Fens are groundwater-fed wetlands richer in minerals than rain-fed bogs
Bogs typically sit on rainwater alone and turn acidic and nutrient-poor as sphagnum builds peat. Fens receive groundwater or seepage that carries dissolved calcium and other minerals.
That chemistry supports different plant lists — sedges, brown mosses, and richer wildflowers — and often higher pH than classic blanket bogs. Both store carbon; they are not interchangeable habitats.
Wetland is not one word. Knowing fen from bog is knowing whether the water came from sky alone or from rock it dissolved along the way.
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