Hanging out among the bluebells
Notes copied fromhttps://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants-and-fungi/woodland-wildflowers/bluebell/?utm_source=%2Fbluebells&utm_medium=furl
Bees, hoverflies, butterflies and other insects feed on the nectar of bluebell. Their flowers provide an important early source of nectar.
Bees can 'steal' the nectar from bluebells flowers by biting a hole in the bottom of the bell, reaching the nectar without pollinating the flowerUses and folklore
Ornamental: bluebells are widely planted as garden plants for their spring flowering.
Indicator plant: bluebell is an ancient woodland indicator species in the UK.
Material: gummy bluebell sap was used to bind pages into the spines of books. Bronze Age people used bluebell to set feathers upon arrows, known as fletching. Bluebell bulbs were crushed to provide starch for the ruffs of Elizabethan collars and sleeves.
Medicinal: though little used in modern medicine, the bulb has diuretic and styptic properties.
Folklore: according to folklore, one who hears a bluebell ring will soon die! Legend also says that a field of bluebells is intricately woven with fairy enchantments.
Toxicity: All plant parts contain glycosides and are poisonous. The sap can cause contact dermatitis.
Threats
Although still common in Britain, bluebell is threatened locally by:
habitat destruction
collection from the wild
increasing hybridisation with non-native Spanish bluebells.
Spanish bluebells that have escaped from gardens or that are dumped in garden waste are cross-breeding with our true native populations. This is a particular concern and it's believed that around one in six bluebells found in broadleaved woodland is Spanish rather than native bluebell.
Since 1998 it has been illegal for anyone to collect native bluebells from the wild for sale. This legislation was designed specifically to protect bluebell from unscrupulous bulb collectors who supply garden centres.
Hanging out among the bluebells
Notes copied fromhttps://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants-and-fungi/woodland-wildflowers/bluebell/?utm_source=%2Fbluebells&utm_medium=furl
Bees, hoverflies, butterflies and other insects feed on the nectar of bluebell. Their flowers provide an important early source of nectar.
Bees can 'steal' the nectar from bluebells flowers by biting a hole in the bottom of the bell, reaching the nectar without pollinating the flowerUses and folklore
Ornamental: bluebells are widely planted as garden plants for their spring flowering.
Indicator plant: bluebell is an ancient woodland indicator species in the UK.
Material: gummy bluebell sap was used to bind pages into the spines of books. Bronze Age people used bluebell to set feathers upon arrows, known as fletching. Bluebell bulbs were crushed to provide starch for the ruffs of Elizabethan collars and sleeves.
Medicinal: though little used in modern medicine, the bulb has diuretic and styptic properties.
Folklore: according to folklore, one who hears a bluebell ring will soon die! Legend also says that a field of bluebells is intricately woven with fairy enchantments.
Toxicity: All plant parts contain glycosides and are poisonous. The sap can cause contact dermatitis.
Threats
Although still common in Britain, bluebell is threatened locally by:
habitat destruction
collection from the wild
increasing hybridisation with non-native Spanish bluebells.
Spanish bluebells that have escaped from gardens or that are dumped in garden waste are cross-breeding with our true native populations. This is a particular concern and it's believed that around one in six bluebells found in broadleaved woodland is Spanish rather than native bluebell.
Since 1998 it has been illegal for anyone to collect native bluebells from the wild for sale. This legislation was designed specifically to protect bluebell from unscrupulous bulb collectors who supply garden centres.