Far frae Mount Parnassus!

The flowering of the Grass of Parnassus Parnassia palustris is coming to an end and they are setting seed on the heaths of the Sands of Forvie. Also known as bog-stars, these beautiful flowers occur across the Northern Hemisphere in Arctic and Alpine habitats, as well as on dune slacks and fens, heaths, swamps and moist woodlands.

They are not, of course, grasses; the name is said to come from ancient Greece where the cattle on Mount Parnassus developed a taste for the plant and hence it was regarded as an 'honorary grass'.

Use the Naturalist's Lens to fully appreciate their delicate beauty.