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Lochmaddy is the main village and ferry terminal of North Uist, a small settlement on the deeply indented east coast of the island beside the labyrinthine sea loch of Loch nam Madadh. North Uist is one of the most machair-rich islands in the Western Isles, its western Atlantic shore a carpet of wildflower grassland — white clover, thyme, bird's-foot trefoil, corn marigold — from June through August. The island's interior carries extensive peat moorland, lochs and wetland; heather covers much of the higher ground from late July. The causeway at Berneray connects North Uist to Harris, and the southern causeway links to Benbecula.

Machair — the distinctive shell-sand grassland of the Atlantic coast — is the most celebrated forage environment of the Western Isles, supporting wild thyme, clover, bird's-foot trefoil, ragged robin and corn marigold in summer on North and South Uist and western Benbecula. White clover and red clover on improved croft grassland provide the main June-to-August flow across all the islands. Heather on the Lewis and Harris moorland — one of the largest continuous heather blankets in Britain — is the defining late-season flow, running from late July through September; bell heather predominates on the drier ground. Sycamore in the Lews Castle grounds and town parks around Stornoway provides a productive May flow in the only sizeable urban forage zone. Gorse is abundant on the roadsides and rough ground of Lewis and Harris from March into June. Bramble flowers on disturbed ground and roadsides throughout the islands from July into September. Ivy on older stone buildings and walls closes the season in October for colonies in more sheltered positions.