Spring has arrived! With the recent hot weather, this year’s bluebell bloom has come through early, transforming woodlands across the UK into a stunning blaze of colour lasting till the end of May.
With half of the world’s population of bluebells living in the UK, it has become one of the nation’s most loved and well-known wild flowers.
Unfortunately, our native bluebell has been hybridised by the ‘invader’ Spanish bluebell in recent years, even threatening the survival of the native British species and overtaking the native variety in some areas.
Native bluebells are in fact indicators of ancient woodland here in the UK and are often found in broadleaved woodland and hedgerows. Native bluebells are easily distinguishable from the Spanish variety:
– The anthers of the native bluebell have creamy white coloured pollen.
– They have a gloriously sweet scent as opposed to the Spanish which have almost no scent
– Native bluebells have flowers mostly on one side of the stem and distinctly droop at the top.
Our bluebells are a protected species and it is illegal to pick or remove the bulbs.
You can find out the best places to view the blossoming bluebells this spring here from the National Trust – http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1355778396591/
Head over to our Facebook page, tweet us, or tag us in your photo on Instagram to share your best bluebell pictures from across Britain in our competition. The best photo will win a bundle of Beefayre goodies in the sweet Bluebell & Wood Anemone fragrance.
