Although The Lodge and Fowlmere nature reserves are closed to visitors at the moment, wildlife and seasons keep coming. Through Mid- to late April our native British bluebells are in flower, providing a valuable early nectar source for bumblebees and other insects. Some wild animals will eat them, but not many: the sap is poisonous to most. People used to use the sap as a source of glue, and reputedly as starch for stiffening clothes (think ruffs, like those worn around the neck in Elizabethan times). Personally, I prefer to enjoy them by eye, simply a beautiful and very British part of the landscape!
Here is a photo from The Lodge last year (c) RSPB, Peter Bradley.
Best wishes,
Peter