Ever since I saw the first pictures of the Atlantic bluebell (English bluebell) I wanted to photograph it at its prime. The bluebells can form large carpets of flowers in the places where they occur. The striking blue of the flowers paired with the fresh green of the trees is particularly beautiful to look at after the cold winter. Bluebells grow from bulbs in which the plants overwinter. The flowering period in April and May is of course also the best time for photographing bluebells.
Many people only think of England when they hear bluebells. However, the bluebells are also found in Portugal, Spain, France and the Benelux countries. The Hallerbos in Belgium is certainly the best-known forest in Central Europe in terms of the occurrence of bluebells. But there are also some deposits in Germany. Well-known areas with bluebells are in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. Ever since I first photographed bluebells, I've regularly spotted them in completely unexpected places during my forays into nature.
When the cold winter is finally over I can hardly wait to get out. Photographing in spring finally brings color back into the barren landscape. In spring 2020 I set out twice to photograph the well-known bluebells in western Germany. It is a great sight when you take the first step into such a forest. Countless individual plants form a huge carpet of blue flowers. This is only interrupted by tree trunks. Where the trees are particularly old, the trunks particularly thick and the treetops particularly dense, the bluebells have the best chance of forming coherent carpets. Like all early bloomers, they need their chance of sunlight before the canopy has closed. Particularly low angled light that makes it between the horizon and the treetops conjures up a magical atmosphere in these forests. The stocks of bluebells in Germany are certainly not as impressive as those in Belgium's Hallerbos or in England, but I'm still quite satisfied with my recordings.
One of the locations in particular has become very well known in NRW. So you are not alone there and like anywhere where there are many people, there are some who behave badly. In many places footpaths had emerged through the plants and in other places people jumped through the flowers. Many have also sent their children to the flowers in order to be able to take the "perfect" picture. When asked about this, there are usually 2 different reactions, as was the case on this day. There are people who have actually not thought, feel caught and are insightful. The second group is absolutely aware of their misbehaviour in nature and react ignorantly and sometimes aggressively.
All natural occurrences of bluebells in Germany are in nature reserves and one should behave accordingly.
A few years ago, even one of the best-known German landscape photographers advertised his tripod on social networks with pictures in which he simply “threw” his tripod at the plants. When asked about it, he showed little insight and said it wouldn't be a problem. This photographer has over 1 million followers through the various social media channels and is particularly popular with young people. Because of this responsibility alone, I think such behavior in public is a big problem.
Even when bluebells grow from bulbs, trampling the plants creates lots of problems:
- It ruins the experience for everyone who comes after.
- The forest floor is becomes to dense, which can make it difficult or impossible for the plants to come out next year.
- When plants naturally shed their shoots and leaves, they store nutrients in the bulb. These are absent from trampled plants.
Everyone should behave responsibly in nature. The few forests and green spaces that still exist in Germany must not be destroyed intetnionally. In particular, anyone photographing bluebells should behave like a rolemodel. It's the beauty of nature that brings you to this place in the first place. Damaging them is simply illogical. The principles of Naturfirst provide guidance on how to behave as a photographer in nature. You can find out more about the 7 principles
here.
The following pictures are my favorites of the 2 trips to the bluebells forests in Germany.
The (in my opinion)
"best" picture of the bluebells also made it into my
gallery and was also represented in the
calendar for 2021 - Magical Germany.
