July 1th

Bear’s garlic (Ramsons) is turning the valley of the Steenputbeek completely white. Lilies-of-the-valley get a lot of leaves, but not a lot of flowers. Other striking blossoming herbs along the paths are Yellow Pimpernel, Herb-Paris, Bugleweed en Solomon’s seal with its typical inclining leaves. The morning is the real time to enjoy the wood, when birds give their extraordinary concert.

The canopy of beech and oak is getting denser and darker. On the sunny places along the paths, however, a lot of blossoming plants can be seen. There still is the rare beautiful bluebell, but there is also Yellow Archangel, Garlic Mustard, Herb-Robert (Robert Geranium, Mountain Geranium) en Greater Stitchwort (Addersmeat). Spiked Rampion is starting to blossom as well. The hotter spaces with a lot of light attract butterflies. Speckled Wood, Small White, Peacock and the swift Comma flutter from flower to flower, enjoying these sunny spaces, looking for the nectar of the flowers, or a place to rest and to get warm.

The beautiful flowering period for the bluebells is over. They are withering and forming fruits now. Only on a few more open places, they remain nice. There are some other flowering spring flowers at the edge of the forest, such as Yellow Archangel, Wood-sorrel, Common Dog Violet en Solomon’s seal. Bear’s garlic (Ramsons) is blossoming abundantly.

The sun does reach the flowers on some open spaces, but only for a short time of the day. Flower leaves are getting paler. Fruits are being formed. In the areas with a lot of light, Lady Fern and Male Fern can be noticed between the withering bluebells. If you come from far and you’re considering a visit to see the bluebells in particular, it’s better to postpone your visit to next year. It’s such a pity that people get off the main paths to get a good picture. When stepping next to a path, for only one footstep or sometimes even for some metres, bluebells are being trodden on, and these cannot make a new flower bulb that would make a new flower the next year. So next year and the years to come, these will all be barren spaces, no single bluebell there.

The sweet smell of bluebells is gradually making way for the garlic-like smell of Bear’s Garlic, that is, in the valleys where Bear’s Garlic has started blossoming abundantly on the wet, calcareous soil. The colour of the bluebells is fading. The bluebells that blossomed first, have started withering. The sun can hardly get through to the flowers, due to the many leaves from beeches and oaks.

The canopy of oaks and beeches is getting dense. The carpet of bluebells seems to light up in the evening. This is the last phase of what has been a beautiful, magical time of flowering.

Another beautiful day to enjoy the magical game of light and springcolours in the Hallerbos.

If the weather forecast is right, tomorrow will be a better day than Sunday to visit the Hallerbos and to enjoy the violet-blue and fresh green spring colours. The sunlight is still able to reach the bluebells.

You get a last chance to experience the unique spring atmosphere in the purple blue fairy tale forest tomorrow and the coming weekend. The beeches and oaks have leaves now.  Fortunately, these young leaves are still transparent and let some of the sunlight through to the bluebells. Shadow and light cause slight variations in the shades of purple and enhance the spell. In the meantime, many other plants are flourishing. Bear’s Garlic, Garlic Mustard, Yellow Archangel, Lords-and-ladies, Common Dog Violet, Solomon’s seal, Greater Stitchwort and Pendulous sedge.