7 May 2008

Suffolk Wildlife Trust is encouraging people to get out and enjoy one of Suffolk’s most recognisable natural springtime spectacles while they can - as carpets of bluebells cover woodland areas during May.

Dazzling displays of this popular native wildflower usually begin in April and continue into May.  Must-see bluebell woods include those at Captains Wood near Sudbourne, Bonny, Bradfield and Combs Woods near Bury St Edmunds and Spouses Vale near Assington.

However Suffolk Wildlife Trust is warning that the beloved bluebell may soon be a species seen only on woodland edges. The bluebell’s early appearance is determined by unusual genetic limits and naturalists are now worried these limits may make this wildflower less adaptable to changes in its climate than trees and other flowers, putting it more at risk from climate change.

Bluebells make the most of a brief window of opportunity in early spring, growing to full height and flowering before the trees that they grow amongst come into leaf and cast them into deep shade.  However, the effects of climate change mean this window is slowly closing.

If bluebells’ neighbouring trees adjust to warmer weather by coming into leaf several weeks earlier in the year while the bluebell’s timing remains much the same, they may not receive the light they need to grow and flower, and so may fast disappear from our woodlands.  If this were to happen, we would lose one of spring’s natural spectacles.

For more information on Suffolk Wildlife Trust nature reserves visit their website on www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org

ENDS