19/03/2026
Bluebell time is just around the corner and symbolises late spring and early summer in the botanical calendar.
The botanical year begins at the Winter Solstice which marks the start of the solar year is symbolised by the appearance of mistletoe , holly and ivy.
The Latin name of Mistletoe is „viscum alba“ which in three bears English translates to sticky cm white. In this way the mistletoe was revered as a plant symbolising conception by the ancient Druids whom subscribed to the belief that the Earth Mother was impregnated through the coming of a Heavenly Father at mid Winter after which a battle between the powers of light and life would struggle with the forces of darkness and death at Halloween [bonfire night].
The Latin name for the Bluebell is „hyacinthoides nonscripta“ or in three bears English meaning the hyacinth not to be written about.
Hence blue is the colour of censorship and blue movies in Victorian times were filmed in the bluebell woods.
From a historical perspective , the bluebell is our national flower although few people are aware of this fact! Whilst to the Druids snowdrop time marks the start of spring, bluebell mark the start of summer, nut and fruit fall the start of autumn and leaf fall the beginning of winter. With mid winter symbolised by mistletoe and the theme of conception ,then to ancient folk snowdrop time symbolised late pregnancy and birth. Easter and the daffodil marked the egg festival related to ovulation stimulated by the production of oestrogen. Interestingly in birds oestrogen ( egg laying ) is produced by lengthening days from mid Spring ( the spring equinox ) to early Summer and in women oestrogen production peaks in May, whereas the same is for testosterone in men. May represented maturity, mid summer symbolised mid life , Lammas embraced the concept of the menopause , mid autumn old age followed by death at Halloween which should be celebrated on winters eve which is the 5th of November
Whilst Druids were lords and shepherds , as judges, teachers, healers, magicians, philosophers and religious leaders , they actually had two flocks in an age when child birth was timed to coincide with lambing.
The Druids job as Lord and Shepherd was to ensure a plentiful supply of ewes milk in spring time so that girls married at bluebell time would start having babies from snowdrop time . The origin of the word offspring and the fact that ancient Britons were all once born of spring in medieval times can be associated with the May Fair when girls coming of age would be „May‘ried“ or married.
Marriage in prehistoric times predominantly happened with the approach of summer, the goddess was „Blue du wedd“ , all girls coming of age were expected to produce children and the words „mayhem“ and „Mayday“ throw light on the consequences of a May festival where law and order broke down and could no longer be enforced !
Children conceived in May would be born nine months later under the Aquarian star sign hence. Whist the botanical year can vary the further north one travels as in southern England bluebells are blooming as much as a month earlier than in northern Scotland ,the concept of snowdrop time as the start of spring and bluebell time as the start of summer , ensured visual evidence for simple folk to tell the time of the year according to the temperature and light levels required by these species
The three photos below shows the creation of a grove of pristine woodland at Awbridge Hill Nature Sanctuary being managed for snowdrops ,daffodil and bluebells.
