, impassioned invitation into the hidden mystery of bogs' - OLIVIA LAING, author of The Garden Against Time
'Enchanting . . . If you've ever looked at a wetland and wanted to know it better, Fowler is an ideal guide: knowledgeable, passionate, and above all, joyous and personable in her prose.' - JESSICA J. LEE, author of Two Trees Make a Forest
'The book throws a sharp light on the plight of bogs - places that come spectacularly to life under Fowler's analytic and passionate gaze. A delight to read but also a sobering education.' - TOM STUART-SMITH
'The curious, still silence of peat bogs is so much at odds with their deep and ancient complexities. This book, so immersive, thoughtfully penned and well-observed makes an intimate connection to these often overlooked and enormously precious places. It makes you want to tread lightly and to look deeper.' - DAN PEARSON -------'Why do I like bogs so much? I think it is because I feel very at home with them, I think this has something to do with my queerness and their queer nature as a space.' The value of peat bogs as a natural resource and haven of biodiversity is undisputed, yet few of us have been lucky enough to experience their beauty and richness. In Peatlands, Wainwright Prize-shortlisted author Alys Fowler calls for us to sink deep into the dark, black earths of these rugged places and take a close look at the birds, animals, plants and insects that live within them. Living in Wales nestled between bogs makes Alys Fowler's Peatlands both personal and illuminating. Her odyssey takes her deep into the Flow Country, to the remote Border Mires, through Bannau Brycheiniog, the Peak District and Ireland, creating an intimate picture of these magical places and the people who care for them.