Tree : HEATHER    Celtic Name : UR    Gaelic Name : FRAOCH

Mosaic made by : Black Isle Writers Group

Location : Bird hide in car park overlooking Munlochy Bay, Munlochy

The Celts believed heather to have healing
properties and to be a great cleansing agent,
breaking up blockages in the body. It was also used for making brooms, a further link to cleansing, cleaning and purity.

Heather’s totem creature, the bee, was believed to carry messages between this world and the next. At the top of the mosaic two bees can be seen flying off to the heavens.

The image in the centre of the panel shows the summer solstice complete with standing stone and setting sun, summer being the time when heather is in full flower blanketing hills and moors in rich purple.  

Heather was also used for making mead so it’s no surprise that romance, intoxication and attraction are also associated with it.

Although there is none of the moorland most
associated with an abundance of heather on the Black Isle, patches can be found growing in much of the local woodland.

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