Our native Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta is mostly a woodlander -as seen here in Wain Wood- but this is a species that can adapt to circumstances. As noted in my entry on Sunday I walked on to West Wood which has a large area of conifer plantation that is nonetheless carpeted with Bluebells. 

 The conifers must be modern but the Bluebell population ancient given how prolific they are. Most likely an area of ancient woodland was cleared sometime in the twentieth century. A great deal of conifer planting took place after the First World War in "unproductive" woods and open land to restore the country's timber reserves. At that point tree cover amounted to about five per cent of land use.

 Walking from Wain Wood to West Wood there were plenty of Bluebells in the hedgebanks. I think the fields hereabouts were probably created centuries ago by tree felling. In some cases a sliver of original woodland was retained to form a boundary hence the presence of Bluebells.

 Indeed the footpath between two fields to West Wood was lined with Bluebells growing in completely open ground. The trees they grew under are long gone but the Bluebells persist.