Shaded plants may not develop a rosette but instead have a more spindly habit. Adaptation to nutrient-poor conditions allows it to be very competitive and persistent in acid wetlands. It has invaded disturbed sites in bogs after peat mining, ditching, and burning. However, easily shaded out if succession leads to the invasion of bogs by woody vegetation. Grows throughout Europe on wet heaths, moors, and sphagnum bogs, especially in Wales.
Frequent fire is necessary to maintain bog habitats.
Fire suppression has led to the invasion of woody species from the surrounding forest. Frequent surface fires remove the young woody plants advancing from bog edges. Where woody vegetation is dense and has lowered the water table, fires can be severe and may alter the subsequent composition of the vegetation. Most likely killed even by fast moving, low-severity fires. However, fires in bogs are generally patchy and sundew probably survives in unburned microsites.