Dr. Merritt Rae Turetsky
@queenofpeat.bsky.social
Professor, scientist, mom. Chaser of wildfires and permafrost thaw. I love bogs and want you to join me.
Bog folklore stems from physical dangers- sinking into bottomless peat, getting lost in endless flatlands. Then there are the mental challenges. The next time you come across an eerie bog tale, know that it is at least partly real. Have a wonderful and safe Halloween! 13/13
October 31, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Bog folklore stems from physical dangers- sinking into bottomless peat, getting lost in endless flatlands. Then there are the mental challenges. The next time you come across an eerie bog tale, know that it is at least partly real. Have a wonderful and safe Halloween! 13/13
As a child, elders told Seamus Heaney never to go near the bog because it was bottomless, and hid bogeyman and dangers. Later he recalled these bog creatures of his childhood as “uncatalogued by any naturalist, but none the less real for that”. BogBoo 12/
October 31, 2025 at 7:06 PM
As a child, elders told Seamus Heaney never to go near the bog because it was bottomless, and hid bogeyman and dangers. Later he recalled these bog creatures of his childhood as “uncatalogued by any naturalist, but none the less real for that”. BogBoo 12/
Methane produced by microbes deep in peat and burbles to the surface is flammable. Could this explain the ghost light of will-o'-the-wisps? And who can forget the fire swamp in the Princess Bride? Folklore rooted in bog biology! BogBoo 11/
October 31, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Methane produced by microbes deep in peat and burbles to the surface is flammable. Could this explain the ghost light of will-o'-the-wisps? And who can forget the fire swamp in the Princess Bride? Folklore rooted in bog biology! BogBoo 11/
In case you thought this was not real, here are my colleagues Torre Jorgenson and Tom Douglas hitting the "motherload" of methane release from thawing permafrost in an Alaskan bog. Curious bog dog is bonus. BogBoo 10/
October 31, 2025 at 6:54 PM
In case you thought this was not real, here are my colleagues Torre Jorgenson and Tom Douglas hitting the "motherload" of methane release from thawing permafrost in an Alaskan bog. Curious bog dog is bonus. BogBoo 10/
Some bog-lore focuses on strange gases produced by anaerobic microbes. Sulfate reduction smells like rotten eggs. Methane burbles up & farts. Entering a bog is like walking into strange science. Cue Labyrinth's Bog of Eternal Stench, where the scent of peat will never leave your skin. BogBoo 9/
October 31, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Some bog-lore focuses on strange gases produced by anaerobic microbes. Sulfate reduction smells like rotten eggs. Methane burbles up & farts. Entering a bog is like walking into strange science. Cue Labyrinth's Bog of Eternal Stench, where the scent of peat will never leave your skin. BogBoo 9/
Did jack-o'-lanterns originate from bogs? Will-o'-wisps are ghost lights seen at night over boggy land, and are thought to have inspired jack-o'-lantern stories. Will-o'-wisps lure travelers with hope into an impossible or sinister situation, a metaphorical reference to dangers in the bog. BogBoo 8/
October 31, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Did jack-o'-lanterns originate from bogs? Will-o'-wisps are ghost lights seen at night over boggy land, and are thought to have inspired jack-o'-lantern stories. Will-o'-wisps lure travelers with hope into an impossible or sinister situation, a metaphorical reference to dangers in the bog. BogBoo 8/
Every culture has its own version of a bogeyman, an entity causing irrational fear, often a shapeshifter. Here is Martin Mystery's Bogeyman, a vaguely human villain made of plant matter. BogBoo 7/
October 31, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Every culture has its own version of a bogeyman, an entity causing irrational fear, often a shapeshifter. Here is Martin Mystery's Bogeyman, a vaguely human villain made of plant matter. BogBoo 7/
Mosses dominate the surface of bogs and can creep over mounds and stumps to take on interesting and curious shapes. Could this explain the legend of bogeys, thought to lurk in bogs to lure unwary wanderers into bottomless pools? BogBoo 6/
October 31, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Mosses dominate the surface of bogs and can creep over mounds and stumps to take on interesting and curious shapes. Could this explain the legend of bogeys, thought to lurk in bogs to lure unwary wanderers into bottomless pools? BogBoo 6/
In literature, bogs are often the final stage of a journey presenting physical and mental danger. Or hiding places for those in desperate need. From Tolkien's Dead Marshes to the Swamp of Sadness, bogs are full of spooky symbolism (often well deserved!). BogBoo 5/
October 31, 2025 at 4:53 PM
In literature, bogs are often the final stage of a journey presenting physical and mental danger. Or hiding places for those in desperate need. From Tolkien's Dead Marshes to the Swamp of Sadness, bogs are full of spooky symbolism (often well deserved!). BogBoo 5/
Peat embodies the mysterious in between life and death.
