The bluebells are flowering in the garden now. 
They are very pretty and colourful. However, they are sadly not our true native English bluebells. These are a mixture of Spanish and hybrid bluebells. The original English bluebell has flowers on one side of the stem, causing a distinctive droop. The tubular flowers are of a deep blue and curl back at the ends. The pollen is cream coloured and they are scented. I photographed this English bluebell growing in some ancient woodland.
English Bluebell
The Spanish bluebells are of a paler blue. The flowers are shorter and split open at the ends, they adorn both sides of the stem and so the flower is upright. The pollen is blue.
Spanish Bluebell
The hybrid has characteristics of both. As the hybrids are fertile the English bluebell is being gradually wiped out.
I love bluebells (and what of the white and pink ones I’ve seen in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne? Are they hybrids perhaps?).
I’ll never forget walking in the Sussex woods in Spring with just a sea of blue in the 1970s.
Yes I think so, we have white hybrids in the garden also, but they seem to come up later. Bluebell woods are something special 🙂
Lovely photos. 🙂
I remember the proper English bluebells from my youth. How sad to think they will eventually be displaced.
Hopefully with some effort it can be reversed.
I hope it doesn’t die out! 🙂
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Beautiful photos. I’ll have to look at my bluebells again when they bloom to see which one is which.
I don’t suppose the bees mind which is which.