Churchyard Nature Note with Andrew Tompsett
June 2011
Bluebell time again
What a treat it was to see bluebells massing in the hedgerows, carpeting the woodlands and scenting the air again this year.
They appeared to be particularly numerous and bright, possibly because like many bulbous plants they actually benefit from a
cold winter.
Tehidy woods, Maningham and the churchyard, where brambles have been reduced, have all looked lovely and with proper management promise to do so every year.
If you look more closely you may see occasional variants of the wild English bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) which are pink, pale or white and people do wonder whether these constitute a threat to our native bluebell. This worry may have been stimulated
by warnings about another bluebell, the Spanish variety (Hyacinthoides hispanica) which has escaped from gardens and being more vigorous is competing and hybridising with our native stock in many places.
However, the white and pink ‘bluebells’ mentioned above are natural ‘sports’ or ‘mutants’ of the wild bluebell and therefore of no great concern. The fact that the white or pink forms are uncommon may be due to their weaker growth and it is very unlikely that
they will take over. They may be regarded as interesting examples of natural variation.
But there is another spring flower which can deceive us. This is the widespread and increasingly common Three-cornered leek (Alliium triquetrum) which can, at first glance, look rather like a white ‘bluebell’. Closer inspection will however reveal its greenstriped flower, triangular stem and Garlic scent.
In managed areas such as the churchyard and Maningham it is desirable that neither Spanish bluebell or wild garlic takes over
and so the ‘friends’ and other helpers keep the situation under review and remove the alien varieties as required.
It is worth noting that bluebell woods are a uniquely British phenomenon and one of our great wild flower spectacles. The drier continental climate does not support them in such profusion.