Bog Chronicles: Butter, Bodies, and Bizarre Finds Beneath the Peat

In this  episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss teams up with a special guest (her son, Lukas!) to kick off a mini-series exploring the bizarre and fascinating things found in bogs. Discover the strange world of bog butter—a 3,500-year-old lump of butter preserved so well that it’s technically still edible. Learn why bogs are nature's refrigerators, the ecological importance of these wetland wonders, and the cultural significance of butter in ancient times. Packed with fascinating insights and hilarious commentary brought by Lukas, this episode is perfect for curious minds and those who love a good laugh with their science.

Perfect for history buffs, nature enthusiasts, and anyone intrigued by the oddities of our world.

Transcript

[00:00:00] Hello, and welcome to Wildly Curious. A podcast that tells you everything you need to know about nature, and probably more than you wanted to know. for listening. My name's Lukas and I am Katie. And as you can guess, Lukas is not Laura.

Mm-hmm . Lukas is my son. Laura is actually taking tests right now for her master's classes. She For her master's degree. Yeah, for her master's degree. Yeah, she's finishing up. Because she couldn't record with us, I'm gonna start the mini series on bogs with Lukas.

 So just as like we did the Cave Chronicles, Laura and I, after we're gonna do this intro episode with Lukas, we're gonna be talking about bogs. And, just like we did for the Cave Chronicles, we're gonna talk about different things that are found in bogs.

Like different cool things that are found in bogs. Thank you. Oh, there's way more than hair. So this first episode, I'm going to briefly tell you what a bog is, and you can answer, ask questions anytime, [00:01:00] and then I'm going to tell you about something pretty gross, and pretty cool that was found in a bog, okay?

You're going to have to wait for a little bit. No, you're going to have to wait for a little bit. Okay Do you know what a bog is?

Have you ever heard of a bog before? Like a A dog? A bog. Like a swamp? No. Okay, one A dog? A bog. What's a bog? Well, that's what I'm gonna tell you. Okay? Okay. So, a bog is a type of wetland.

Think of it kind of like nature's giant sponge, but like way Spongebob? A sponge. sponge. You put in a sink. Yes, yes, yes. That, but like as big as the world. Well, not as big as the world, like as big as, um, it like a normal, like a lake. Like a huge lake. Maybe bigger. So they're dominated by peat moss, specifically Spag moss, which is just, you know what moss is like that spongy green stuff we see out and about.

Oh yeah. If they're dark green and you put water on them, they turn light green. They can, yeah, yeah. So it's a super absorbent plant that holds a large amount of water. [00:02:00] To give you an idea, sphagnum moss can hold up to 20 times its dry weight in water. Which, that's like a sponge the size of a baseball soaking up an entire bathtub. That's pretty, that's a lot, isn't it?

A lot of water. This super soaking ability keeps Bog's water long year round, creating the perfect environment for all sorts of weird and wonderful adaptations. Over time, as plants grow and die, they create layer and layer of peat, which is just partially decomposed plant material, essentially. Pete grows painfully slow, about a millimeter per year, so some bogs have been developing for over 10, 000 years, basically since the last Ice Age.

That's a long time, huh? And there's still some developing? Yeah, they're still growing all the time right now. Wait, so like one from right when the world was made, that's still growing right now? Yeah, well, no, since the last Ice Age. So like, since mammoths were [00:03:00] around. Wait, what happened in the Ice Age?

That's a whole other episode. Oh. And so, you want to come back onto the episode and we can talk about Ice Ages? Yeah. Okay, that'd be cool. Wait, no, like, like, like did the Ice Age? Like when mammoths and stuff, and saber toothed tigers and stuff were around. Yeah. In 1989, saber toothed tiger alive. 1989? Yeah. I don't think so.

No, 1839. Are you thinking of the Siberian tiger? No. Or not the Siberian tiger, the little one. No, there actually was a saber tooth tiger that was in the zoo. I think you're thinking of the Tasmanian, Tasmanian tiger. Yeah, that. Yeah, that. Yeah, Tasmanian. Did it have giant fangs? It had pretty big fangs, I'm pretty sure.

Okay. Okay, let's finish bogs and then we'll get back to that. Okay, but here's where things get really crazy about bogs. Bogs are low in oxygen, alright, highly acidic, and very nutrient poor. These [00:04:00] conditions slow decomposition to a crawl, so as it's eating stuff down to kill it. So instead of, instead of breaking down things like bodies, woods, and other organic materials, everything that falls into a bog can stay beautifully preserved for thousands of years.

Basically like a storage locker for anything that's organic material, like living material. This acidic, oxygen free environment essentially pickles Essentially, pickles are organic material halting decay and locking it away like a prehistoric freezer. Okay, we gotta pause here for a second because I didn't explain what we're doing.

And on today's episode of the podcast, we're going to be talking about bogs. So. And then we say the best about Laura. So just as like we did the Cave Chronicles, Laura and I, after we're gonna do this intro episode with Lukas, we're gonna be talking about bogs. And, just like we did for the Cave Chronicles, we're gonna talk about [00:05:00] different things that are found in bogs.

