Bluebells in Devon’s South Hams last year

The countryside is turning blue. I’m not politically, indeed that may one day sway the other way after this little lot if over and various political performances are judged - I am talking about the azure colour caused by great carpets of bluebells.

April is turning into a very good month for Hyacinthoides non-scripta, according to the Woodland Trust. The charity say long term records show that the flowering dates for English bluebells have inched five days earlier over the last 50 years.

In the West Country during the past week, friends have told me about large, heavenly, blue mists of petals seen billowing bright in woodlands from Lizard to Lyme, from Brendon to Bude.

A single bluebell is a marvel to behold – an entire woodland carpet of these sapphire sensations is like something from a floral dream. But all is not entirely well in bluebell world - the azure harbinger of high spring is in danger of being ousted from is rightful place in our copses by an unwanted immigrant from Spain.

The Spanish bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica) has flowers shaped like a broad bell with a flared rim and is said to be of a more robust nature than our native plant. While some people dismiss the fear that the British bluebell could go the same way as the red squirrel, other experts - like the ones from the eco-pressure group Plantlife - are warning people who buy bluebells at garden centres to make sure they get the British native variety and not imports.

Plantlife says: “Although still common in Britain, bluebells are threatened locally by habitat destruction, collection from the wild, and from the escape of the Spanish bluebell from gardens and subsequent cross-breeding and loss of true native populations. The latter is a particular concern - during our last survey around one in six bluebells found in broadleaved woodland was a Spanish rather than native bluebell.”

Nevertheless, the changing weather does seem to be making April a bonanza month for our native flora - the Woodland Trust says other spring species are flowering up to 12 days earlier over the last 25 years, as a result of climate change.

Not that this is necessarily good news for the long term survival of many native plants. The charity is calling for better protection of ancient woodland, one of the bluebell’s key habitats, to give the plant the best chance of survival in the face of increasing threats from climate change, development and invasive species.

A Woodland Trust director of conservation once told me: “Climate change is not only affecting flowering dates but is also a factor in the number of pests and diseases in the UK quadrupling since the year 2000.
“Combined with Government’s clear misapprehension that ancient woodland is protected from development, the Woodland Trust is deeply concerned about the future of English bluebells and many other native species.
“Increased protection for all ancient woodland is vital, and linking them with newly planted woodland and hedges will allow wildlife safer passage through the countryside.
“This will help to make our countryside more resilient, and offer more scope for adaptation to the impact of climate change too.”

To record bluebell sightings visit www.woodlandtrust.org.uk.