Heather and the beauty of the hills

Lucky charms for a queen, witches brooms and roofs: Have you started to spot Heather in bloom yet? For much of the year you might not really notice it, and then it suddenly blooms and the whole landscape changes colour and feel. It’s a very hardy, wind-resistant plant so thrives on the open moorland, often living over 20 years, where nothing much else survives.

The first heather to bloom, around the end of July, is bell heather. Most of the common heather you’ll see in the Yorkshire Dales is ling, flowering between August and September. The flowers grow on a dwarf shrub, often interspersed with bilberries. Look closer at the dry wriggly stems and they might remind you of something? They were once used to make witches' brooms or besoms. Ling was also used in the Dales to thatch roofs.

Heather is often considered a lucky charm. This idea came about when Queen Victoria's servant Mr. Brown spotted a piece of white heather and gave it to her for good luck. White heather is less common and is associated with stories of battle victories so that may account for its popularity. In Scotland heather has been used for centuries to make ale and other drinks. Heather tea is reputed to be good for coughs and soothing nerves. Heather's other uses include making a yellow dye. The dry stalks can be twisted together to create a sort of rope which doesn't deteriorate in sea water. It was once used to make primitive mattresses.

Nowadays honey from bees kept close to the heather-clad moorland is highly prized. Heather is also an important habitat for grouse and useful nest sites for ground-nesting birds.

By Susan Briggs

Under Yorkshire Dales, Outdoors & Landscapes & Nature

Strange place names

Calming spaces - Quaker meeting rooms

Heather and the beauty of the hills

Categories

0 comments

Leave a comment