There are always flowers to be found in woodlands. However, the most most spectacular time is from mid-April through to May. The days are longer, the waether is warmer and the insects are more abundant. The flowers have their best chance of seeing the essentail sunlight at this time of year before the tree canopy becomes too thick.

Here is the forest floor with masses of Bluebells and Wood Anemones filling every available space.

These Wood Anemones are the early starters and can be seen from March. By early May the flwoers start to die back and the Bluebells become the dominant flower.

The easiest flower to spot is the Bluebell with its uniques shape and color.

Essential to all pollenating flowers are the insects. It’s always entertaining to watch the bees trying to squeeze their large bodies into the flower head.

Here are some attractive white flowers. Starting with a nettle and followed by Wild Garic. When I see these I also think of the edible forest. Freshly picked young Nettles will make an excellent sauce or soup. Like shop bought garlic, Wild Garlic offers endless posiiblites for enhancing your cooking.

This low growing yellow flower is the Lesser Celandine is another of the first spring woodland flowers and is a member of the buttercup family.

Celandines are mentioned in ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ when Aslan returns and the wood turns from winter to spring: “Edmund saw the ground covered in all directions with little yellow flowers – celandines”.

To finish we have some of the most vibrant flowers. There is the blue Wood Forget-me-not. The pink flower is in fact called a Red Campion. Like the other flowers in this blog they provide vital food for Bees, Butterflies and Moths.