Best Time to See Bluebells

Graph showing the best time to see Bluebells, comparing 2016 to 2020.

Good timing is essential when trying to catch bluebells at their peak. They tend to be best at the end of the flowering season in April/May but only a week separates stunning carpets of blue from the fading green of setting seeds.

The video shows what you might see during the bluebell flowering season and the graph shows how bluebell quality (flower density) varies with time. 2020 was a milder winter than 2016 and had a very warm and sunny spring. The bluebells flowered about one week earlier than usual in 2020.

Whilst you will see a few bluebells in the first two weeks in April you are far more likely to get a good show in the second half of the month. Bluebell quality rapidly declines after the first week in May and within the space of a week the bluebells suddenly disappear.

The timelapse was taken in Ashplats Wood, East Grinstead, West Sussex, UK during 2016. Bluebells flower slightly later after a cold winter or at latitudes further north.

More about Bluebells

In Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the Southern hemisphere the best time to see bluebells is between the end of October and the beginning of November.