It is amazing to think that mountains, seemingly hostile places, can be the home to a beautiful array of wild flowers and plants. I first had my eyes opened to just how many wild flowers live in our mountains when I did my Mountain Leader Training several years ago. As I developed through the awards the emphasis on flora and fauna grew and my own enjoyment of the mountains grew with it.

Here is a sample of the Alpine Flora that you can spot in the mountains of Snowdonia, The Lake District and Scotland. Give yourself a beer if you spot them all in one day!

	Tormentil These little yellow flowers were traditionally used for the treatment of stomach complaints. The rhizomes which turn red when broken were also used to make liquor!
	Roseroot A member of the stonecrop family this is an arctic alpine plant. It is claimed to help memory and aid the immune system.
	Cotton Grass A member of the sedge family (check the stalk -if it has an edge its a sedge, if its round its a grass). Also known as bog cotton because it grows in boggy soils.
	Butterwort You should like this one - it eats midges! They get stuck to the sticky star shape leaves at the base. It flowers in May in the UK but you will often see the star shape base out of season.
	Moss Campion Well adapted to the mountains it only grows about 5-15cm tall. It hugs the ground for warmth and has small leaves to avoid being exposed to the wind.
	Sphagnum Moss Found in the peat bogs of our mountains this moss makes a great natural loo paper! It also has antiseptic qualities and used to be used during the First World War for wound dressings.
	Alpine Lady's Mantle A member of the Rose family this is the mountain version of the garden version (Lady's Mantle). It is smaller and lives on rocky ledges and stony dry soils.
	Heath Bedstraw
	Milkwort The common milkwort, native to the British Isles, is a trailing plant with white, pink, blue, or purple flowers. It was once believed that a nursing mother could increase her production of milk by eating this plant.
	Sundew Another friend of all mountain goers as this, like the Butterwort, is isectivious so eats midges!

 If you enjoy learning about our mountain environment you will also enjoy the following courses:

Mountain Navigation & Hill Skills

5 day navigation & scrambling course

Introduction to Scrambling

Mountain Leader

SPA (Single Pitch Award)