Stumbling through Heather

Notice the purple tinge on the hillsides

In the Scottish Highlands heather tints the hillsides purple during the months of August and September. And here I am in the sultry South Carolina Lowcountry waxing nostalgic about late summer trips to Scotland. This year I won't be inhaling the crisp Highland air or the delicate scent of heather. You see, I finished the research for my novel Stumbling through Heather and, in fact, have completed the writing.

What most surprised me about heather was how sturdy it is. But then it has to be in order to survive in the harsh environment where it thrives. Heather, also known as ling, is a dwarf shrub with a life span of approximately thirty years. Cross-leaved heath and bell heather grow alongside ling on peaty moorlands. 

This heather I photographed growing near the base of Beinn Eighe appears 
more rosy than purple.  Some heather flowers are more pinkish than purple,
others are more magenta.

In his book Introducing Heather, David Lambie states that a single large heather plant can produce as many as 150,000 seeds. No wonder certain hills turn purple when the heather blooms.

Wild heather (Calluna vulgaris) up close
This one is growing along a roadside two or three miles from Loch Ness.

During a stay in Lochcarron I observed domesticated heather growing in a resident's garden. It made me want to create a heather bed of my own. Unfortunately, the climate where I live doesn't suit true heathers. 

Mexican, or false, heather can be found in plant nurseries here, but it lacks the vigor of Calluna vulgaris. And where locally might I find the heather-scented air freshener I remember from my stay in Lochcarron?

Volunteering on the Balmacara Estate

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to participate in a conservation camp sponsored by the National Trust for Scotland.  Jon Downie, the Trust’s Outdoor Action Coordinator, led our group of ten Thistle Camp volunteers as we assisted rangers with a variety of tasks on the Balmacara Estate in the Western Highlands.

Through the gorse we go

The meadow

On a morning late in April we dug up yellow flag irises in a secluded meadow on the Estate. In the afternoon we transplanted them in a former pasture fronting the scenic road that goes past Eilean Donan Castle and continues on toward the bridge to the Isle of Skye. 

Digging up flag iris rhizomes

Iris transportation

Because success in transplanting irises depends upon rhizome health, Jon taught us to inspect the irises before plunging our spades into the boggy meadow. He showed us how to easily determine the position of the rhizomes so that we could limit the damage we inflicted on the plants while digging. Yet even with our diligent efforts, we occasionally lifted up spindly fans of sword-shaped green leaves with no rhizome attached.

In the middle distance, a new home for yellow flag irises

We worked hard throughout our Thistle Camp. But the most difficult bit?  Saying good-bye at the end of the week to the Highlands and to fellow team members.

The 2012 Balmacara Thistle Camp team
This photograph taken for me by NTS Ranger Babs Macritchie

To learn more about the Balmacara Thistle Camp read my August 2012 guest post on the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA blog:

http://www.ntsusa.org/blog/guest-post-balmacara-thistle-camp/

To learn more about the National Trust for Scotland's Balmacara Estate visit:

http://www.nts.org.uk/Property/Balmacara-Estate-Woodland-Walks/

To learn more about National Trust for Scotland Thistle Camps visit:

http://www.nts.org.uk/ThistleCamps/