Common Name: Heather
Latin Name: Calluna vulgaris
Family: Ericaceae (Heather family)
Heather also known as ling, is a native evergreen dwarf shrub, with opposite leaves and whose purple-pink to white flowers that can often be seen dominating the views of the moors between July and September. Heather is pollinated by bees and other insects except for the most northerly sites which can be wind pollinated. The woody stems have been used to make brooms, the flowers have been used like hops in Scotland to make heather ale for millennia and it has been used to produce a yellow dye for wool. In addition, in Scotland heather honey is a major constituent of the whisky liqueur Drambuie.
In the Yorkshire Dales National Park heather it is a major component of heathland habitats on the tops of the moors where it can grow with a suite of other dwarf shrub species such as bilberry and bell heather.
