English Bluebells have the sweetest scent
We’re feeling a little flushed with success at the number of flowering bluebells, they are more abundant than ever, at least around the Tranquil Otter.
We think we know why. Nick has been managing our woodlands around the Lough with a view to improving the diversity of wildlife and has been greatly helped by The Forestry Commission and Natural England. With their help we’ve been thinning the wood in places, coppicing some trees, felling others and creating a few small clearings. Letting light in at selected area is the reason why.
The native variety of bluebell flower is always blue, the flower tends to be on one side of the plant stem and the top mostly droops in the direction of the flowers. The varieties that come in a number of colours including blue, pink and white are often from mainland Europe and tend to have flowers all around the stem. Native Bluebells have a distinctive, sweetish scent, other varieties have barely any scent at all.
May is the time of the year for bluebells. The best place to see bluebells in Cumbria is Rannerdale, Buttermere. see details on the Lake District org’s website
A quick note, in case, like me, you don’t know what coppicing means, it involves cutting a tree low and causing it to sprout long shoots. In former times theses long shoots were used for fencing and charcoal.
