The edges of the valleys have now turned purple-blue. But some bluebells still have some flower buds. They will not get a long time to spread their pollen and to be pollinated. On the plateaus where the bluebells started flowering first, they start withering. The sun reaches the flowers less and less. The canopy of the beeches is filled with young, transparent leaves. The wood is now in pastel colours.
Bluebells carpet the woodland floor, the sun and the shadow puts them in a different light all day long. Young, almost transparent, fresh green beech leaves ensure a soft, diffuse light in the wood. The deep purple-blue sea of flowers gives the wood a fairy-tale-like allure. Even the edges of the valleys are getting their purple-blue colour. In the moist, calcareous parts there is the garlic-like smell of Ramsons, which starts flowering. This year’s late cold spell brought about a late growth of spring-flowers, which, due to last week’s extremely hot temperatures, has seldom progressed this quickly. The beeches as well are getting leaves extraordinarily quickly. They were brown last week, now their green canopy fills the sky above the bluebells.
The forest is gorgeous now, with the pleasant aroma of bluebells. The light green transparent young beech leaves above the deep purple blue sea of bluebells have a restful effect. So far, the sun can still reach the flowers. The light alternating with the shadow on the bluebells, creates all shades of blue and purple. The summery temperatures are ideal for walking and enjoying. The downside of these extraordinary high temperatures is that the beeches are getting more and more leaves and that the canopy is getting denser. These unique spring colours will stay for the next 5 to 6 days for sure, but this most wonderful time will not last long this year. Saturday 21 April there is the yearly ‘bluebell jogging’. Weekdays are more quiet in the wood than weekends. This weekend there is the free shuttle bus. More information. Do you want the wood to stay beautiful? Then protect it and take pictures while always staying on the paths.
The purple-blue fairytale-time has begun. The most beautiful of spring is to be experienced now. But it goes quickly. The parts of the forest with oaks, are already filled with fresh green leaves. The summery temperatures have caused the high beeches to come into leaf. Hopefully this will not happen too quickly, so that the bluebells in the valleys also have the chance to flower. The purple-blue flower carpet gets more dense day by day. Enjoying this wonderful spring, seeing the light on the flowers and smelling their fragrance will be a great experience the next ten days, it might last until 1 May. Week days are more quiet. And do stay on the paths, please! Let us keep it nice.
The wood anemones keep flowering beautifully. In the parts of the wood where wood anemones and bluebells grow together, the purple-blue patches are getting bigger. The edges of the valleys stay green for the time being; but wherever the sun can reach the bluebells all day long, the purple-blue bluebells are growing out from the green carpet of leaves. The wood is slowly getting that magical atmosphere. Unfortunately, the first traces of destruction are seen from visitors that step on the bluebells to take pictures, what a shame! Some high beeches are already coming into leaf, due to the sudden summer temperatures. More hot days are forecasted and so, everything may happen very quickly. Hopefully all bluebells get a chance to flower before the beech leaves take away most of the sunlight. The next ten days, the wood is going to get more beautiful by the day, getting a purple-blue flower carpet. Along the path, lesser celandine keeps flowering. In the shadow of the pine trees, wood-sorrel is flowering. Lords-and-ladies is ready to flower.
The forest is more beautiful by the day. The wood anemones are flowering magnificently and at times they fill the air with their fragrance. There are a few flowering bluebells, but the next days most bluebells will still be in their buds, still waiting to start flowering. The first graceful fern curls are unrolling. You can follow a signposted bluebell walk with two options: a 5,1 km walk from Achtdreven (purple sign posts), or a 4,8 km walk from Hogebermweg (purple sign posts with a white line). These two walks are two loops that get together along Tranendal and as such can be combined. The route from parking 11 at Houtveld, towards Achtdreven, is also signposted (1,6 km). The walking map is handed out for free the coming weekends by Bluebell-volunteers, it can also be downloaded here.
It is a rare sight to see the wood anemones flower as beautifully as they do now. The wood, on a sunny spring day, is magnificent. Every day there are more flowering wild bluebells. In the warmer areas of the wood, a hint of purple-blue appears above the deep green bluebells’ leaves. We will not yet see the bluebells at their flowering peak this weekend, but every sunny day is a wonderful spring event. From this weekend onwards, the special traffic arrangement starts, with the free shuttle bus. The Vlasmarktdreef is closed, except for the shuttle bus, for buses and drivers who have an identity document for the disabled. More information. If you prefer to enjoy spring in the wood in a quiet way, come on weekdays. The late afternoon is also a nice time to walk in the wood.
The wood anemones are in full bloom now. Their white petals, yearning for the sunlight, give a wonderful spring atmosphere. Hidden between the wood anemones, dwarf periwinkle has been flowering for some weeks. The fragile, rare belgian gagea is a magnificent spring flower, which forms an exceptional amount of flowers this year. The first wild bluebells attract some curious insects. It will take some time before the bluebells turn the wood into a purple blue sea of flowers. The nuthatch keeps renovating its nest. Yesterday, the first chiffchaff’s call was heard in the wood.
A first wonderful, warm spring day. Wild daffodils keep flowering. The yellow stars of lesser celandine enjoy the pleasure of the sun. The less conspicuous moschatel with is die-like shape is ready to bloom. Wood anemone is the most conspicuous spring flower of the moment, on sunny day they form a white sea of flowers in the wood. Here and there the first bluebell flowers appear. But it will take some more days before we get to see more of them. A nuthatch is renovating a former woodpeckers’ nest. The birds that are heard or seen most now are: great tit, blue tit, chaffinch, green woodpecker (its laughing song), song thrush (especially in the morning), great spotted woodpecker, robin and of course nuthatch.
The daffodils that started flowering first, start to wither now; but many other ‘Easter flowers’ are still flowering. The leaves of the low sycamore maple begin to unfurl. Just like the common brimstone, the peacock butterfly comes and indulges in the willow catkins. Wood anemones cover great parts of the forest with their white flower carpet. They will be the most conspicuous spring flowers for the next ten days when the sun is shining. Along the paths, the yellow stars of lesser celandine absorb the sun. The bluebells need some warmer days to start flowering. The forest will not turn purple-blue until the second half of the Easter holidays.