To make up for the lack of flower photos in my last post, this post will have thousands!! All of them will be the English bluebell, Hyacinthoides non scripta.
We went to the nearest woodland to see all their marvellous bluebells, they are at Blackbury Camp, an Iron age settlement near Beer in Devon. It is thought that the settlement was here from 800 BC to the first century AD.
The ramparts are built of clay and flint, quarried from the outer ditch.
It is not known if the outer enclosure was intended to be defensive or whether it was used as a holding area for cattle.
The site was excavated in the 1950s, when the remains of a hut, cooking pit and oven, pottery and over 1,000 slingstones were found.
The iron age pottery that was found was made from the local greensand clay.
At one time you would have been able to see for miles around, as it is high up overlooking numerous valleys, now it is an oak and beech woodland, where the bluebells have made themselves at home.
Just as beautiful as the bluebells are all the trees, the oaks only just starting to come into leaf and the beech with their leaves such a beautiful, fresh, pale green which contrasts so well with the flowers below.
As well as gazing up at the huge ancient trees and admiring the thousands of bluebells, did I mention the delicious perfume that was surrounding us, we were entertained by hundreds of birds singing their hearts out, I wish you could have heard them.
We spent a super time here, really enjoying it all. The history, the wildlife, the flowers, the trees, they all have their own story to tell – we will be back, should all look very colourful in the autumn! Do you have a wood near you that you just have to visit each year because it is so beautiful?
I miss bluebells! thankyou for sharing your visit to see them. Christina
This is one of the reasons Christina, that I love this country in the springtime. A bit late arriving this year, but worth the wait!
There is nothing quite like a wood full of bluebells, Pauline. And I photograph them every year!
I agree Janet, they are such beautiful places to be. Even though taking photos every year, there is always something new to see.
Hi Pauline! This place is beautiful! A tapestry of scented bluebells and my favorite trees (oaks and beeches) in such old and large and healthy specimens!
I can feel something magical about light too, especially in the 3rd pic, where some rays of light penetrate the still thin woodland. I bet you’ve been amazed!
There’s a place close to my house where they are restoring the ancient ‘Bosco’ (woodland) replacing native trees and bushes and encouraging wildlife, like it was before the Romans cut all our woodlands to make ships (probably to conquer you?) and they they planted pinus domestica everywhere just for pine nuts… This place needs to get old anyway, but I like the feeling of a growing woodland too.
It certainly is a magical place Alberto, I loved the time we spent there. Had to laugh when I read about your woods being cut down to make ships to conquer us, just as we did in the 16th Century to fight the Spanish!! Thank goodness we all now have more sense and are planting more woodlands for future generations to enjoy as well as to benefit the planet.
Pauline, I’m lucky enough to live near the Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean so I’m spoilt for beautiful woods on my doorstep. It must have been one of the longest bluebell seasons this year as a result of the strange spring weather. I spotted the first ones back in mid March and they are still flowering around us now.
You are in a lovely area too WW, with beautiful scenery all around you. I would agree that it has been a long bluebell season this year due to the strange weather that we have had, such a long time to appreciate them all.
They are a very special flowers – lovely to see them carpeting the ground at this time of year.
It was lovely seeing them EG, I think springtime in this country is very special when you find so many flowers like these. They are usually found with beech trees and the colours of their new leaves contrasts so well with the bluebells.
What a beautiful place. And your photos capture it so well. I really want to visit England again!
Lyn, do make it in the spring, such a lovely fresh time of year with all the new leaves on the trees as well as the bluebells! It was a lovely place to visit, we had seen the sign on the main road hundreds of times, but this was our first visit, we will be back!
Oh, my! I have never seen a field of bluebells. It looks like magic. I wonder if the bluebells were there in ancient times, when people lived nearby. I can imagine how wonderful your visit was, with sounds of birds and the sweet aroma of the land.
Bluebells Deb, like to grow in ancient woodland in this country, but whether they were in existance in the year 800 BC is questionable! I think masses of bluebells like this only occur in Europe so we like to make the most of them each year.
hello Pauline, enjoyed catching up with you, lots of lovely flowers in and out of your garden and a nice trip to Dartmouth, blue is my favourite colour so these posts have been especially lovely to me, I don’t have much blue in my garden really need to change that, Frances
Blue is also my favourite colour Frances, but unlike you I can’t stop planting it! Keep telling myself to plant more yellow and white!!
hi Pauline, so that’s what bluebells are really meant to be – a carpet, not little bits here and there. And the ancient wood, not only beautiful but somehow mysterious and romantic as well, appealing to my inner pagan. cheers, cm
Makes the few we have in gardens look a bit pathetic, doesn’t it Catmint!! When I first saw them, just stood there and said Wow, what else could you say? The trees were so beautiful and the leaf colour, so perfect.