Oxfordshire Woodland Group

Natural England advises that the native English Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) was added to Schedule 8 of The Wildlife and Countryside Act in 1998. It is listed on Schedule 8 in relation to Section 13(2) of the Act. Bluebells were added to Schedule 8 because bulb stealing from woodlands was an increasing problem. The change was intended to make the sale of unsustainable harvesting illegal and thus eliminate the incentive for large scale removal of Bluebell bulbs from the wild.

This means that it is an offence if any person;

· sells, offers or exposes for sale, or has in his possession or transports for the purpose of sale, any live or dead wild plant included in Schedule 8, or any part of, or anything derived from such a plant; or

· publishes or causes to be published any advertisement likely to be understood as conveying that he buys or sells, or intends to buy or sell any of those things.

It is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to harvest Bluebells from the wild without landowners permission.

Licences can be issued under Section 16(4)(b) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act to allow the sale of Bluebell seeds or bulbs. However, Natural England policy is that they will only licence the sale of Bluebell material where there is evidence or a convincing case that the material is native English Bluebells. This is to ensure that Natural England does not facilitate the trade of non-native or hybrid material under the guise of native Bluebells. Applicants for a licence will need to provide strong evidence that the material (bulbs or seed) to be sold is native Bluebells. Evidence could include an opinion from a suitably experienced botanist and / or a description of the population of Bluebells and their isolated location which means that it is unlikely to have been influenced by gardens or horticulture.

Applicants can check with the BSBI county plant recorders who may be able to help confirm that the Bluebells are native:

Natural England will only licence the sale of material which has been harvested sustainably from the wild. This policy is designed to ensure the long term viability of the Bluebells in the area which is being harvested.

Applicants will need to provide a collection methodology which gives details of how the material will be collected sustainably. Collection should be done by hand and only collected from a proportion of the Bluebell population each year.

Natural England will check that the area is not a designated area of land and also whether the area is an ancient woodland as listed on the ancient woodland inventory. Natural England will only issue licences to sell bulbs if they are satisfied that there will not be a detrimental effect on the immediate Bluebell population or on any other protected wildlife.

Natural England Wildlife Licensing can be contacted by tel on 0300 0603900 or by email

Ken Hume

The blue bells peaked this week and were in prime condition when inspected on 29th April and with the current cold weather they should remain in peak condition for the (Sun 1st) May Bank Holiday.

Just occasionally a white bell can be spotted in amogst the blue bells and primroses.

Ken Hume

Blue bells have now emerged well above ground and are just beginning to show flower spikes close to the ground.
Current prediction for peak flowering is 23 April 2022.

By 05 April 2022 blue bell leaf is now well developed with flower stalks beginning to appear but flower heads not opening.

By 21 Apr 2022 the blue bells are now approaching full flower emitting an intoxicating and relaxing aroma.

The blue bells have lasted longer this year due to the lack of inclement (rain & windy) weather. 01st May 2022 was probably close to peak flowering. Some flattening of leaves can be seen due to canopy closure. Yellow archangel is now flowering among the blue bells.

It's possible that some rain would have helped the bluebells. The main thing that has probably kept them flowering is the cooler temperature over last two weeks of April 2020.

After a very dry February and a wet March (2023) a solitary blue bell in flower was observed in the woodland on 30 March 2023 with fairly well developed flower rosettes.

A number of other flower heads were seen in the process of opening