The ground itself is kind, black butter
Melting & opening underfoot,
Missing its last definition
By millions of years.
They'll never dig coal here,
Only the waterlogged trunks
Of great firs, soft as pulp.
-S. Heaney 4/
The ground itself is kind, black butter
Melting & opening underfoot,
Missing its last definition
By millions of years.
They'll never dig coal here,
Only the waterlogged trunks
Of great firs, soft as pulp.
-S. Heaney 4/
October 31, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Peat embodies the mysterious in between life and death.
The ground itself is kind, black butter
Melting & opening underfoot,
Missing its last definition
By millions of years.
They'll never dig coal here,
Only the waterlogged trunks
Of great firs, soft as pulp.
-S. Heaney 4/
The ground itself is kind, black butter
Melting & opening underfoot,
Missing its last definition
By millions of years.
They'll never dig coal here,
Only the waterlogged trunks
Of great firs, soft as pulp.
-S. Heaney 4/
Behold Lindow Man who was killed between 2BC-119AD, encased by the bog and immortalized. Lindow Man is a symbol of ancient people's relationship with bogs. Was he a thief tossed aside, or part of a ritual using the bog as a supernatural portal? Scholars today lean towards the latter. BogBoo 3/
October 31, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Behold Lindow Man who was killed between 2BC-119AD, encased by the bog and immortalized. Lindow Man is a symbol of ancient people's relationship with bogs. Was he a thief tossed aside, or part of a ritual using the bog as a supernatural portal? Scholars today lean towards the latter. BogBoo 3/
He screamed. I would never presume to interrupt you, sir. But the ground appears to be swallowing me up.
"It is a bog" said the gentleman helpfully. "It is a most terrifying substance". -S Clark
Bogs are "drowning grounds" that look stable until they are not. BogBoo 2/
"It is a bog" said the gentleman helpfully. "It is a most terrifying substance". -S Clark
Bogs are "drowning grounds" that look stable until they are not. BogBoo 2/
October 31, 2025 at 3:06 PM
He screamed. I would never presume to interrupt you, sir. But the ground appears to be swallowing me up.
"It is a bog" said the gentleman helpfully. "It is a most terrifying substance". -S Clark
Bogs are "drowning grounds" that look stable until they are not. BogBoo 2/
"It is a bog" said the gentleman helpfully. "It is a most terrifying substance". -S Clark
Bogs are "drowning grounds" that look stable until they are not. BogBoo 2/
Do you love bogs and Halloween? If so, please follow and share this thread to explore the eerie, the dark and the supernatural side of bog ecosystems. BogBoo. 1/
You are terrifying
and strange and
beautiful,
something not
everyone knows how
to love.
-Warsan Shire
You are terrifying
and strange and
beautiful,
something not
everyone knows how
to love.
-Warsan Shire
October 31, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Do you love bogs and Halloween? If so, please follow and share this thread to explore the eerie, the dark and the supernatural side of bog ecosystems. BogBoo. 1/
You are terrifying
and strange and
beautiful,
something not
everyone knows how
to love.
-Warsan Shire
You are terrifying
and strange and
beautiful,
something not
everyone knows how
to love.
-Warsan Shire
Field demo from rapidly changing northern ecosystems. This shows a violent stream of methane bubbles venting through thawing permafrost soils to the sky. Video credit to Tom Douglas and Torre Jorgenson. Curious bog dog is a Friday bonus.
October 10, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Field demo from rapidly changing northern ecosystems. This shows a violent stream of methane bubbles venting through thawing permafrost soils to the sky. Video credit to Tom Douglas and Torre Jorgenson. Curious bog dog is a Friday bonus.
Remembering my dear friend and trusted field partner on all things Sphagnum and peat, Teresa Hollingsworth (1975-2025). May your memory cross into the bogs of forever.
