Earth Day 2026

Earth Day was wet. It rained a lot. But a few of us intrepid members of our garden club braved the chilly rain to tour a special place we only learned about recently from an article in the Sunday  Magazine section of the Seattle Times.

Shadow Lake Bog, part of Shadow Lake Preserve, is an area of about 22 acres salvaged from construction and years of dumping to reveal an 8 to 10 thousand year old  sphagnum moss-hemlock peat bog hidden in a semi-rural neighborhood east of Renton, WA. 

The small lake and area were renamed Shadow to stand for Save Habitat And Diversity Of Wetlands. Our guide was a young woman Environmental Scientist. The area is privately owned by a benefactor with support from King County.  

While moss on the ground formed the peat bog, moss is everywhere. Decaying trees and plant life will continue the process of bog building. 

Salmon berry is blooming.

Bracket fungus

Skunk cabbage

Now entering the peat bog itself.

Moss of various kinds cover the forest floor

Formed over thousands of years, originally in a bowl shaped depression, the peat here is about 80 feet deep. 

Mounds of moss

It was a wonderful experience to be able to see and learn about this treasure of nature being conserved for all to enjoy and learn about.

We did a little more trail walking in the preserve before we succumbed to the rain and met up for lunch and conversation at a local restaurant.

It was a memorable Earth Day.