A Different Take : Hyacinthoides Non-Scripta

....or commonly known as the 'Bluebell' .... except in this case, I've been a wee bit post-shot playful and adjusted the hue and saturation to introduce a whole new species to the genus.

I was actually planning on heading to Chatsworth today as they've got a Food and Drink fayre on this weekend, but unfortunately I spent most of the morning sitting in Evans Halshaw in Rotherham while my car was being serviced. By the time I got home, I only really had time to pick up the camera and have a wander through the fields and woodlands around Ravenfield. Fair compensation for missing out on the show.... I'm lucky to live in a pretty little place!

Bluebells are a link to our woodland past as most are found in ancient woodland (which includes woods from the 17th century and perhaps even earlier remnants of the original wildwood that covered Britain after the last Ice Age) where the rich habitat supports a whole host of species.

In the Bronze Age, people used bluebell glue to attach feathers to their arrows and indeed, bluebell sap has historically been used to bind pages to the spines of books whilst the Victorians used the starch from crushed bluebells to stiffen the ruffs of their collars and sleeves.

Legend also says that a field of bluebells is intricately woven with fairy enchantments and according to such folklore, hearing a bluebell ring is a sign of impending death! However, not all the bluebell folklore is quite so gloomy. Some believed that by wearing a wreath made of the flowers, the wearer would be compelled to speak only truth. Others believed that if you could turn one of the flowers inside out without tearing it, you would eventually win the one you love.