Bluebells Everywhere

It’s spring in England, and at the end of April / beginning of May the Bluebells bloom. In the woods, it seems that there are Bluebells in every bit of woodland near where I live, and, judging by the photos i am seeing, all over the country.

[singlepic id=390 w=300 h=450 float=left]Over half the common bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) in the world occur in the UK, and are a protected species – so no cutting or digging up of bulbs allowed! In fact the biggest threats to the bluebell population is just that – people helping themselves along with the hybridisation of the bluebell species by cross breeding with the Spanish bluebell.

Bluebells occur in woodland areas, and are often an indication of ancient woodland. There is evidence that Stoke Wood, where these photos were taken, was inhabited in ancient times.

Photo Notes

Take a walk in the woods and there really are bluebells everywhere. The trick is to frame the expanses of flowers with the trees to get some idea of the scale. These pictures were all taken handheld with the Sigma 17-50 at various focal lengths. Exposure was carefully chosen for the highlights. Aperture was kept at f/2.8 for most of them, but keeping a standard kit zoom at f/5.6 should deliver good results.

Picking the focal point makes a difference. Careful choice of focus will keep everything sharp, but an out of focus background, both in the wide shots and in the close ups can give a pleasing out of focus blue background.

Have a look at the full gallery in the Bluebells page.Bluebells in the wood