1 English Bluebells are very beautiful, have a purply tinge (usually, though one can find white and pink ones), dark stems and bend over gracefully because the little bells all come on one side. Spanish Bluebells are the invaders! They are stronger, have thicker stems and have the little bells all around the stem so they don’t bend over but stay upright. I see both on my walk up from town and they are both pretty and the two can cross pollinate. Sadly, if the spread of the Spanish Bluebell is not halted we will lose our delicate English bluebells.
Beautiful English Bluebells
Spanish Bluebells
English bluebell
Pink English bluebell
2 The Camellias over the road have been hit by the forst but actually, I think they are even more beautiful with the edges in that lovely soft sand colour, especially with the sun shining through.
Frosted camellia
3 I love Purple sprouting broccoli!
Purple sprouting broccoli
P.S. I’ve just learned this too from The Natural History Museum
“Pollen colour
The easiest way to tell the difference between native and non-native bluebells is to look at the colour of the pollen.
If it is creamy-white then the bluebell is a native. If it is any other colour, such as pale green or blue, then it is definitely not native.
When the pollen is shed, the empty anther can be a pale cream colour, so make sure you look at the most recently opened flowers at the top of the spike, to find the true colour of the pollen.”
