Wenlock's Wood. The road to faerie

[cmcmck]

Most of the ancient forest we have here in north Shropshire is oak woodland with birch and rowan on the higher hills.

I grew up in the southeastern county of Kent where, being downland, a lot of the woodland is chestnut and chestnut woodland provides the finest displays of bluebells anywhere in England.

Locally, we have the chestnut woodland known as Wenlock's Wood and this year's bloom has been magical!































I'm only sorry I can't share the scent with you!

Comments

[pameladean]

Oh, wow. I've deliberately gone to see bluebell woods when I was lucky enough to visit the UK at the right time of year; and I have been endlessly and permanently enchanted. But at the time, my interest was basically literary, and I didn't think about what kinds of trees the bluebells lived amongst. To find out that they are chestnuts, now that I know a little about trees and phenology generally, is amazing.

P.

[cmcmck]

They do well enough among other trees as well, but chestnuts have a more open canopy than some so more light gets in.