Heather is a low-growing shrub with small purple, pink, or white flowers that blankets hillsides and moorlands, especially in Scotland, Ireland, and other parts of northern Europe. If you've ever seen photographs of the Scottish Highlands covered in purple as far as the eye can see, you were looking at heather in bloom.

The plant thrives in rocky, windswept places where many other plants struggle to grow. Its tiny bell-shaped flowers cluster thickly along woody stems, and it stays green year-round even in harsh climates. Heather has been used for centuries to make brooms, thatch roofs, and even bedding.

In Scotland, finding white heather is considered lucky, while the more common purple heather symbolizes the rugged beauty of the landscape. The word appears in Scottish songs and poetry so often that it has become deeply connected to Scottish identity and natural beauty.

Heather is also a popular girl's name, especially in English-speaking countries, inspired by the plant's delicate beauty and hardy nature.