A day full of April showers. The last stage of the beautiful period has started a week ago with the high trees getting into leaves. This means that the canopy above the bluebells will be full of leaves in a few days and this makes it harder and harder for the sun to reach the bluebells. Meanwhile, a lot of other spring bloomers have started blooming: Ramsons, Garlic Mustard, Cuckoo-flower, Pendulous sedge, Early dog-violet, Lords-and-ladies and Wood-sorrel.
A wonderful day in the forest thanks to the sun and the clouds. The sun can still reach the bluebells through the canopy and offers an enchanting sight of different shades of purple. The slopes and the valleys as well, are beautifully in bloom now. The canopy gets denser by the day, as there are more and more leaves. The forecasted cold temperatures for the coming days may slow down the further coming into leaves of the trees. That leaves some more days to enjoy the fairylike spring.
An unexpectedly sunny, brilliant day. The numerous bluebells now form a deep purple blue flower carpet. The sun, the passing clouds and the shadow of the young beech leaves constantly bring changes in the colour of the flowers. The translucent green leaves start forming a canopy above the bluebells, but still a few days remain to enjoy this wonderful spring event.
Regrettably, some careless visitors keep going off the paths, and go between the flowers and sneak in the wood to take pictures. This is extremely harmful, the wood suffers irreversible damage. The flowers are lost forever on those places.
A message to the photographer that left his black camera bag with materials, and a tripod: they were brought in by an honest finder.
Also in the subdued light from a clouded sun, the wood is mesmerising. The high trees get more and more leaves every day. It stays worthwhile to plan a visit to the wood. Unfortunately, the weather forecast is not rosy for the coming days. The slopes are turning purple blue as well. Tomorrow afternoon there is the yearly ‘bluebell jogging’. The start and finish are outside the forest.
The second day of pure enjoyment of the beautiful spring colours from sunrise to sunset. The sunlight filters through the fragile young beech leaves and illuminates them. When the sunlight hits the bluebells directly, they seem light purple; in the shadow of a tree that has some leaves or when a cloud passes before the sun, they are deep purple blue. The bluebells enthral the walkers with their wonderful scent. The wood is at its most beautiful and excites all senses, it is hard to describe, better to come and experience this live. Due to today’s warmth, the trees will have a lot of new leaves tomorrow. Unfortunately the weather forecast is quite grim just when the wood is so magnificent.
These are the most beautiful days in the wood. Wonderful weather to walk and to enjoy the magnificent intense colours. Direct sunlight, or shade on the bluebells changes them from light purple to intense dark blue purplish. The translucent, fragile green beech leaves start to hide the grey beech stems on the plateaus and start to fill the sky above the carpet of flowers. From the late afternoon, the air is full of a wonderful scent of flowers.
Just a few high beeches are coming into leaf yet, and even then, it are small leaves. That seems promising for the next days and the next week. Unfortunately the weather forecast for the weekend is not that bright. Every sunny day is a day to enjoy the purplish blue and translucent green spring colours in the wood, it is simply incredible that only two colours can bring such enchantment. On some places, fern leaves are unfolding between the flowers.
Let us hope that all visitors stay on the paths. This fairytale forest is so much more beautiful without trampled flowers and barren patches from people that sneaked their way into the forest.
A quiet morning and wonderful weather for a walk. Spring is at its peak in the wood that is more purplish blue by the day. Lots of anemones still bloom beautifully. On the slopes lots of bluebells are ready to bloom, on the plateaus where the bluebells can profit from the sun longer, they are thriving. The scent of the flowers in the late, sunny afternoon is an added bonus, but the real appeal are the deep purple-blue flowers and the green delicate young beech leaves that create an enchanting fairy-tale atmosphere. Not all high beech trees get leaves yet. The magical spring colours will certainly remain until after the weekend, and maybe longer, but that depends on the beech trees. It is extremely beautiful now. Do not postpone a visit. A walk in the forest is a wonderful experience on any sunny day.
These days, you can enjoy the fairy-tale colours and lights, from sunrise to sunset. Young transparent beech leaves fit perfectly with the purple blue sea of bluebells. Together they give a peaceful sensation. Even in those parts of the forest with oaks, hyacinths bloom beautifully.
In the forest, there are a lot of official paths along which this wonderful spring event can be enjoyed. But even then, a lot of visitor leave these official paths, to walk on tree leaves or through the flowers, or to sit down in the flowers to take pictures. That is a big pity, because that is exactly what bluebells can not handle. Right now, their leaves are forming a new flower bulb for next year. By trampling them, this tiny flower bulb is destroyed and there will not be a flower, only a bare patch next year. The same goes when stepping on dry beech or oak leaves between the flowers. The small root that comes from the hyacinth’s seed will not be able to penetrate the soil there, and there will be no new flower there in the future. This is how the bare patches along the paths get bigger every year and some consider them paths (but they are not official paths at all). Do you want to enjoy this beautiful forest and protect it? Then always stay on the official paths and never step on places where there are dry tree leaves, do not trample on the bluebells and their leaves. Thank you!
If the forecast is correct, Monday to Thursday will be very nice days in the forest, dry and a bit sunny. Less good news is that a number of high beeches are coming into leaves (= less light for the bluebells), that is a few days earlier than last year. Hopefully the forecasted cold at the end of the week delays this, and the purple-blue spring lasts until next weekend. Definitely on the slopes lots of bluebells need some warmth to thrive.
Saturday afternoon, 23 April is the annual “bluebell jogging”. The start and finish are outside the forest. The runners pass through some of the main avenues in the forest. This doesn’t cause a lot of trouble for walkers. But the fairy tale atmosphere is better experienced during the week, when it is much quieter in the woods. The light comes through the living stained glass window of blue-violet flowers and delicate fresh green beech leaves. If you come in the morning, you get delightful birdsong on top.