Flowering season 2023
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.
A really lovely sunny spring day, finally. But as to the Bluebells, they have passed their peak of flowering. The Bluebells that have been blooming for a month are starting to wilt, the ones that have been pollinated now have visible swollen ovaries. What is beautiful now is the fresh green, transparent ‘stained glass window’ of young leaves on the trees. But these also prevent the sunlight to fully reach the forest floor. The higher temperatures have caused bumblebees and hoverflies to appear; but it is nog certain if they can still assure much pollination for the Bluebells. Bear’s garlic is now blooming beautifully.
The Vlasmarktdreef will remain closed for cars until Sunday 07/05/2023, opening again on Monday 08/05/2023.
Every day there are more leaves on the trees. Within a few days, sunlight will no longer be able to penetrate the canopy up to the forest floor. Hopefully the sun will be out in the coming days so that the colourful fairytale time in the forest will continue for a while.
The Vlasmarktdreef will remain closed to cars until Sunday 7 May, opening again on Monday 08/05/2023. Car parks 2, 3 and 8 will not be accessible by car then. Tomorrow and on Monday, the free shuttle bus will run between Halle station and the forest (to car park 2 at the forest museum) from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Cold, but wonderful weather for a walk. Ideal for enjoying a forest in spring colours. The persistent low temperatures slow everything down a bit. The Wood anemones are wilting, but slowly, and in some places they still form a flower carpet of white solar panels that do not lose sight of the sun. The tall beeches are getting their leaves, but slowly. A few high beeches already have young leaves. But it is mainly the low, thinner beeches that provide a fresh green stained glass window above the purple-blue carpet of Bluebells. The low temperatures keep the pollinators away, bumblebees, bees and hover flies. The sweet hyacinth scent is not in the air yet. But the flowers do create a fairytale atmosphere. Especially where the sunlight reaches the flower-filled forest floor, it creates all possible shades of blue and purple with the shadows of the trees. Meanwhile, Greater stitchwort, Herb Paris, Garlic mustard and Yellow archangel are also blooming. If it doesn’t get warmer and the high beeches don’t get their leaves out of the buds in the coming days, you will certainly be able to enjoy the fairytale forest until the middle of next week.
Update 28/04/2023: the Vlasmarktdreef will remain closed for cars until Sunday 07/05/2023, opening again on Monday 08/05/2023.
The weather forecasts from last Saturday have now turned completely the other way. No higher temperatures but lasting cold northeasterly wind. Fortunately with a lovely sun, great walking weather to go into the woods. The advantage is that the Bluebells can fully enjoy the sunlight and continue to bloom. Even the flanks of the valleys turn more purple-blue every day. But due to the cold weather, there are also few pollinators, bumblebees and hoverflies, flying around. That’s not so good, because Bluebells reproduce mainly by seed. The flower buds of Bear’s garlic and Herb Paris are gradually opening. Here and there a tall beech is already in leaf, but most wait for slightly warmer days to open their leaf buds. The silver hairs of the leaf margins that are emerging, stand out in the sunlight.
A wonderful day to enjoy the spring atmosphere in the forest. The sunlight easily reaches the forest floor while the trees are still bare. Wood anemones and Bluebells colour the forest white and purple-blue. At the edge of that sea of flowers, Common dog violet and Moschatel are also blooming. Only the four leaves and the flower buds of Herb Paris are visible for the time being. The Bluebells on the flanks of the valleys will probably not bloom until next week. The higher temperatures next Monday will also affect the trees: the buds will start sprouting, first on the low, dominated trees and then on the tall trees. Little by little, a green transparent screen of young leaves will fill the canopy. The play of light and shadow over the purple-blue sea of flowers will then completely transform the forest into a fairytale forest.
The April whims don’t make it easy for the Wood anemones with alternating rain and sun. They take full advantage of the sunny moments to point their white petals towards the sun and let them warm up to attract pollinators. Where Wood anemones and Bluebells grow together, they provide a white-purple sea of flowers in the forest. On the flanks of the valleys where only Bluebells grow, flowering lags somewhat behind. For the time being, only their narrow green leaves reveal that a blue-purple sea of flowers will probably also give the forest a fairytale atmosphere in the course of next week. The first fresh green Beech leaves appear in the forest between the bare trunks. Many Bluebells have yet to bloom. The higher temperatures next week will certainly help and the forest will colour a deeper blue-purple every day.