Keimola's Isosuo is in the city district of Keimola, only a stone's throw away from Hämeenlinna highway to the west. Isosuo is the most typical and extensive raised bog in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area with its two raised centres.
This swamp area features many swamp types that have been classified as endangered in Southern Finland, such as forested wetlands with birches, fern-dominated forest swamps and sedge-dominated swamps. The swamp types surrounding the northern raised bog centre, in part…icular, transition into other types easily due to the gradual decrease in nutrient effects at the edge.
The variety of habitat factors can also be seen in the diversity of vegetation. Isosuo provides suitable growth conditions for different peat mosses, sedges, grasses, subshrubs, shrubs and trees alike. The area is a great place for seeing a large variety of native Finnish swamp and forest plants. When it is a good year for berries, Isosuo also has plenty of bilberries and cloudberries.
Isosuo is home to both animals preferring open areas and forest animals. Moose and deer can be spotted at the swamp, for example. Meadow pipit is one of the bird species nesting in the open swamp areas. Many butterflies flit around the open swamp, especially gossamer-winged butterflies. Right next to the swamp, on the eastern side, is one of the best butterfly spotting areas in Vantaa, located around the former Keimola radio mast.
The entire Isosuo swamp in Keimola is a Natura 2000 area. The swamp's area is 56 hectares. In 2000, an area of 23 hectares was protected. The rest of the swamp around the protected area, 33 hectares, has been reserved as a nature conservation area in the City of Vantaa's master plan. For now, there are no marked routes in Keimola's Isosuo area. However, wide and well-maintained pathways travel right next to the swamp on its eastern and western sides, and these can also be seen in maps.