The moorland habitat is characterised mainly by large areas of heather and rough grassland. It has developed to a greater extent over much of upland Scotland over the last four to five hundred years, due in part to subtle changes in climate and other environmental factors. At first glance the vegetation is rather monotonous, but if you stop and take a closer look at the ground, and see what else is growing there, you may be surprised at the variety of plant life to be found.
The uplands of Moray - heather and grass covered moorland, with the high Cairngorm Mountains to the South. The highest of the peaks on this mountain plateau rise to just over four thousand feet, with a few semi-permanent snow patches.
Menyanthes trifoliata -Bogbean, North
Sutherland
Bogbean is so named after the leaf shape, which is similar to that of the broad bean cultivated vegetable. It is, however, in no way related to a bean of any sort! It habitually grows in the shallow water of small lochs, often associated with other shallow water reeds and sometimes with water lilies. Formerly found in Moray in some of the boggy pools near Forres, and at Loch of Spynie where it can still be found, it is now more scarce, due mainly to loss of habitat.
Nymphaea alba - White Water-lily, Sutherland
The white water lily is probably better known for its leaves than its flowers, which are usually tantalisingly just out of reach beyond the shore of the moorland loch, or pond, in which it grows. Found in Moray in some of the deeper lochs on Dava Moor.
Eriophorum sp. - Bog Cotton or Cotton
Grass, Forres, Morayshire
Bog cotton, as its name suggests, grows in the wetter areas of moorland. Some species can even withstand some degree of immersion. The photograph shows the seed heads, covered in white plumes which are attached to the seeds themselves. Although the cottony heads were collected in parts of Scotland to be used for wound dressings during the First World War, the fibres are too short to be of any commercial use.
Drosera rotundifolia - Round Leaved Sundew,
Morayshire
This tiny rosette of scarlet round leaves is no more than a couple of centimetres in diameter. It is found in wetter areas of moorland, often amongst Sphagnum bog. In Moray it is confined to wet areas and the margins of streams and pools. It becomes rather more widespread on moors further west. The plant is insectivorous - the leaves are covered in hairs each bearing a sticky gland at the tip. Insects become trapped by the hairs and are digested by secretions from the leaves. In this way the plant augments its supply of nitrogen, vital to life but otherwise very scarce in this nutrient deficient and often waterlogged environment.
The early herbalists believed that the 'dew' on the sundew leaves, which persisted even in the hottest sun (hence the name!) possessed the property to endow longevity and youthfulness to those who drank it.
Nartheciun ossifragum - Bog Asphodel, Sutherland
The scientific name ossifragum means 'bone breaker' and at one time it was thought that animals which grazed on this plant developed brittle bones. However this is more a symptom of the calcium deficient, acidic bogs and moors on which this plant usually grows. The flower stalks turn bright red in autumn, adding a further splash of colour to the large patches in which this plant often grows. Like the sundew, in Moray it is confined to the wettest areas of moor.
Pinguicula vulgaris - Butterwort or Bog Violet,
Morayshire
The leaves are elongate and pale green, and like the Sundew plant visible in the lower left of the picture, butterwort is also insectivorous. Found in similar areas to the sundew.
Dactylorhiza maculata - Heath Spotted Orchid,
Moray
Possibly the commonest orchid in the country, although all orchids should be regarded as potentially extremely vulnerable to any sort of alteration of their habitat. A very variable flower, especially the colour which may range from deep pink to almost white.
Platanthera bifoliata - Lesser Butterfly Orchid,
Sutherland
This attractive orchid has been recorded from a number of lowland moors in Moray, but it has not been seen in recent years. It is possibly now extinct in Moray.
In common with most orchid species, it is very vulnerable to human interference. Orchids have a highly evolved and specialised mode of life. Each plant lives in very close association with a particular species of fungus, called a Mycorrhiza.The association is so close that some of the fungus cells live right inside the root cells of the orchid. The fungus feeds slowly on decaying matter in the soil, passing some of the nutrients it derives to the orchid, and receiving other materials of benefit from the orchid in return. Neither can survive without the other. Each orchid plant may continue to grow underground like this for several years before it produces a green shoot, and flowers. In some species of wild orchid, flowers are only produced by the plant once in every seven to ten years.
Oreopteris limbosperma - Mountain Fern,
Sutherland
Found on many moorland slopes, and reported also from parts of the Culbin Forest in Moray. Its other common name is Lemon Scented Fern - the sporing fronds, when brushed or bruised, smell strongly of lemon. Why? Nobody knows. But plants are wonderful natural chemical factories.
Polytrichum commune. Moray
The moss Polytrichum commune. Most mosses have no common names. The left picture shows the male antheridia, which produce free swimming cells which fertilise a female cell (archegonium) to give rise to the spore producing capsule in the right picture. A similar process takes place in flowering plants as well, but the fertilised part, the capsule, has become the dominant part of the plant with leaves and colourful flowers. The male and female parts have become reduced to the pollen grains and the contents of the seed.
This particular moss is common on many moorland areas, especially among grass or where trees have recently been felled. A great many trees are grown in Moray.
