Beautiful bluebells

You can have a mindful walk in any woodland, but a bluebell wood is one of the sights of spring that never fails to bring joy. About half the world’s population of bluebells (hyacinthoides) grow in the UK; they love our ancient woodland, where the ground has been undisturbed for many years. Never be tempted to pick wild bluebells down to the root – they take five years to grow from seed into bulb and native bluebells are a protected species in the UK.

If planting bluebells, make sure they are natives (var. non scripta), as they’re under threat from their interloper cousins. Bluebells flower from early April, before the trees come into full leaf and the sunlight from the woodland floor.

Find your nearest wood at woodlandtrust.org.uk. Join its Big Bluebell Watch by recording your sightings and help to monitor the status of UK bluebells.

Turn to page 76 for more on our walk in the woods feature.

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More from the April issue:

More outdoor inspiration:

Escape: Bluebell woods

Is there anything more uplifting in spring that a walk through a bluebell wood? That mass of colour, at once so exotic in its exuberance yet, at the same time, such a quintessentially English country scene.

'Don't march along (or worse, job through it, headphones in) but stay awhile. I like to perch on a fallen log, listen to the birdsong and notice the sunlight reaching the forest floor through branches with leaves in bud. And that's when my dog, Biscuit (above), scampers around like a mad thing, full of the joys of spring. Then we both head home happy. Simple pleasures, easily found.' 

Lisa Sykes, Editor

Inspired by the May cover of The Simple Things, we'd like you to share your snaps of this year's bluebells over at our Facebook page, on Twitter, or on Instagram (use the hashtag #simplebluebells). We'd love to see your patch of blue and green.

Want inspiration? These photographs from Annie Spratt really evoke the quiet calm of a shady glade. Have a listen to the sounds of the forest - scroll down and hit play.