Bluebells & Primroses - a photo on Flickriver

The bluebell or Hyacinthoides non-scripta (formerly Endymion non-scriptus or Scilla non-scripta) is a bulbous perennial plant, found in Atlantic areas from north-western Spain to the British Isles, and also frequently used as a garden plant. It is known in English as the common bluebell or simply bluebell, a name which is used in Scotland to refer to the harebell, Campanula rotundifolia. In spring, bluebells produces a nodding, one-sided inflorescence of 5–12 tubular, sweet-scented violet–blue flowers, with strongly recurved tepals, and 3–6 long, linear, basal leaves.

The bluebell is particularly associated with ancient woodland where it may dominate the understorey to produce carpets of violet–blue flowers in "bluebell woods", but also occurs in more open habitats in western regions. It is protected under UK law, and in some other parts of its range. A related species, the Spanish bluebell (H. hispanica) has also been introduced to the British Isles and hybridises with H. non-scripta to produce intermediates known as H. × massartiana.

In the United Kingdom, bluebells are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Landowners are prohibited from removing common bluebells on their land for sale and it is a criminal offence to remove the bulbs of wild common bluebells. This legislation was strengthened in 1998 under Schedule 8 of the Act making any trade in wild common bluebell bulbs or seeds an offence, punishable by fines of up to £5000 per bulb. The species is not protected in the Republic of Ireland.

In France, bluebells are largely confined to the northern half of the country. It is not legally protected at the national level, but it is protected in many of the départements towards the edge of its range (Corrèze, Loiret, Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, Dordogne, Cher, Eure-et-Loir, Indre-et-Loire and Loir-et-Cher). In Wallonia, bluebells are protected under Annexe VII of the Loi sur la conservation de la nature.

The primrose or Primula vulgaris is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to western and southern Europe (from the Faroe Island and Norway south to Portugal, and east to Germany, Ukraine, the Crimea, and the Balkans), northwest Africa (Algeria), and southwest Asia (Turkey east to Iran). The common name is primrose, or occasionally common primrose or English primrose to distinguish it from other Primula species also called primroses.

It is a perennial growing 10–30 cm (4–12 in) tall, with a basal rosette of leaves which are more-or-less evergreen in favoured habitats. The leaves are 5–25 cm long and 2–6 cm broad, often heavily wrinkled, with an irregularly crenate to dentate margin, and a usually short leaf stem. The delicately scented flowers are 2–4 cm in diameter, borne singly on short slender stems. The flowers are typically pale yellow, though white or pink forms are often seen in nature. The flowers are actinomorphic with a superior ovary which later forms a capsule opening by valves to release the small black seeds. The flowers are hermaphrodite but heterostylous; individual plants bear either pin flowers (longuistylous flower: with the capita of the style prominent) or thrum flowers (brevistylous flower: with the stamens prominent). Fertilisation can only take place between pin and thrum flowers. Pin-to-pin and thrum-to-thrum pollination is ineffective.
Pin flower of primrose

The primrose is one of the earliest spring flowers in much of Europe. "Primrose" is ultimately from Old French primerose or medieval Latin prima rosa, meaning "first rose", though it is not closely related to the rose family Rosaceae.

In appropriate conditions, the primrose can cover the ground in open woods and shaded hedgerows. In more populated areas it has sometimes suffered from over-collection and theft so that few natural displays of primroses in abundance can now be found. However it is common on motorway verges and railway embankments where human intervention is restricted. To prevent excessive damage to the species, picking of primroses or the removal of primrose plants from the wild is illegal in many countries, e.g. the UK (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Section 13, part 1b).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinthoides_non-scripta

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primula_vulgaris

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / Mapledurwell (show map)

Taken on: May 3, 2008

Tags:

bluebell

primrose

Primula vulgaris

plant

flower

wild flower

weed

flora

Mapledurwell

Basingstoke

Lyde Valley

Hampshire

England

spring

May

2008 « less

Sets appears in: • Spring • Nature

Groups appears in: • Weeds • 50 MILLION PHOTOS more » • Digital Capture! • 1 Quadrillion Pix • WEBSHOTS COUNTRYPLACE COMMUNITY « less

Camera: Kodak EasyShare C743 Zoom, f/2.7, 1/737 sec, 6mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Kodak EasyShare C743 Zoom
Aperture:	f/2.7
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/737)
Focal Length:	6mm
ISO:	80
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 12.0 Windows
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