Plants

In the winter, the grey-brown hues of the Flow Country disguise the incredible range of plant life it is home to. In spring and summer this living landscape explodes in colour, with lots of fascinating plants to discover.

By far the most significant plants in the Flow Country are the Sphagnum mosses, which are integral to creating the watery ecosystem and forming peat. There is a whole page dedicated to moss, discover more here.

Flowering Plants

Some of the most eye-catching plants on the bog, these bright flowers attract a variety of insects.

Bog Asphodel

The bright yellow, star-shaped flowers of bog asphodel are unmistakable on the bog. It is also known as the 'bone breaker' because it was thought the plant caused brittle bones in the livestock which ate it. In fact, it was the poor calcium pastures bog asphodel is associated with that was doing the damage!

Orchids

There are several species of orchid in The Flow Country, like this heath-spotted orchid.

Northern Marsh Orchid

This orchid readily attracts insects, though its flowers contain no nectar or pollen!

Bell Heather

There are three species of heather in the Flow Country, bell, ling and cross-leaved.

Bogbean

Bogbean grows upright in shallow pools. The Flow Country's black pools provide excellent habitat for this plant.

Insectivorous Plants

The lack of nutrients in the bog has led to some impressive adaptations to allow plants to survive. Some plants survive the lack of nutrients in the soil by finding their food elsewhere- they trap insects and secrete enzymes to digest them!

©Lorne Gill

Sundew

Sundews are one of two types of carnivorous plants found in The Flow Country. The sundews are the most diverse genera of all carnivorous plants with 194 species globally. Three of these species are found in The Flow Country.

The Flow Country is quite nutrient poor, but what it has in abundance is midges! These little plants use their sticky leaves to catch midges and other small insects.

The sticky substance that sundews use to trap insects is called mucilage.

Lorne Gill

Common Butterwort

The delicate, purple flower of the butterwort is a common sight in The Flow Country between May and July. The flower attracts insects which sit on its sticky leaves.

Lorne Gill

Common Butterwort Leaves

The leaves of the butterwort are covered in a sticky substance which traps unsuspecting flies.