HFF 10 May 2024

Happy Fence Friday, All

Bluebells in Dockey Wood, Ashridge.

Low fencing has been put up in Dockey Wood to create footpaths to discourage folks from walking amongst and damaging the bluebells.

Extract from the National Trust website -
"The presence of bluebells is a sign that a woodland is ancient and has been present in the landscape for at least 400 years. Bluebells, and other woodland flowers, don't spread to new areas easily or quickly, so it is vital to protect them.
Woodland flowers like bluebells come out in spring. This means that they can make the most of the available light before the leaves appear on the trees and start to cast too much shade. Bluebells are also an important source of pollen and nectar for butterflies, bees, and hoverflies at the start of the season.
Our feet can do more damage than we think. The clay soils and wet winters at Ashridge have resulted in very wet paths during the winter months. Whilst these paths are wet and muddy, visitors, understandably don’t want to wade through deep mud so walk along the drier edge or create alternative routes. This widens existing paths or creates new paths which can quickly widen with use. During the winter it is easy to miss the damage that this causes to woodland flowers beneath the surface. Increased footfall on these new paths or widening edges causes compaction of the ground and damage to bluebell bulbs under the surface.
As tempting as it may be, bluebells are a protected species, and it is against the law to pick them as well as uproot or intentionally destroy them."

And for ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music

♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ Listen here ~ Young At Heart - The Bluebells