THE nature reserves of Hurcott Pool, Spennells Valley and the Rifle Range, in Kidderminster, are just a few of the woody areas which are now covered in a ground flora of lush green succulent leaves.

At first glance this may look a little like a covering of grass, but with a more careful look you will discover that it is actually a carpet of bluebells.

In just a couple of weeks the bluebells will bloom en-masse.

The woods will be transformed into an almost magical place with a landscape so different that with just a little imagination you could easily think you are in a different world.

Bluebell woods, relatively common in England, are a bit of a British botanical speciality.

While they can be found in continental Europe, they are nowhere near as widespread.

However, even in England bluebells are in decline. This is probably due to the plant's rather poor method of reproduction.

Each flower produces a seed head, which once ripe collapses, spilling out its seed. Unlike plants such as the dandelion, whose fluffy seed can move many tens of miles on a breeze, or the prolific Himalayan balsam, which can catapult its seed many metres, the bluebell seeds only travel a few centimetres from the parent.

Once it has germinated, the bluebell seed takes several years to grow into a plant that can produce flowers.

For this reason, even quite small physical obstacles such as paths, or walls, can prevent bluebells from spreading. However, they are quite robust and once in an area where there are suitable growing conditions they will put up with a lot of abuse.

Bluebells are not, as you might think, dependent on woodland, but they do require the humid condition that woodland canopies frequently provide.

A bluebell's life is quite a race at this time of year.

In order for any plant to grow, it needs light. If you ever venture into a wood in summer, the first thing you will notice is just how dark it is. Bluebells, therefore, grow rapidly at this time of year by putting out their lush green leaves to capture the sunlight.

They have to do this quickly before the trees respond to the arrival of spring by opening their own leaves and hence starving the bluebell of light.

If you walk in the woods now, you will notice that a few of the trees have just started to unfold leaves.

Silver birch has to be the furthest advanced, while others, like the chestnut, are just starting to unfurl their leaves, and oak and beech are furthest behind.

It is going to be quite a race for the bluebells this year, but in a few weeks many local woods will be among some of the most beautiful places on earth, and well worthy of a visit.

If you do go to enjoy this splendour, please leave the flowers there for others to enjoy and remember, once you pick a bluebell, it is dead and its flowers rapidly decay.