What makes bogs so interesting yet so misunderstood? This generously illustrated book presents many of the exciting, almost enthralling, facets of bogs--unusual plants, intricate ecological relationships, animals, myths and folklore, and the myriad history recorded in the peats. Despite the fascinating bogs hold, until now there has been no popular book that deals with them in a comprehensive yet authoritative manner. The Northeastern United States has a wonderful diversity of bogs: some are southern in nature, others are very arctic, and still others maritime. And although this is a book primarily about peatlands in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the six New England states, it will interest a much wider audience seeking an exciting and attractive approach to these often-neglected areas of our natural heritage.

CHARLES W. JOHNSON, Vermont State Naturalist from 1978 to 2000, is an experienced field researcher on birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and plant communities. He has written articles for Vermont Life magazine and for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, and he is an editorial consultant for the Smithsonian Guides to Natural America. He is author of The Nature of Vermont: Introduction and Guide to a New England Environment (New and expanded edition, 1998) and Bogs of the Northeast (1985).