The magical bluebell weeks - May on Hothfield Heathlands

The glossy green spears that pierced dense leaf litter in late winter are now transformed into sheets of violet-purple-blue in the woodland edges of the reserve. The magical bluebell weeks began fairly early, a soft scent and a flood of colour that changes with the light and is tricky to catch accurately in photos since the flowers are not one solid colour. Scientists now believe that the coloured petals of most insect-pollinated flowers have conical cells on their surfaces which focus light onto the underlying pigments contained in the cell, silvers, pinks and yellows in the case of bluebells, not the blue humans see. Jonathan Buckley’s superb photo of a single bluebell on the cover of Sarah Raven’s Wild Flowers and of bluebell woods on the next pages reflect the emotional resonance this iconic flower evokes. The British Isles have up to fifty per cent of the world population of this plant, limited anyway to the Atlantic countries of Europe, so on the island of Skomer you get puffins and bluebells, wonderful. But no bluebells on Shetland or Orkney.

Up to 20 flowers hang from one side of the arching stem, producing nectar and cream coloured pollen to attract pollinating butterflies, bees and other insects. Some bees pierce the shoulder of the flower to get at the goodies by the back door. As the tree canopy thickens, the leaves wither, having made food for the ripening seed capsules and for the bulb to overwinter and initiate next year’s flowers. But the leaves are fragile and don’t recover from being crushed by trampling and the bulb may die. The shed seed germinates on the surface of the ground and the stiff stems of bleached opened capsules often stand all winter, catching the low light.

The botanical name I learned as a child, Endymion non-scripta, changed twice late last century and is now Hyacinthoides non-scripta ie like a hyacinth with no markings, the latter epithet used originally to distinguish it from the classical Greek hyacinth. It is in the Asparagaceae family but is not edible. A reminder that digging up the plant or trading wild bulbs and seed is prohibited.

A group of less spectacular but significant plants, the sedges, is also starting to flower now, a source of pollen ahead of the grasses, on the heathland and in the bogs and mires, part of what Alex Lockton considers to be the most distinctive plant community of the reserve. Sedges have triangular flower stems and, like plantains, have no petals. The clusters of male and female flowers are often held separately on the same stem, the prominent often cream coloured stamens attracting the eye. In flower now around the edges of bog no 2 (with the causeway), is star sedge, Carex echinata, 30cm tall, axiophyte of mires and wet heath, recorded here back in 1875 and listed on the current Kent Rare Plant Register. Also on the register and in flower is the carnation sedge, Carex panicea, up to 40cm tall with blue-green leaves ending in triangular tips, found in all the bogs, an axiophyte of acidic flushes and wet grassland which is very rare in Kent.

In early April volunteer David Rayner spotted green tiger beetle, sun beetles and a slow worm, with spring butterflies and early damselflies about. Colleague Neil Burt heard nightingale, willow warbler and firecrest singing in mid-April but no cuckoo so far. Come and discover for yourself.

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