Press Release

UK woodland starts to turn from green to blue

9 April 2009

Get out and witness carpets of bluebells and celebrate nature's spectacle.

Once a year Nature treats us to magnificent bluebell displays across the UK, and the Woodland Trust wants to help you enjoy them this spring.

The native British bluebell is often found in ancient woodland, the richest habitat for species in the UK, something the Woodland Trust knows a lot about. This spring the Trust wants to give people the best chance to witness these wonderful displays of colour by helping people find a bluebell wood near them.

Over a hundred Woodland Trust's ancient woodland sites across the UK become a must see as they fill up with bluebell buds waiting to burst into flower throughout late April and May.

Fran Hitchinson conservation advisor to the Woodland Trust explained: “Bluebell carpets are a timeless feature of our ancient woods and certainly worth seeing. The shimmering sea of blue presented is one of nature's most magical sights and, for many people, is one of the most enduring symbols of springtime and the coming to life of the countryside.”

The bluebell is one of many species strongly associated with ancient woods, meaning that if you are looking at seas of woodland bluebells it's likely that the woodland you are in is also ancient. Ancient woods are irreplaceable woodland sites which have been continuously wooded since at least 1600AD. They are the UK's equivalent of the rainforest, home to more species than any other habitat and it's times like this that we are reminded of how precious they are.

Ancient woodland and its precious bluebells that shelter within need protecting, with some of the biggest threats to them being climate change and the destruction and fragmentation of woodland habitats.

Indeed, our bluebells have international importance as we are believed to have a large proportion of the entire world population of the flower.

Help celebrate this national treasure. It couldn't be easier to find your nearest bluebell wood, by visiting the bluebell page on the Woodland Trust website or following the bluebell link on the homepage. People can search for their nearest bluebell wood.

You can become a nature recorder by registering and logging your first sightings of bluebells and other spring species at www.naturescalendar.org.uk or for children visit our award winning nature detective's site at www.naturedetectives.org.uk for fun educational activities.