September 3, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Remembering my dear friend and trusted field partner on all things Sphagnum and peat, Teresa Hollingsworth (1975-2025). May your memory cross into the bogs of forever.
Count the mosquitos. Still my happy place with a never ending tundra of peat, moss, and cotton grass.
August 19, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Count the mosquitos. Still my happy place with a never ending tundra of peat, moss, and cotton grass.
What do we mean by abrupt permafrost thaw? This site above the permafrost tunnel in Alaska had no evidence of a sinkhole in this spot last fall. This thermokarst pit formed in the past several months, large enough for Hailey Webb, who made the discovery, to climb down into it.
July 30, 2025 at 6:18 PM
What do we mean by abrupt permafrost thaw? This site above the permafrost tunnel in Alaska had no evidence of a sinkhole in this spot last fall. This thermokarst pit formed in the past several months, large enough for Hailey Webb, who made the discovery, to climb down into it.
Happy #BogDay. The most misunderstood ecosystems on our planet have been ridiculed, drained, burned, and destroyed throughout modern history. These water purifiers, carbon keepers, storytellers, and beautiful places deserve our respect, today and every day.
July 27, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Happy #BogDay. The most misunderstood ecosystems on our planet have been ridiculed, drained, burned, and destroyed throughout modern history. These water purifiers, carbon keepers, storytellers, and beautiful places deserve our respect, today and every day.
Sphagnum mosses are fascinating from physiology, ecology, and climate perspectives. I'm especially proud of this @newphyt.bsky.social paper meant to inspire new research on ecoevolution and biodiversity. Check out the incredible cover art by Blanka Aguero! nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
July 19, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Sphagnum mosses are fascinating from physiology, ecology, and climate perspectives. I'm especially proud of this @newphyt.bsky.social paper meant to inspire new research on ecoevolution and biodiversity. Check out the incredible cover art by Blanka Aguero! nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Sometimes the universe sends a sign to take a deep breath, exhale, and trust the powers of nature. I needed this today more than ever, and am guessing some of you might too.
June 13, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Sometimes the universe sends a sign to take a deep breath, exhale, and trust the powers of nature. I needed this today more than ever, and am guessing some of you might too.
Beautiful Sphagnum in memory of Dr. Theresa Hollingsworth (1975-2025). gofund.me/802ca765
May 29, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Beautiful Sphagnum in memory of Dr. Theresa Hollingsworth (1975-2025). gofund.me/802ca765
This week the world lost a great bogland and moss lover, and I lost a best friend of 25 years. Rest in peace Dr. Teresa Hollingsworth - your memory will always give me strength and passion. I was blessed with all the powers of Sphagnum and sage to have you in my life for so long.
May 24, 2025 at 6:55 PM
This week the world lost a great bogland and moss lover, and I lost a best friend of 25 years. Rest in peace Dr. Teresa Hollingsworth - your memory will always give me strength and passion. I was blessed with all the powers of Sphagnum and sage to have you in my life for so long.
Another one for your boggy heart (meant in the best way of course). A lovely bog outside Fairbanks Alaska.
May 7, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Another one for your boggy heart (meant in the best way of course). A lovely bog outside Fairbanks Alaska.
Feeling bogged down or mired in anxiety? Consider that boglands, once equated to wastelands of misery, offer beauty and innovation. These treasures protect history as they control our climate future. With internal strength built one peat layer at a time, bogs control vast landscapes. Love the bogs.
May 6, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Feeling bogged down or mired in anxiety? Consider that boglands, once equated to wastelands of misery, offer beauty and innovation. These treasures protect history as they control our climate future. With internal strength built one peat layer at a time, bogs control vast landscapes. Love the bogs.
The scientists are sciencing, and standing together. This week my team partners with NOAA researchers to make the most comprehensive assessment of reactive trace gas emissions from northern soils. We are going far deeper than CO2 and CH4 to understand atmospheric interactions with Arctic ecosystems.
May 5, 2025 at 7:35 PM
The scientists are sciencing, and standing together. This week my team partners with NOAA researchers to make the most comprehensive assessment of reactive trace gas emissions from northern soils. We are going far deeper than CO2 and CH4 to understand atmospheric interactions with Arctic ecosystems.