Flowering season 2024
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 wood anemones lay a beautiful white carpet of flowers in large parts of the forest. But then the sun must also be present, otherwise the flowers will remain closed to keep the pollen dry and when it rains, the pollinators (bumblebees, bees and hoverflies) will not fly through the forest. In the meantime, several spring flowering plants are blooming: cuckoo flower, common dog violet, lords-and-ladies, dog’s mercury and wood sorrel. Leaves emerge on shrubs and low trees: elder, hazel, blackthorn, hornbeam, maple and lime. In the parts of the forest with oaks where many other species also grow, this makes the view more difficult. In the areas with beech trees and on the flanks of the valleys where only bluebells grow, their narrow, still growing leaves are particularly striking and turn the forest floor completely green. There is no blue flower carpet yet. But on the plateaus, which are warmed by the sun all day long, you can already find blooming bluebells. The flower stems have yet to stretch and are still somewhat hidden between the leaves. Every week it is a different experience in the forest. Enjoy the blossoming spring.
The beautiful period with the wild daffodils ended a week earlier than in previous years. And that is mainly due to the many intense rain showers in recent weeks. Here and there you can still see a late bloomer. On sunny days, the wood anemones are now the most striking spring bloomers. Their white flowers face the sun to absorb as much heat as possible and thus attract pollinators. Their flowers are so close together that it looks like there is snow in the forest. In addition to the goat willow and blackthorn, the sweet cherry now also blooms in the forest edge. The white, closely spaced blossoms catch the eye from afar. A wild bluebell blooms here and there. But where a blue carpet of flowers is expected, it is mainly the green of the bluebell leaves that color the forest floor for now. Yesterday the installation of the rope started to keep visitors on the paths and thus protect the tread-sensitive vegetation and not disturb the fauna. Also where there is no rope, everyone must always stay on the paths. The entire forest is a protected nature reserve. The forest now looks different every week and it is wonderful to enjoy the budding spring.
The wild daffodils were not able to enjoy the warmer weather for long. Many flowers have been damaged by recent intense rain showers. The wood anemones are now the most striking spring bloomers in the forest. On a sunny day, their flowers fill the forest floor with countless snow-white stars. They continue to follow the sun to absorb as much heat as possible, which they use to attract pollinators to their stamens and pistil. Barren strawberry blooms in the light-rich forest edges. Goat willow continue to attract bumblebee queens and butterflies with their catkins. The white blossoms of the blackthorn are also popular. Small periwinkle blooms in the somewhat shady forest edges. Their relatively large blue flowers stand out among the dark green leaves. Lesser celandine provides yellow stars along the forest paths. And the leaves of the bluebells continue to emerge between and through the dry old beech leaves. And if you’re lucky, you can meet a roe deer.
Not all wild daffodils are in bloom yet. Fortunately, because those that have been blooming for about two weeks show the traces of the many rain showers. Where the sun can provide warmth on the forest floor all day long, the first small groups of flowering wood anemones appear. Along the edges of the paths, between their deep green heart-shaped leaves, the yellow ‘star-shaped’ flowers of lesser celandine emerge. Barren strawberry blooms in the forest edges. The blue flowers of small periwinkle are traditionally also among the first blooming spring flowers. The hazel trees have now finished blooming. The yellow flowers of the cornelean cherry , the flowering catkins of the willow and the snow-white flowers of the blackthorn now stand out in the forest edge. The flowers of the wood willow and blackthorn in particular are frequently visited on sunny days by bees, bumblebee queens and butterflies (red admiral, european peacock butterfly and common brimstone) that have hibernated as an imago (adult butterfly) and are looking for food (pollen and nectar). The leaves of the bluebells continue to poke through the dry beech leaves and ensure that the forest floor turns green little by little.
The first wild daffodils are in bloom. Cornelean cherry and blackthorn with its snow-white flowers bloom in the forest edge. Large arrow-shaped leaves of the Lords-and-Ladies stand out. Small wood anemones are showing up, with a small flower bud. The leaves of the bluebells poke through the dry beech leaves.
The forest continues to grow. Trees are planted at a second large planting site at the edge of the forest. Two large construction cranes have been rising above the horizon of the forest for several months. The Vlasmarktdreef bridge over the RO was demolished there last year and will be replaced by an ecoduct. The work is going smoothly but will only be completed well after the flowering time of the bluebells. The first white flowers on the blackthorn appear in the forest edges. And the heart-shaped leaves of lesser celandine can already be seen at the edges of the paths.