The heath and moorland at Tireragan, despite being very close to sea level are upland in character - very similar to those habitats found at much higher elevations on mainland Scotland. This is largely due to the effect of the local climate at Tireragan where oceanic winds and rain often batter the landscape.
Heath and moorland are quite similar habitats with many of the same species occuring in both though it is the relative abundance of those species in each habitat that often differentiates them.
Heaths occupy the slightly drier areas found on hillsides and rocky outcrops and are dominated by ling and bell heather, while moorlands lie in the flatter, wetter areas and have higher proportions of grasses such as purple moor grass and rushes.
