Bluebells transform UK woodland in springtime. The carpet of intense blue under the opening tree canopy is one of our greatest woodland spectacles. It's not surprising that bluebell is one of the UK's best-loved wild flowers.
Common name(s): bluebell; English bluebell; British bluebell; granfer griggles; cra'tae
Scientific name: Hyacinthoides non-scripta Family: Asparagaceae
Six Bluebell facts:
The bluebell has many names: English bluebell, wild hyacinth, wood bell, bell bottle, Cuckoo’s Boots, Wood Hyacinth, Lady’s Nightcap and Witches’ Thimbles, Hyacinthoides non-scripta
It is against UK law to intentionally pick, uproot or destroy bluebells
If you plant bluebells in the UK, you should make sure it's the English bluebell, not the Spanish version. This is a more vigorous plant and could out-compete our delicate native flower
Almost half the world's bluebells are found in the UK, they’re relatively rare in the rest of the world
Bluebell colonies take a long time to establish - around 5-7 years from seed to flower.
Bluebells can take years to recover after footfall damage. If a bluebell’s leaves are crushed, they die back from lack of food as the leaves cannot photosynthesise.
All photos taken by me, Bluebell facts from https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
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Until the next post, Nikki the MaskedBlogger. x