Before the Ling: Bell Heather in Bloom

The moors will soon flush lilac with the bloom of Ling, but for now it is the Bell heather that holds court. Its deeper purple has lit the hills for weeks. This sweep across Ingleby Moor is the broadest I have seen. Bell heather usually prefers modest clumps, favouring dry ridges, crag tops, and path edges.

Bell heather — Erica cinerea, if you want the Latin — is one of three heathers common to the UK. The others are the pale Cross-leaved Heather and the far more common Ling. Bell heather flowers early and with far more intensity. Its colour is deeper, stronger. I will take it over Ling’s soft lilac any day.

There is, oddly enough, a fourth type on record for the North York Moors: St. Dabeoc’s Heath, Daboecia cantabrica, more at home in the west of Ireland than in Yorkshire¹North (2016). A to Z: a horde of Hs. [online] The official blog for the North York Moors National Park. Available at: https://northyorkmoorsnationalpark.wordpress.com/2016/07/12/a-to-z-a-horde-of-hs/#:~:text=producing%20Handale%20Honey.-,HEATHER%20and%20HEATH,-The%20North%20York[Accessed 5 Jul. 2022]..

By next month the Ling will be nearing its peak, and the moors will be awash in bloom — Heather beetles permitting. They ravaged the landscape in 2020. Ling fades quickly, but Bell heather lingers well into September, often still in flower when the first frosts creep in.

And if your eyes are sharp, you may notice the outline of Roseberry Topping on the far horizon.

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  North (2016). A to Z: a horde of Hs. [online] The official blog for the North York Moors National Park. Available at: https://northyorkmoorsnationalpark.wordpress.com/2016/07/12/a-to-z-a-horde-of-hs/#:~:text=producing%20Handale%20Honey.-,HEATHER%20and%20HEATH,-The%20North%20York[Accessed 5 Jul. 2022].