Vegetation here is sparse and plants have adapted by growing low, creeping or forming hummocks on bare, exposed granite debris. About 15 Arctic-Alpine species grow on the hill including Alpine Lady's mantle (left) and moss campion (above).

Sundew
Sundew can often be found growing in hummocks of bog moss. Globules of sticky fluid are secreted from the tiny mauve coloured fronds around the edges of the leaves. These fronds curl into the centre of the leaf to digest any entrapped insects caught by the deadly glue.


Red Campion and False Oats
Road verges are not fertilised and are often ungrazed, therefore they support a variety of flowers. Devil's-bit scabious, autumn hawkbit and red campion are often found along with grasses.

False-oats grass looks a little like oats because of the shape and position of the flowers on the stalk. The flowers of grasses often look very pretty or decorative and are an important component of most habitats. As grasses rely on wind for pollination their flowers do not need to be brightly coloured.


Bog Mosses
Bog moss or sphagnum is able to hold eight times its own weight in water - no wonder it is so important to the hydrology of bogs.


Marsh Marigold
The golden cups of marsh marigold brighten many a dull spring day. Although very pretty to humans, flowers are actually vital to plant reproduction. Yellow coloured flowers are particularly attractive to insects which are important agents in the process of pollination. Pollination is important so that plants can form fertile seeds which scatter, germinate and grow into new plants.

Bell Heather and Heath Spotted Orchid
Drier heathland supports bell heather, with purple `bell' shaped flowers in clusters at the ends of the stalk. This is a small woody shrub flowering from July to August. Damper areas support heath spotted orchid.

Its short flowering spike is made up of a number of small pinkish-lilac flowers, each with a 'Iip' marked with darker dots and lines. These dots and lines attract bees and flies which then pollinate the flower.

Tufted Vetch
`Links' occur where windblown sand with a high mineral content is found. They often support a striking show of flowers during the summer months, dominated by tufted vetch, bird's-foot trefoil and yarrow. Other flowers include daisy, buttercup, silverweed, selfheal, eyebright, field and autumn gentian. Tufted vetch is very competitive using tendrils on the ends of the leaf stalks to support itself as it climbs its way up above other plants

Ragged-Robin
The flower of the ragged-Robin gets its name from the ragged looking petals. Although 'ragged' this pretty flower of damp meadcow and marsh can turn large areas into a delicate pink hue.

Roseroot
Roseroot is a common plant of coastal cliff faces and ledges and has greenish-yellow flowers. Cliff tops and slopes are often freely draining and very salty from wind and sea spray. In order to cope with this, plants have very succulent leaves in which they conserve water, similar to a cactus plant. Spring squill, sea pink, sea plantain and roseroot have adapted in this way.

Spring Squill and Bird's-foot Trefoil
Spring squill is a short growing plant with a cluster of lilac-blue flowers at the end of each stem. The seed pods of the bird's-foot trefoil are grouped in a cluster which resembles the shape of a bird's foot, hence the name of this plant.

Field Gentian
Two species of gentian can be found in Shetland; the field gentian and the autumn gentian.