By George!

The bluebells are blooming…

Hello Creative Souls,

Welcome to my April newsletter, a bit late maybe, but as the saying goes, better late than never! This newsletter goes out on St George’s Day, the patron saint of this green and pleasant land and a few other lands also, including, Georgia, Venice, Genoa, Portugal, Ethiopia and Catalonia. This weekend just gone was a glorious weekend, weather wise, sparking lots of activity in our household. I had the urge to get out on my bike, my husband kindly pumped up the tyres and gave it a once over before I headed out along the country lanes. We went walking in the woods, taking my art kit with me, where I sat at the top of a Dorset hill to paint for the first time this year, ‘plein air’. I saw the return of the house martins, back to their summer residence, one nest right outside the bedroom window and two more nests out at the front of our house. Jenny Wren doesn’t seem very impressed, however, for me, it is a sheer delight to hear them chatting away as they pop in and out. My main mission last weekend was to go and see if the bluebells had started to bloom in the local woodland. Bluebells come into bloom mid to the end of April and are traditionally worn on St George’s Day. However, after you’ve read this post you may decide against picking the bluebells, so read on and find out how I got on in my search for the common bluebell.

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Spring Days

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“The Bluebell is the sweetest flower,

That waves in summer air:

Its blossoms have the mightiest power To soothe my spirit’s care.”

- Emily Bronte

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Photo by Click and Learn Photography on Unsplash

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Beautiful Bluebells

At this time of the year, the common bluebell can be found in Britain’s ancient woodland and along the hedgerows. I am fortunate enough to be a stone’s throw away from such a woodland, where every year I grab my camera and head out to bask in among the beautiful carpet of blue, violet hues of bluebells. The incredible display makes my heart sing, a stunning sea of blue and green attracting many types of spring insects such as, woodland butterflies, bees and hover-flies, that all feed on the bluebell’s early spring nectar.

Whilst standing carefully amongst the bluebells, trying not to damage any under foot, I can hear the glorious birdsong of many species of birds, I can identify the chiff chaff, the wren, the robin and the blackbird. I can also hear the jackdaws and a woodpecker tapping his beak against the bark of a tree trunk. Standing still I can hear the scurrying through the greenery of a small creature, maybe a mouse or a shrew, and the buzzing of bumblebees. I can see butterflies warming their wings in the morning sunshine and I can smell the sweet scent of bluebells. My senses are on overdrive and, for a few blissful minutes I am immersed in a different, magical world.

Bluebells are also called cuckoo boots, lady’s nightcap and witches’ thimbles, as bluebells were used in witches potions. If a person wanders into a ring of bluebells, then fairy enchantment will follow, or more sinisterly that person will be visited by an evil fairy who wishes you dead. Writer, Dee Dee Chainey, in her book, A Treasury of British Folklore, states that, the Elizabethans used bluebell juice to starch their ruffs. I’m not sure how this turned out for them as the sap is said to be toxic and can cause dermatitis. In the thirteenth century, apparently monks used bluebells to treat snakebites and leprosy.

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Bluebell Watercolour & Pencil in My Sketchbook

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Bluebell Meanings:

The most popular meanings for bluebells are:

• Regret

• Sorrow

• Loyalty

• Delicacy

• Humility

• Constancy

• Everlasting love

• Gratitude

In Scotland, bluebells are known as Harebells.

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Bluebells nestled at the bottom of an old grandfather oak tree

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As a child I was always told not to pick the bluebells and in mythology, if you pick a bluebell, you may be led astray by fairies, wandering lost forevermore. Another reason is that the bluebell is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. That means no digging up the plant or bulbs. The plant species is a slow grower and takes at least five years for a seed to develop into a bulb. The bluebell is an indicator species of ancient woodland, this means that the woods has been in existence since at least 1600.

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Beautiful Blue Bluebells

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Bluebell Facts:

• It is said that if you turn a bluebell flower inside out without tearing it, you will win the one you love.

• Wearing a wreath of bluebells would compel you to tell the truth.

• Bluebells are said to ring when fairies are summoning their kin for a gathering.

• Beware, if a human hears the bells ringing, then it is a indication of their imminent death!

• Tread carefully in future, as it is unlucky to trample on bluebells, this will anger the fairies.

• Bluebell sap was once used in bookbinding as it repels insects.

• In early times the sap of bluebells was used to glue feathers on the shaft of an arrow.

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As a child (and as a grown up) I adored the illustrations and poems by Cicely Mary Barker. The Bluebell Fairy in my Flower Fairies of the Spring book, doesn’t look scary at all, he is referred to as the Woodland King and Primrose is the Queen. I’d prefer to think of the fairies and elementals of nature as custodians and nature’s protectors, who watch over the woodland, countryside, waterways and wild creatures. When I visited the bluebell woods, I experienced many feelings, mostly of joy, gratitude and awe, for being able to spend some of my time basking in the awesomeness of Mother Earth. A place where I could appreciate all of my senses, recharge my soul and find inspiration to create art in my sketchbook. If you get time I would recommend a visit to some ancient woodland, where you will find many varieties of wild flowers, but the showstopper for now is most definitely the common bluebell. The National Trust provide information on their website about where you could go to see bluebells.

Thank you for reading this month’s post, I’d really appreciate it if you could share this with friends and family so I can continue to build my reader base. If you haven’t been over to my YouTube channel recently then pop over to see my latest video about my recent travels abroad and what I packed in my travel art kit.

Until next month dear reader.

Stay naturally curious…

Clare 🧚💜

Resources

The Woodland Trust

The National Trust

www.thehazeltree.co.uk

A Treasury of British Folklore, Maypoles, Mandrakes & Mistletoe - Dee Dee Chainey

Telling the Seasons - Martin Maudsley