Woodlands natural carpet - Bluebells

English bluebell, wild hyacinth, wood bell, bell bottle, Cuckoo’s Boots, Wood Hyacinth, Lady’s Nightcap and Witches’ Thimbles, Hyacinthoides non-scripta. These are some of the mant names for the English bluebell.

Bluebells come once a year and usually flower from late March to early May. Flowers generally last a few weeks so if you haven’t already seen them then April is the best time to explore your nearest woodland floors.

Did you know? Almost half the world's bluebells are found in the UK.

Native bluebells are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It's against the law to dig up bulbs in the wild without landowner permission and landowners aren't allowed to dig them up and sell them.

If you plant bluebells, 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

It takes over 5 years for a bluebell patch 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.

You can help protect native bluebells by keeping to the path on your woodland walks. The delicate plants are easily damaged which can affect future growth.