Bluebells – County Durham
By: shortfinals
Tags: 1981, 1998, bluebell, bluebell wood, bluebell wood in full bloom, British landscape, bulbous plant, Common Bluebells, County Durham, deciduous, drifts of flowers, Durham, England, European Beech, Fagus sylvatica, ground cover, heady perfume, Hyacinthoides hispanica, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, hybrid strain, in full bloom, legislation, less scent, lovely flowers, mixed deciduous species, native habitat, North of England, quintessentially British, scent, Spanish, Spanish Bluebell, Spanish species, trade in bulbs and plants, white varient, whitebells, Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, Wildlife and Countryside Act
Category: British Isles, England, Great Britain, Plants
| Aperture: | f/5.6 |
|---|---|
| Focal Length: | 55mm |
| ISO: | 400 |
| Shutter: | 1/0 sec |
| Camera: | NIKON D40 |
This area of woodland near the city of Durham, in the north of England, consists of mixed deciduous species, with the European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) predominating.
The ground cover is fairly diverse, but in spring it is carpeted with Common Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta). Although the Common Bluebell was, well, common when I was young, the status of this bulbous plant has changed somewhat. Hybridisation with the introduced Spanish Bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica) has meant that this stronger hybrid strain has taken over in some locations. Since the Spanish species produces less scent, you lose the heady perfume of a typical bluebell wood in full bloom. In order to protect this quintessentially British landscape, it has been necessary to enact legislation, and since 1981, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (and a further prohibition to trade in bulbs and plants enacted in 1998) it is offence to remove these lovely flowers from their native habitat.
One item of note, bluebells don’t have to be blue! There is a very attractive, naturally occuring, white varient and these ‘whitebells’ can be seen mixed in amongst the drifts of flowers in many bluebell woods.
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