Spring in the woods means only one thing to lots of people:
bluebells! Vibrant carpets of the delicate cyan flowers are a quintessential
British experience at this time of year.
And it’s not just a spectacle; Britain is home to fifty percent of the
world population of this species of bluebell. As plants recolonized the
northern latitudes after the last Ice Age, bluebells reached Britain just
before the sea level rose and cut us off from the continent, so lots of other
plant species never arrived here. In the
rest of Europe, bluebells are out-competed by some of these species, whereas in
the UK they are free to thrive.
But I’d like to take you beyond the bluebell. Although bluebells
are spectacular, my favourite time of the woodland year is actually a couple of
weeks earlier, when some of the other woodland wildflowers are the real first
sign that spring’s on its way. Like
bluebells, these plants have adapted to life in the woods by flowering before
the trees are in leaf, so they make the most of the sun. They don’t always form such a dramatic carpet
on the woodland floor as bluebells, but often the fact that a number of
different species are clustered together - with their diversity of colour -
makes for a sight to gladden the soul.
Wood anenome
Wood anenomes Anenome
nemosa are one of the most important indicators of ancient woodland. They reproduce through rhizomes (root-like
structures) that only spread about six inches a year – this means they don’t
colonise new sites easily, and the presence of a large population means that a
wood has been undisturbed for a very long time. They can also provide an interesting clue to previous land uses, as they're
sometimes found on open ground – but this is a strong clue that the area has
been wooded previously.
Lesser celandine
Like wood anenomes, lesser celandines Ranunculus ficaria can be found in a variety of habitats, but usually
give us a clue that the area has been wooded at one point. It is sometimes known as ‘the spring
messenger’ as one of the earliest flowers, and William Wordsworth was inspired
to write three poems about the plant – famously, however, the celandine carved
on his gravestone is the wrong species, the greater celandine. It is also sometimes known as pilewort because
there is an old folk belief that the crushed roots could make a lotion for
piles when mixed with wine or urine!
Wood sorrel
Wood sorrel Oxalis acetosella is probably my favourite
woodland wildflower despite its ubiquity.
It particularly thrives in cool, shady woods - of which there's no shortage round here - and
can tolerate shade much darker than other plants. In the Lakes, it often grows
out of the mossy carpet on the woodland floor or even from moss growing on tree
branches, creating lush hanging gardens in the canopy. The leaves are delicious and taste of apple
peel, but don’t eat too many as they also contain Oxalic acid. Wood sorrel is one of the more widespread
flowers globally and is native as far north as Iceland, south down to Greece,
and east as far as Japan!
Wild garlic
Wild garlic Allium
ursinum is another very common flower of damp woodlands and lends the woods
their distinctive garlicky aroma in early spring. The latin name means ‘Bear’s garlic’ and is
so-named because where they still exist in Europe, brown bears love to truffle
up the roots! Both the leaves and flowers are edible and have a more gentle
taste than culinary garlic – wild garlic risotto is a personal favourite.
Primrose
Primrose Primula vulgaris has been under threat in England
over the last few decades because of people digging plants up to put them in
their garden – fortunately attitudes have changed and this sort of thing is
much less common now. Primroses can be
seen anywhere that’s undisturbed, cool and slightly shady, so our Lake District
oakwoods are great places to find the lemon yellow rosettes.
Get out and see 'em!
The South Lakes is home to lots of fantastic native woodland
so it’s the perfect place to get out and see woodland wildflowers in the
spring. The woodlands on Windermere’s
west shore, along the Yewdale bridleway, above Glen Mary car park, or along
Coniston’s east shore are particularly special places with rich flora and
incredible atmosphere – make sure you don’t miss the spectacle, it changes day
by day at this time of year!
