It has been a treat to walk our dog, Max, through the beautiful carpets of flowers.
I read that bluebells are an indication of possible ancient woodlands. They are used as a plant marker. I think the oak woodland, native to West Berkshire, is almost certainly ancient. Great oak trees tower above as you walk the paths, easily several hundred years old.
The common or English bluebell, is part of the group related to Hyacinths. They are supposed to have flowered when the Greek God, Hyacinthus was accidentally killed by his lover Apollo. Hyacinthus was a beautiful, young man who had been courted by both Apollo and Zephyrus, the god of the West Wind. Hyacinthus was killed when a discus, thrown by Apollo, was blown off course by a jealous Zephyrus and struck him. The tears wept by Apollo, were the site of the blooming of a new flower.
