heather

"We had a search recently and underneath a load of heather where you couldn't see a thing from the surface, Henry recovered a tiny bird's skull."

While the main purpose is to encourage new heather growth for grouse and other animals to feed on, it also gets rid of excess vegetation which can fuel wildfires.

The wild, flat landscapes dotted with gorse and heather are known for their wildlife, including rare species like the sand lizard, woodlark and silver-studded blue butterfly.

Upland heathland is characterised by the presence of low-growing shrubs, such as heather.

People who manage land may burn gorse in a controlled manner to clear land for other purposes, and burn heather to encourage new shoots that are more palatable to game birds.