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Symbister is the main settlement on Whalsay, a small island off the east coast of the Shetland Mainland reached by a short RoRo ferry from Laxo. Whalsay — the island of whale — has one of the most productive fishing fleets in Scotland, and the Symbister boatyard, pier, and fish-processing facilities are the economic heart of the island. The island is relatively fertile by Shetland standards, with improved grazing and arable ground concentrated in the lower ground, and heather moorland on the higher ridges. Symbister has a shop, school, hall, and hotel serving the island's tight-knit community. Beekeeping on Whalsay is a small specialist activity, but the improved grassland of the island and the sheltered aspect of the eastern voes make it more practicable than the more exposed parts of Shetland.

Heather is the dominant forage plant of Shetland, covering the vast majority of the island landscape with bell heather and ling running from mid-July through September; the heather honey of Shetland has a distinctive strong character from the pure moorland sources. White clover on improved croft land in the valley bottoms and the more fertile western Mainland parishes provides the main June-to-July summer flow. Gorse — whin — is exceptionally abundant throughout Shetland from March into June, flowering earlier than most mainland sites thanks to the Gulf Stream influence, and providing critical early pollen and nectar for spring colony build-up. Sycamore in the sheltered town gardens and policies of Lerwick and Scalloway gives a productive May flow where trees are established. Bramble on disturbed ground and croft edges from July to August. Dandelion on roadsides and improved grassland in April and May provides early pollen. Ivy on older stone buildings in the more sheltered settings around Lerwick closes the season into October on mild years.