Today is the day ~ First bluebell sighting of the year!
I need to qualify this statement.
It was my first sighting of the beautiful, delicate, deep and true royal blue English bluebell but I’ve been digging up heaps of it’s brutish cousin, the Spanish bluebell, for weeks now.
There is no comparison.
This is the gorgeous, dainty English Bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta…..
I have no photograph of the Spanish one, Hyacinthoides hispanica, because it’s not nearly so pretty and I get rather cross when I see one. These Spanish blighters are clunky, paler blue and lack the lovely, pendulous habit of the English blooms.
Worse still, they hybridise with our dinky, sweet-smelling, native bluebell and threaten their very existence.
A plea from me: do not buy, plant, or encourage the Spanish bluebell and if you see it about, dig it out!
The English Bluebell is one of my favourite plants (can you tell?!). Please help me protect it.
Today was also the day that I decided to take the girls to my childhood den. I was pretty sure they were old enough to appreciate the sideways growing tree over the top of the stagnant pond. I was right. Next time we are bringing scotch eggs (current outside snack of choice).
Simple pleasures