Bluebells

A series of photos from my yearly Bluebell Pilgrimage to what is locally known as Middleton Wood at Ilkley. In fact Middleton consists of four different woods and not just the one. The other three are

• Stubham Wood
• Hudson Wood
• Coppy Wood (which lies adjacent to Middleton Wood.)

All four are renown for their fantastic displays of bluebells and are a delight to visit at this time of year. I was fortunate enough to get about 30 minutes of sun but once it had gone in, the photos started to get pretty flat so decided to call it a day. I did pop back over the next two evenings but still had no joy so the photos taken in Hudson Wood are lacking that certain bit of Va-va-voom I'm afraid.

I'm still hoping to get up to The Lakes to see the bluebells in Rannerdale but I fear I may have left it a tad too late. As with most things in The Lakes these days, they have become a victim of their popularity. I understand there are specified walkways now as people in past years have veered from the paths thus ruining the display.

Bluebells can take years to recover after footfall damage because, if a bluebell’s leaves are crushed, they die back from lack of food as the leaves cannot photosynthesise.

Something for us all to bear in mind.

Middleton Wood

Middleton Wood

Middleton Wood

Middleton Wood

Middleton Wood

Middleton Wood

Middleton Wood

Middleton Wood

Middleton Wood

Middleton Wood

Coppy Wood

Coppy Wood

Coppy Wood

Coppy Wood

Coppy Wood

Coppy Wood

Coppy Wood

Coppy Wood

Middleton Wood

Middleton Wood

Middleton Wood

Middleton Wood

StubhamWood

Hudson Wood

Hudson Wood

Hudson Wood

Hudson Wood

Hudson Wood

Hudson Wood

Hudson Wood

Hudson Wood