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Gorse is a dense, spiny evergreen shrub whose golden pea flowers smell faintly of coconut. Common gorse flowers mainly from late winter to early summer, but with other gorse species flowering later in the year, some gorse can be found in bloom almost every month. That gave rise to the old saying, "When gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion." Its early flowers are an important source of pollen for queen bumblebees, and on hot summer days its ripe seed pods crack open with an audible snap, flinging the seeds away.
Like other members of the pea family, gorse hosts bacteria in its roots that fix nitrogen from the air. That lets it thrive on thin, acidic, nutrient-poor ground where few shrubs can grow, so it readily colonises old colliery spoil. Its thick, prickly cover gives nest sites and shelter to birds such as linnets, stonechats and yellowhammers.
In northern England and Scotland, gorse is often called whin, and it was once a valued resource. It burns fast and hot, so it was cut as fuel for bread ovens and kilns, and young shoots were crushed to feed livestock through the winter. On the old spoil heaps, its bright flowers are often among the first signs of colour in the year.
Gorse is a dense, spiny evergreen shrub whose golden pea flowers smell faintly of coconut. Common gorse flowers mainly from late winter to early summer, but with other gorse species flowering later in the year, some gorse can be found in bloom almost every month. That gave rise to the old saying, "When gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion." Its early flowers are an important source of pollen for queen bumblebees, and on hot summer days its ripe seed pods crack open with an audible snap, flinging the seeds away.
Like other members of the pea family, gorse hosts bacteria in its roots that fix nitrogen from the air. That lets it thrive on thin, acidic, nutrient-poor ground where few shrubs can grow, so it readily colonises old colliery spoil. Its thick, prickly cover gives nest sites and shelter to birds such as linnets, stonechats and yellowhammers.
In northern England and Scotland, gorse is often called whin, and it was once a valued resource. It burns fast and hot, so it was cut as fuel for bread ovens and kilns, and young shoots were crushed to feed livestock through the winter. On the old spoil heaps, its bright flowers are often among the first signs of colour in the year.