Editing Calluna (section)

== Ecology ==
Heather is an important food source for various sheep and deer which can graze the tips of the plants when snow covers low-growing vegetation. [[Willow grouse]] and [[red grouse]] feed on the young shoots and seeds of this plant.<ref>Moss R & Parkinson J (1972) The digestion of heather (''Culluna vulgaris'') by red grouse (''Lagopus lagopus scoticus'') Br.J.Nutr. 27, 285–296</ref> Both adult and [[larva]] of the heather beetle (''[[Lochmaea suturalis]]'') feed on it, and can cause extensive mortality in some instances. The larvae of a number of [[Lepidoptera]] species also feed on the plant, notably the small emperor moth ''[[Saturnia pavonia]]''.

=== As an invasive species ===
The plant was introduced to New Zealand and has become an [[invasive species|invasive weed]] in some areas, notably the [[Tongariro National Park]] and [[Mount Ruapehu]] in the North Island, as well as the Wilderness Reserve (Te Anau) in the South Island, overgrowing native plants. [[Lochmaea suturalis|Heather beetles]] have been released to stop the heather, with preliminary trials successful to date.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Simon Fowler |date=June 2001 |title=Biocontrol News and Information - Heather Beetle: from Doom to Boom? |url=http://cabweb.org/Journals/BNI/Bni22-2/Gennews.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907182154/http://cabweb.org/Journals/BNI/Bni22-2/Gennews.htm |archive-date=2016-09-07 |access-date=18 July 2022 |website=PEST CABWeb |publisher=[[Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International|CABI]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Heather beetle |url=https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/discover-our-research/biodiversity-biosecurity/weed-biocontrol/projects-agents/biocontrol-agents/heather-beetle/ |access-date=2024-11-02 |website=Manaaki Whenua |language=en-US}}</ref>