I came across this painting of Carningli in an art catalogue years ago, and in spite of the watermark it's very appealing. It's an interesting reminder, in the context of all the discussions about the management of the mountain, that the pattern of vegetation has not always been as it is today. Notice that in this picture there is flowering gorse right up among the rocks on the summit and that there is a swathe of purple heather between Carningli and Garnffoi. Nowadays, because of heavy grazing in the past and recent intensive burning, the vegettation is much lighter; bracken has taken over in some of the lower areas, and areas where gorse and heather were prominent have been taken over by grassland.
Nothing is permanent -- every generation has the mountain it deserves -- fashioned by changes in animal stocking density, burning frequency and other factors. Should the mountain be sprayed to keep down the bracken? No way! It is after all an SSSI. I think we should just let the mountain respond in its own way to climate change and changes in land-use practices -- and that we should not seek to over-manage it.
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