Bluebell
Bank
Further treasures
of
Hadleigh CountryPark.
This series will hopefully explore more of the
treasures of this area.
Hadleigh
Country Park lies between South
Benfleet, to the West, and Leigh, to the East. The park
consists of a mix of scrub, woodland and grassland hillside running
down to grazing marsh and seawall, which is adjacent to a narrow
strip of salt marsh. This wide range of habitat provides many
places for plants and animals to live. In summer this is one of the
best places in Essex to see butterflies, dragonflies
and damselflies.
The rangers tell me that the best place to park is
in the main car-park (N 51° 33.1310 E00°
35.7245.), however, this is £2 for
the day. (check times as varies throughout the year. )
Bluebell woods were once riddled with folklore...
and fairies. These magical creatures were summoned by the ringing
of the bluebells. Anyone who heard the flowers chime would not have
long to live.
Many types of plants grow in ancient woodland and
are considered indicator species. Bluebells are one of those indicator plants
The habitat is mainly woodlands but can be found
in scrub, hedge banks or even along sea-cliffs. They are perfectly
adapted to cope with the shade created by the woodland canopy
above. The first shoots emerge in January, giving bluebells a
valuable head start over other woodland plants. They can grow and
sow seeds before the trees produce leaves, reducing space and
light.
There are three kinds of bluebell thought to be
found in the UK: the native Bluebell,
Hyacinthoides non-scripta, the Spanish Bluebell, Hyacinthoides
hispanica, and what appears to be a fertile hybrid between the two,
Hyacinthoides x massartiana.
Interbreeding with Spanish bluebells and the
resulting hybrids is also posing a threat to our native variety.
The Spanish bluebells were introduced to
British gardens in the 17th century, but it wasn't until the 20th
century that they escaped into the wild. As a result, a third of
bluebells are either a Spanish or hybrid
variety, and one in six bluebell woods contains a mixture of all
three species.
In 1998, after 50 years of people digging up
bluebells to sell in garden centres, uprooting of the native
flowers was finally made illegal. In order to protect this
endangered species, stick to footpaths and resist the urge to pick
them.
You are looking for a 0.33 litre
lock
type container. It is accessible from the path and there is no need
to climb any trees or slopes.Please carefully hide again as it can
be easily spotted.