Store Mosse

Store Mosse National Park in Småland, Sweden is a vast and largely untouched raised bog south of Lapland. The protected area was designated in 1982 and spans nearly 8000 hectares (ha), consisting of the National Park and two nature reserves, Brokullen and Långö Mosse. The layer of peat in the raised bog accumulated over 8,000 years and largely consists of plant remains from various sphagnum mosses. Forested sand dunes, called "rocknar", form a system of islands and ridges criss-crossing the open mire. The diverse vegetation cover in Store Mosse includes Sphagnum moss, pine forests, fens and spruce forests. The Park provides sanctuary to large birds including golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), white tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) and ospreys, mammals such as moose, roe deer and otters as well as 25 species of dragon flies. The rare Geysers Whorl snail (Vertigo geyeri) is found in the calcareous marsh Björnekullakärret.