In Ilmakkiaapa, watery flarks and drier strings alternate, making patterns along the mire's surface. The aapa mire, which gently follows the contours of the terrain, is a combination of bog types specific to Northern Finland, and heavy spring floods and winter freezes have contributed to their creation. Floodwater prevents the growth of sphagnum mosses, thus creating prospects for growth for vegetation characteristic of these mires: numerous species of sedge, cottongrass and bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata). Dwarf birches (Betula nana), marsh Labrador tea (Rhododendron tomentosum) and other dwarf shrubs grow on the frost covered strings. The types of mire here include sedge meadow, flark fen and ‘nevaräme', which is a swamp with both open areas and pine growth.

In the early summer, cloudberries (Rubus chamaemorus), bogbeans with star shaped flowers and decorous cotton grasses form wide extravagant growths. In the autumn, when migratory birds have left, the whole marsh is aglow with hews of yellow, red and brown. The best time to go and pick cranberries (Vaccinium oxycoccos) on the mire is after the first few frosts.