Quick Facts

Scientific name:  Hyacinthoides non-scripta

Size:  Grows to a height of 40cm

Distribution:  Found throughout the UK

Flowering Months:  April to June

Habitat:  Found mainly in woodlands, especially coppiced woods

Special features:  Sometimes called 'Wild Hyacinths', bluebells are usually found growing in wooded areas throughout the U.K.  The woodland carpets of bluebells in flower is a spectacle unique to the UK.  There's no other place in the world where they grow and bloom in such abundance.

Bluebells flower early in the year, between April and June.  They do this to make good use of all the available light, before the trees above them become covered with leaves, and block out the sun.

When the bluebells start flowering, many insects are just starting to become active, and can take advantage of this abundant source of nectar.  The delicate bell-shaped flowers hang from a straight central stem.

Related Pages

• Bluebells - The Spanish Invader
• UK Safari Wild Flowers Section
• Free Newsletter