Flora of the Hebrides

The west coast of the Outer Hebrides and Iona is dominated by long, glorious silver sand beaches, with sand dunes and grasslands known as machair. Plants of the machair include Kidney Vetch, Red Clover, White Clover, Yellow-rattle, Tufted Vetch, Ragwort, Northern Marsh Orchid and many other species. Where rocky outcrops occur in the machair, you can find plants such as Frog Orchid and Bloody Cranesbill. It's great habitat for a wide variety of invertebrates, including bumblebees such as Great Yellow Bumblebee and Northern Moss Carder. This photograph is of the machair at Balranald.

This is a more typical scene of the rocky east coast of the Outer Hebrides and most of the coastline of the Inner Hebrides. This is Bell Heather growing on Ulva, Mull. Apart from the heathers, typical plants of this type of habitat are Bog Asphodel, Lady's Mantle sp. and Heath Spotted Orchids. This is also the habitat favoured by Golden ringed Dragonfly and Keeled Skimmer.

Field Gentian growing just below the Old Man of Storr, Skye.

Bloody Cranesbill growing on Iona.

Bog Asphodel, a common plant of the moors.

Frog Orchid on Eriskay.

Heath Spotted Orchid.