Like different cool things that are found in bogs. Thank you. Oh, there's way more than hair. So this first episode, I'm going to briefly tell you what a bog is, and you can answer, ask questions anytime, and then I'm going to tell you about something pretty gross, and pretty cool that was found in a bog, okay?

You're going to have to wait for a little bit. No, you're going to have to wait for a little bit. Okay, okay, all right. I'm going to add that back into the intro because you forgot to say that. Okay. All right. So now, uh, let's a couple more things about bogs here. So where do bogs come from? Well, they're found in really cool, cold, wet, cool, wet climates like Ireland, Scandinavia, and even parts of North America.

Anywhere rain falls faster than it can evaporate. Okay. So like around here, we don't have bogs because water falls and evaporates, right? When I say around here, I mean, Texas. All right. So it's not cold enough, not wet enough to have bogs around here. Uh, let's see here, especially in the U. S. [00:06:00] cough Especially in the northeastern, uh, upper Midwest and even Alaska, Canada has some of the largest bog systems, including the Hudson Bay lowlands, which are so massive, they play a key role in storing carbon for the planet.

Bogs often start as lakes or wet areas that gradually fill in with plant material, especially mosses, like we said, and over thousands of years, they transform into eerie, otherworldly grasslands. So, why do you think bogs are so special? Because they just suck up whatever they find . They didn't, well, kind of the water they do, but they keep it preserved.

Uh, but also, I mean, besides, like, you are right in that they keep it well, very well preserved. They don't like, they don't suck up dead bodies like , what they did well, like if a body falls in there because it doesn't. Because remember I talked about like they're very acidic very low in oxygen so it doesn't they don't decompose It doesn't break down a body So it doesn't like like a [00:07:00] vacuum suck in a body, but it can here kiss up some cuz you're losing your camera It's not gonna like hey No faces at the camera, please.

Okay It's not gonna like suck in a body like in a vacuum But like if a body falls into it's gonna keep it very well preserved But the really crazy thing is that they're like gross Well, I mean it is gross, but um, but bogs are called ecological powerhouses because they're home to all sorts of carnivorous plants

Do you know what a carnivorous plant is? It's a plant that eats like bugs or Yeah, wait like, oh wait, like Venus flytrap? Wait, oh wait, like the chomper in Plants vs. Zombies? Yeah, yes similar to Plants vs. Zombies plant But they're also incredible. Like I said about them holding carbon, they store more carbon.

Can you sit up some? Hey, thank you. They store more carbon. [00:08:00] Let's see here, per square mile than forests. In fact, despite covering only 3 percent of the Earth's surface, bogs store twice as much carbon as all of the world's forests combined, which is super, super important. Alright. Just one can? Well, all the, all the bogs, That make up three percent, you know what a percentage is?

Yeah. Like just three, okay, so three, three percent of the world's surface, the Earth's surface is covered in bogs. And that holds up twice as much carbon as all of the world's forests combined. Okay. Okay. Alright, so now you want to talk about something, the first gross thing that was found in a bog? Yes.

Alright, are you ready for this one? Mm hmm. We'll be talking about butter. , there was butter found in a bog. Yes, there was butter found in a bog. Yes. So this one go camping and the bog ate the butter. I'm gonna, I'm gonna tell you. Okay, ready? All right. So [00:09:00] imagine pulling a lump of butter out of the ground that's not just a little old.

but over 3, 500 years old. That's exactly what happened in Noctred Bog in Ireland, where archaeologists unearthed the oldest known sample of bog butter dating back to 1745 BC. And get this, It's technically still edible. What? Yes. Did he eat it? I mean, you probably couldn't spread it on, like, any toast or anything like that, but Well, he did.

That'd be so gross. And then he ate the toast. And then he got super old powers and he got a winky face. What? He got old powers? Yeah. Yeah, it makes him old and it makes his back hurt. Ew. Alright. So, why would people store butter in bogs? Ew. To keep it safe from a dragon, or maybe a bear trying to [00:10:00] steal the butter.

Well, okay, not a dragon. All right, listen. All right. Uh, so in ancient Hold on. In ancient Ireland, butter was more than a kitchen staple. It was a It was a status symbol, currency, which is like money, and even a tool for diplomacy. People used butter to pay taxes, settle fines, and strengthen social ties. So I could, so if I own the baker alone, I can just go there and give him butter?

I guess so, yeah. That would, that's so easy. It's that much easier? Yeah, I can just give him a, wait. Give him some bog butter? Wait. Let's get, wait, let's just collect butter so we can pay for everything in butter. That would be so gross. Alright, let me finish this up. Okay. Wait, that means at the store they sell money.

Maybe. Okay, so listen. So, but preserving, so because that butter was so valuable, preserving something so valuable was no small fee in the world [00:11:00] without refrigeration. Because remember we used to, you can probably hear Otto in the background eating our dog. Wait, Otto's not eating our dog. No. Otto, our dog, is eating.

