The wood colours completely green. A frail magical fresh-green light filters through an uncountable number of young beech leaves. The bluebells are withering. Only the ones on the few places where there still is enough sunlight have their purple-blue colour. But there is less light each day in the wood and the bluebells are less noticeable. In the moist, calcareous valleys wild garlic is flowering. Great horsetail arises from the shallow water of source streams. Solomon’s seal, yellow archangel and sweetscented bedstraw are flowering. The nuthatch couple has young, caterpillars are being delivered and faecal sacks are removed. Wood mice are active, and by twilight when it is more quiet in the wood, the roe deer can feel at home again in the wood. The wonderful flowering period of bluebells is over and has passed very quickly this year.

The young beech leaves make it harder and harder for the sunlight to reach the bluebells. Lots of flowers have been pollinated and start withering, their deep purple blue colour getting paler. Meanwhile, bear’s garlic is blooming in the moist, calcareous valleys. Yellow archangel, Solomon’s seal and greater stitchworth are blooming in the edges of the paths that get a lot of light. Unfortunately, the traces of respectless photographers and smartphone users are visible, leaving a trail of destruction in the form of new paths and open spaces where completely trampled bluebells disfiguring the fragile forest. This is destruction of a natural environment protected by the European Union.
Saturday afternoon 27 April there is the yearly ‘bluebell jogging’, 1200 participants are expected. If you want to walk in peace and quiet, it is better to choose another moment.

The summer temperatures wake the trees from their hibernation. There is no stopping the beeches any longer. Yesterday only a handful of high trees were coming into leaf, today there are countless others as well. It is going very quickly now. Fortunately, the warmth helps the bluebells as well. The valleys and the flanks are fairy-tale-ish. The forest is wonderfully beautiful. A sea of fragile purple-blue bells and its fragrance, fill the forest. The shadows of the beech’ stems throw endless stripes over the bluebells. The coming days the beech canopy will get filled with pale green translucent leaves over the flowers. Nothing as peaceful as walking in a forest with fragile, soft spring colours. Another week or less to enjoy the game of light and shadow, and to walk in a living stained glass window. Once the sun can not reach the flowers any more, they will colour pale blue-grey instead of purple-blue.

Wood anemones have been pollinated and start withering. On the sunny edges of the paths, Lords-and-ladies and garlic mustard are blooming. Nothing is as peaceful as walking in a purple-blue fairytale-like wood under fresh green translucent young beech leaves. This is a spring experience not to be missed. The plateaus, where the sun can spread her warmth the whole day, are colouring deep purple-blue. The bluebells’ flower stalks are growing, thereby carrying the flowers higher than their green leaves, hiding the green carpet. The cooler valleys and flanks are gradually getting the irresistible spring colours, but a lot of bluebells are still in their buds, it is going to be a race against the time for bluebells that have to start flowering yet. The warm spring sun is tempting the beech leaves to get out of their buds, a few high beeches are already coming into leaf. As long as not all beech leaves are starting to grow, all will be fine for the bluebells as the sun can then spoil them and the bumblebees can pollinate them. A bluebell’s leaves are now making a new bulb for the coming year. So do not destroy them by stepping on them to take a picture. Getting off the track, standing on the forest floor, makes the forest floor more dense, too dense for the tiny roots, that come out of a bluebell’s seed in autumn, to pierce through the soil. Meaning: no new bluebells. Please take your pictures staying on the paths. The next 8 to 10 days will be of an intense beauty in the forest.