Heather isn’t just heather…
HEATHER??!?
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Heather covers the open moorland and late-summer it comes into bloom. 
Three types of heather grow on the North York Moors... 
Cross-leaved heath has leaves arranged in cross of four on its stems. It has distinctive pink, bellshaped flowers... 
...and can often be found in bogy areas. It flowers between June and September. 
In some areas cross-leaved heath is at risk by invasive moor-grass or bracken - the cattle don't care about that! 
Bell heather carpets big areas that are acidic, dry and well drained. 
Bell heather has purple-pink flowers and is similar to cross-leaved heath. 
But the flowers of bell heather are smaller and do not cluster on one side of the stem. They are flowering between July and September. 
Ling heather is the most common type found on the North York Moors. 
It has very tiny pink flowers. 
Plants grow tightly packed together and can live for up to 40 years and more. 
Ling flowers from August to October. It fits our dogs, doesn't it? 
Whether at sunrise... 
...or at sunset - just feel the fascination of moorland!