Okay. So, because there was, there were no refrigerators back then. You know, because there was no electricity. So they just shoved the butter in bogs? Well, so bogs acted like nature's refrigerators. It was a cold, acidic, and oxygen free environment, slow decomposition to a curl, preserving butter for months, years, or even millennia.

In fact, the preservation powers of bogs are so strong, that some stashes of bog butter are still technically edible today. It's the same thing. Okay, just can you pause it again so you're not distracted by looking at it? Okay, mom, let's see. Otto, do you have to eat right now? Oh my god, okay, hey, hey, we're almost done.

[00:12:00] How did you shh? I just don't recommend you trying it, to eat it. So whether butter was buried for safekeeping, hidden from invaders, or offered to the gods, bogs became the perfect storage solution and brings us to the incredible discovery at Nocturne Bog, where archaeologists unearthed a lump of butter that rewrote what we know about this ancient practice.

Okay, so, he just pulled out of the ground butter? Well, let me show you, let me tell you. Can I see a picture? Can I see a picture? Yeah, hold on. You can just eat the butter. Okay, hold on. You want to eat 3, 500 year old butter? Yeah, then I'll be old. No, you don't become old if you eat the butter. All right, come here.

Hey, stop messing with that. All right. The discovery of bog butter at Nocturne Bog in Ireland is a remarkable testament to the ancient preservation methods and cultural practices. The butter was found associated with the associated with bark, likely serving as sort of like a wrap. So you know how we get our butter in like either paper or like a container, plastic [00:13:00] container?

Yeah, look at this, wrapping paper. Yeah, back then whenever they found it, it was like wrapped in bark, which is pretty much like its container. This organic packaging combined with unique conditions of the bog, created an environment that preserved the butter for thousands of years. The location of the find adds another layer of intrigue.

Situated in a no man's land where 11 townsland and three ancient Barians? I don't know where that is, but, um, Converged, the site may have held significant cultural or political importance because the boundary areas were often used for communal activities trade as neutral grounds for offerings, like offerings to the gods, suggesting that the burial of the butter could have been a deliberate act with social or ritualistic implications.

This discovery not only provides insight into ancient food preservation techniques, but also offers a glimpse into the cultural practices of butter [00:14:00] at the time. The intentional burial of butter in such a location, uh, indicates a complex understanding of preservation of practical, ritualistic, or communal I just, that says that.

So, anyway, that just is a quick, a quick overview about finding butter in a bog. Oh, do you know what a bog? No, no, not rat guts. Do you want to see what, do you, do you want to see what a bog looks like? Yeah.

Here.

So it's like this. So imagine you, yeah, exactly. So imagine Minecraft, it is in Minecraft. So imagine going out there and you dig up and you find a big lump chunk of butter. I would just have dropped it. But it's like buried. Yeah, someone buried some butter. Here, like this. I guess we're found. Yeah, Mayan finds 22 pound chunk of butter.[00:15:00] 

This one was estimated to be more than 2, 000 years old. This is another thing of bog butter. Found in like, it looks like, oh that looks like a cow hide. Ew. It was cow hide? Like it's skin. Oh, so a cow hide what? A cow loved its skin. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, a cow. They used to kill, like, use leather for clothing and stuff.

So they just wrapped it in there. I wish that someone spilled some butter on their clothes. No, listen to me. What? Take a deep breath, be serious, okay? Okay. No, I'm not just saying that. I know, but no. So they used it as a wrapper. Just like you would use a container. Cause look, this one has bark. Can you put that down?

This one, this one has bark. See how that one has bark? That's what we were talking about. That And then that one looks like it has bark, too. So instead of using the bark, they just used, like, cowhide. Look, this one looks like they put, like, a log around it and then, like, sewed it together almost. There's another bog butter.

Yeah, so [00:16:00] if you guys Google bog butter, it's pretty I mean, it literally looks like a frozen chunk of butter, which is I thought that was just a rock. No, it's butter. If you rinse it off, it's butter underneath there. So what did you think about our first episode of, um, talking about weird things found in bogs?

Disgusting. Disgusting? I figured. But I really thought you were going to say rat guts. No! Why are you so obsessed with me finding rat guts in a bog? Do you want to join us for other episodes with bogs? Maybe? Yeah? Okay. You'll probably hear from Luke again. I'm going to work out! Is there anything you want to say to wrap it up?

Nicely say to wrap it up? Here, sit up. What do you want to say? Mm mm. Nothing? I don't know. Can you say, please, uh, support us on Patreon? What's that? Uh, it's how people can go on and they can see the videos. Like, they'll be able to see this video that you and I just made. They'll be able to see the It's Patreon.

And if [00:17:00] people support us and pay money, it helps Laura and I pay the fees for all this recording stuff. Please, please support us on Patreon? Yeah. And please support us on Patreon. Thank you. You heard it right here, folks, from my kid. And a chicken. Okay, you just blew out the mic with your chicken call.

Alright. That's a rooster. Alright, can you say bye everybody? Bye bye!