A walk in a bluebell wood is a magical experience.

Flanked by bright green beech leaves bursting forth and a blue sky above, the whole scene is quintessentially English.

The flowers seem to glow in dappled shade and if we are fortunate, primroses, ramsons and wood anemones may add a dash of colour to the blue haze as do the occasional white and pink strains.

Not long out of hibernation,brimstone butterflies will be skipping through the wood reminding me of late flowering animated daffodils as they hang beneath the pendulous blooms sipping nectar.

Dainty orange tip butterflies will be there too, having spent the winter as pupae and they will need to feed up ready for mating.

The bluebells I am talking about are the true native English wild flowers and not the imported Spanish variety often seen planted in gardens and parks.

I call them 'blowsy bluebells' having an insipid pale colour with upright thicker stems and lacking the diagnostic graceful pendulous droop. They also bloom earlier.

Scientists are expressing concern about the possible hybridisation of native and Spanish bluebells which could lead to a gradual dilution of the true native variety thus losing its fragile beauty.

Badgers love to line their setts with soft bluebell leaves and have clearly not read wild flower guide books which warn us not to trample leaves underfoot as this can kill even healthy plants.