> natural bogs I have seen have been seepage bogs or bogs that were
> spring fed. Therefore they are largely watered by ground water not
> rain water. Doesn't ground water usually have lots of minerals in it?
> Does the sphagnum/peat act as a biological filter and remove the
> minerals? Has anyone ever measured the dissolved solids in bog water?
> If so how does it compare to well water?
Actually, many of these springs _are_ largely composed of rainwater--they
charge directly up during the heavy rain season and release water more or
less steadily until they are depleted, in the east about the time the
rains/snaows begin again. The water in deep aquifers usually is quite
hard because the water that seeps down to them picks up all the soluble
ions in the soil on the way, and runoff from slopes constantly carries new
ions into the soil. Not all springs have such soft water, and those that
don't cannot support carnivorous plants.
Sean Barry