The Étang de la Gruère peat bog is located in the Jura mountain range in Switzerland. The small lake in it was formed in the 17th century, when a dam was built for a mill. It is filled with red and acid tannin water, what creates strange, surreal underwater images. The water of the peat bog empties finally in the Birs River, a tributary of the Rhine River.
The Düdinger Möser marshlands cover approximately 22 hectares. Locally 7 different geographical names are used to denote separate parts of the lands: Düdinger Moos (in the stricter sense), Ottisbergmoos, Garmiswilwil, Hexenweiher, Tiefmoos and Waldeggmoos. The marshlands were formed in the last ice age. 18,000 years ago the Rhone glacier covered this region. 14,000 years ago, temperatures were rising and the ice disappeared leaving back small lakes and marshy flat lands. Due to a mild climate the vegetation grew luxuriantly. Dead plants did not decay entirely as the environment was saturated with water and micro-organisms had too little oxygen to feed upon. As more and more plants heaped up, lakes turned into land. The land developed into woodlands accommodating willow, birch and alder trees. The water of the Düdinger Möser empties finally in the Saane River, a tributary of the Rhine River.

Freshwater Ecoregion of the World : #404 Central & Western Europe

Major Habitat Type: temperate floodplain rivers and wetlands