A trip to a heather moor.

The flowering of heather (Calluna vulgaris) marks the end of a self imposed break from visiting the hills in Wales as the welcome addition of purple hues to the vegetative colour palette of greens and yellows transforms the uplands in late summer.

Eventually a number of weather forecasts aligned to give some confidence to what the weather might be and importantly the words 'excellent visibility' and 'cloud breaking up' were prominent.  The one downside was the wind strength of a northerly 'fresh' to 'moderate' breeze that would induce vegetative movement, although a positive would be the suppression of the resident winged insect population. Suitably inspired and motivated an excursion was made to the National Trust property Mynydd Pen-y-fâl an outlier of Y Mynyddoedd Duon (The Black Mountains) in the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia)

The ascent route wasn't the planned one, but the convenient one due to the bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) growth. The relatively low winds, increased warmth and sunshine that characterised the early summer of 2017 were optimal for bracken growth and in places exceeded over 2.0 metres in height. However the weather subsequently reverted to the heavy rain and high winds that have afflicted recent summers in the UK. The adverse weather had collapsed the bracken, obscuring the minor paths, necessitating taking a well trodden route to the hills. The consolation of which was chancing upon a colony of Harebells by the side of the track under bracken.

Heather (Calluna vulgaris) and Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) re-colonising a burned area of moorland.

With height gained the bracken covered slopes changed to open moorland and by mostly keeping to vehicle and sheep tracks, footfall was minimised on the vegetation. The moorland is actively managed for conservation by creating a mosaic of varying aged vegetation, the methods employed appeared to be controlled burning and in the absence of charred material on the ground presumably by cutting or flailing. Whilst heather dominated the moorland vegetation there were areas where other plant communities also put in an appearance : Western gorse, bilberry, grasses, rushes, sedges and bracken.

Western Gorse (Ulex gallii), Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and wind blown Wavy hair grass (Deschampsia flexuosa)

Eventually the cloud started to break up and allowed some welcome sunlight to play over the landscape.

The one downside of the location at this time of year is the curtailing of last light by the main bulk of the Black Mountains massif and the last of the direct sunlight was used on a less exposed area of moor with a mosaic of moorland vegetation modified by conservation management.

The wind negated any dusk twilight photography and a revisit will be made at some point in less windy conditions.