The early May bank holiday promises to be reasonably dry. Which makes a change from the last couple of weeks which has seen almost non-stop rain falling from the heavens. With this break in the weather it may be a good time to get out for a walk and see the bluebells which are coming into the height of their season.
How they have survived the persistent rain I’ll find out tomorrow as I head for a woodlands walk but hopefully they should still be putting on a nice display.
Bluebells can be found in a lot of ancient woodlands that are dotted around the Brecon Beacons. They flower in the early spring – from Mid April through to June. There really is nothing quite like walking through an ancient woodland that is carpeted by these delicate and wonderfully scented wild flowers. a morning walk will also bring with it the call of the dawn chorus as the woodland birds go about their business.
Bluebells are an important part of the British countryside and are internationally important. It’s estimated that anything between 25% and 50% of the worlds population of bluebells can be found in the UK. While their preferred habitat is in ancient woodlands (they are an indicator species for this habitat) they can also be found in other wildlife flower habitats such as meadows and hedgerows. They are fully protected under UK laws so don’t go picking any or digging up any bulbs.
Bluebells do not just look great but they are also important for some of our wildlife especially the bumblebee as the flowers contain lots of pollen and nectar. With bumblebees having such a hard time at the moment planting a few bluebells (make sure they are british common bluebells) in your garden can really help this wonderful and much loved insect.
There’s lots of ancient and semi-ancient woodlands dotted around the Brecon Beacons National Park that you can walk through to see the bluebells. I’ve listed some of them below. The early Spring bank holiday is a great time to spend a day out n the countryside if the weather reamains nice and dry.
Bluebell woods in the Brecon Beacons:
- Upper Tarell valley woodlands,
- Pwll y Wrach near Talgarth,
- Llandefaelog Wood near Brecon,
- Allt Rhongyr near Craig y Nos,
- Coed Dyfodol Sarnau near Brecoon.
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