Marlpool - Hufton's Coppice
w/e 01 May 2022
All of this week's pictures were taken with a Nikon D3300
Over the years we've visited many woods in the local area during
April and May to enjoy the wonderful displays of bluebells but
this is the first time we've visited Hufton's Coppice Community
Woodland on the edge of Shipley Country Park at Marlpool. This
sign is at the entrance to the wood from Holmesfield Drive.
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We'd actually entered the wood
from Coppice Drive and after carefully crossing a small brook
one of the first things that greeted us was a fallen tree but
we could already see the bluebells all around.
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We turned left and followed the path up to Holmesfield Drive
with the brook on the left and bluebells covering the ground
to the right.
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It may seem a contradiction in terms but among the bluebells
there were some white bluebells. According to the Woodland Trust
"Wild white English bluebells are incredibly rare. They
occur when the flowers blue pigment is missing, making
them albino bluebells." and " However white
and pink versions of the Spanish bluebell are common." There
are several differences between the varieties but an easy way
to differentiate is that Spanish bluebells grow on upright stems
whilst the English flowers grow on one side of a drooping stem.
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We turned right at the sign at Holmesfield Road and headed southwards
towards the Newcastle Plantation, site of the former Newcastle
Colliery.
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But we soon turned off the main path to follow one of the many
smaller tracks that criss cross the woodland where the ground
was awash with bluebells.
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Bluebells, bluebells, bluebells!
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Whichever way we turned, bluebells were everywhere.
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The beautiful flowers were just begging to be photographed so
here is the obligatory close up.
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We soon found our way back to the fallen tree and made our way
out of the woodland over the brook again - but not before one
last look at the fabulous display of bluebells on the woodland
floor.
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