Nature Features

The UK's bluebell woodlands represent 20 per cent of bluebells worldwide and are among our most striking wildflower scenes.

Across Birmingham and the Black Country there are many nature reserves where you can enjoy this natural spectacle, including:

• Cuckoo's Nook and the Dingle (Walsall)
• Northycote Farm (Wolverhampton)
• Hill Hook (Sutton Coldfield)
• Sot's Hole (Sandwell)
• Pitts Wood (Birmingham)
• Saltwells Wood (Dudley)

However, The Wildlife Trust has voiced its concern for the future of this beautiful display and urged people to help save one of their favourite species.

British bluebells may face an uncertain future due to the long term effects of climate change, but the immediate threat is from habitat loss and the demand for bluebells for gardens, which has led to the digging up of wild bluebell bulbs.

Orange Tip Butterfly on a bluebell

Don't pick them - just look!

It is illegal, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, to dig up the bulbs of wild bluebells and dealers face heavy fines for selling them.

Simon Atkinson, Ecologist at The Wildlife Trust, is an expert on the ancient woodland of Birmingham and the Black Country, so he has a special interest in bluebell woodlands: "We can all help to save our native bluebells.

"If you are buying them for your garden please check that the bulbs have been cultivated for sale and if in any doubt ask the garden centre manager.

"Do go and visit local bluebell woods such as at Moseley Bog, for an inspirational sight this spring but remember to take care - stick to the footpaths to avoid trampling the plants."

Spanish bluebell

A Spanish invader

To compound the bluebell's problematic popularity, it is also under threat from the cultivated version of the Spanish bluebell, with which it has bred to form a hybrid species. The hybrid bluebell is becoming increasingly common, leading to fears that the true British bluebell could be wiped out.

Simon believes the horticultural trade has a duty to ensure that bluebell bulbs are accurately labelled, and gardeners should not plant Spanish or hybrid bluebells in the countryside or near native populations.

If while you're enjoying your woodland walk you find Spanish bluebells growing (in the wild), please let EcoRecord know, care of the Wildlife Trust.