Flowering season 2019
info: in the northwestern part of the forest, called ‘Kapittel’ and ‘Kluisberg’, trees have been felled this year (wood extraction). Trunks and crowns are lying in various places in that part of the forest and there are piles of firewood along the trails. From 1 March to 30 June however, the wood extraction stops (“schoon” time) and the loggers are not allowed to continue their work. “Schoon” time comes from the German “Schonen” meaning ‘save’, ‘protect’. The “schoon” period helps to protect the vegetation (spring flowers), to ‘save’ and not to disturb the nesting birds.
Permission for commercial or professional photo shoots, with or without models, or film recordings must be requested via the box office. In the Hallerbos you must always stay on the paths, also when taking pictures and filming. The soil and vegetation are fragile and very sensitive to trampling.
The use of drones is not allowed in the forest.
The bluebell’s leaves colour the forest floor green, but there aren’t any flower buds or flowers yet. Day after day, more flowering wild daffodils can be seen. In the edges of the wood, blackthorn and willow trees are blooming. The willow trees’ male yellow catkins stand out. The ground flora is getting colourful with yellow flowers of coltsfoot, that appear on leafless stems, as the leaves will only appear later; a few white flowers of wood anemones and a few blue flowers of dwarf periwinkle hidden between their dark green leaves. In the morning, you might even encounter a roe deer when there aren’t many visitors and dogs. Spring has started for real, it’s wonderful to walk in the wood on a sunny day.
The first wild daffodils are blooming. The leaves of wood anemones appear and on warm, sheltered places, even their first white flower buds can be seen. Blackthorn is flowering along sunny edges of the wood, its snow-white flowers appear before its leaves. The beautiful, small female flowers of hazel with their carmine stigma can be seen; its yellow, mate catkins are more conspicuous. The willows’ white catkins appear. Cornelian cherry is flowering abundantly. In the wood, under the beech trees, young leaves of bluebells pierce through last year’s brown beech leaves. In the conifers, squirrels chase one another. There is the sound of great tits, nuthatches, bramblings, finches, song thrushes, woodpeckers and buzzards. When dusk falls, the spooky ‘oohoo’ of the male tawny owl sounds through the wood. Spring is arriving, and the wood is there to be enjoyed.