SPRING HIGHLIGHTS - bluebells & wild garlic

I chose today (9 April 2026) to write my spring article hoping to have a couple of new bluebell images to include. Sadly, at 4.30 am, I had to abandon my planned shoot as my car battery had other ideas. Such is life!

GOLDEN CANOPY

So we are into April and the bluebells have now arrived with the uplifting sight of them infiltrating various woods and parklands around my area - Dorset and New Forest. They are about two weeks early this year due to all that rain. I am scrutinising the weather apps for another photo opportunity; you only get a very short window to capture them at their best.

You obviously don’t have to be a photographer to enjoy them. In fact without the pressure to get “the perfect shot” you can just enjoy a leisurely meander. Bluebell woods are ancient and they tend to grow back in the same spot year after year. It goes without saying you should show respect to these delicate beauties and stick to the pathways.

Any type of woodland photography can be tricky. I like to visit early in the morning as it all seems fresher with softer light and a peaceful ambiance. There is also the opportunity of morning mist and fog. Fog really makes the blues and greens pop, the trees become ghostly abstract shapes and it’s just more atmospheric!

THE ELUSIVE FOG - BLUEBELLS MIXED WITH GARLIC

A DORSET GARLIC WOOD

The wild garlic, also known as ransom, tends to peak in May after the bluebells have faded.  When entering a wild garlic wood you know you are in one! The smell is intoxicating, although in a natural more earthy sense than in cooking. Memories of the overpowering smell of garlic wafting into my bedroom, thanks to a flatmates strange late night cooking exploits, means my own cooking is strictly garlic free! I’m probably in the minority here!

The sight of it is another matter! It’s just phenomenal - numerous starry white flowers against a backdrop of shiny dark green leaves. Again you want to avoid harsh light as the white flowers become over exposed very quickly.

So for both the bluebell and garlic woods, the perfect photography conditions are a minimal breeze, gentle light and fog is a bonus (along with a reliable car!).

Finally, you wouldn’t think there would be a health and safety warning for such a gentle subject but as a Lyme disease sufferer I feel duty bound to warn of the danger of ticks. See my article “The Hidden Enemy” for more information about how to avoid these nasty little critters.

Enjoy the woods!!