Purple and pink heather on heathland near Studland, Dorset
© allou/iStock/Getty Images Plu
Heather on the hills
Carpeting this Dorset heathland is Calluna vulgaris – better known as common heather, or ling. Its coarse stems produce delicate pink flowers which are small but, due to their sheer numbers, can paint a landscape in shades of pink and purple. Often seen side by side with yellow gorse, the flowers brighten up wide areas including heaths, moors, bogs and clifftops. And it doesn’t just look pretty, heather is a food source for some sheep, deer and grouse and was historically used for thatch, fuel and fodder – as well as to make brooms. It’s also an important source of nectar for wild bees and other pollinators.
Heathland has been part of our landscape since the Bronze Age but has been in decline for more than a century, due to changes in agriculture and conifer planting and, on upland moorland, from grazing and burning. However, conservation efforts are under way to reverse the decline.
Related Images
For Waitangi Day, the Pancake Rocks on New Zealand’s South Island
Mua Caves in the Ninh Bình province of Vietnam
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
The Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland, made famous by the Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter
An old farm in the Shetland Islands, Scotland
At the top of Mount Fuji in Japan. Happy New Year!
Hope Valley in the Peak District
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, China
Bing Today Images
