The Red Mist

This plant, wavy hair-grass Deschampsia flexuosa, is common on the moorland above Blanchland in the Derwent valley in Northumberland. 

It's very attractive, with its red stems and tiny florets but there are places on the moor where it is truly spectacular.

The grass really thrives best after a muir burn, where patches of burnt ground are left between the heather, temporarily rich in mineral nutrients. Then it grows so densely that it forms what seems like a red mist......

...that shimmers in the sunlight when it's buffeted in the wind.