About the survey
The aim of the survey is to build a picture of the distribution of British bluebells. These include the native species, Spanish bluebells, and hybrids.
Botanists also want to know when and where bluebells first flower across the country. This picture will not be completed in just one year so we hope you will take part every spring.
All the survey results collected will help scientists monitor and understand what is happening to bluebells in response to changes in the environment.
What's the problem?
A bit about bluebells
In the UK there are several different types of bluebell. The familiar native bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, is characteristic of woodlands, hedges and other shady places, and almost half the world's population of this species is found here.
Flowers that have been called the Spanish bluebell, Hyacinthoides hispanica, are mostly a horticultural form of the plant. They have one more set of chromosomes, pieces of DNA, than the native bluebell. They are widely cultivated and can be found in many urban settings such as gardens and parks. The true Spanish bluebell is also cultivated but more rarely. We do not know to what extent it is present in the British countryside.
There is also a hybrid bluebell, Hyacinthoides x massartiana, formed by the native and Spanish forms, which now appears to be more common than its Spanish parent.
The problem
In recent years there has been growing concern that our native species is under threat by breeding with the cultivated bluebell. Hybridisation can alter a plant species’ genetic makeup and may result in a reduced ability to survive.
Until recently, this popular theory has been supported by little evidence, and the true status of bluebells in the UK and Ireland may be more complex. Further study is needed to find out if the native bluebell is really under threat.
In the 2003 report 'Bluebells for Britain' by Plantlife, the UK’s leading charity working to protect wild plants and their habitats, called for action to help conserve the native bluebell. Their membership survey aimed to alert the public to the potential plight of the native bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, but the results highlighted the need for further research.
The survey
Our survey will collect the evidence needed to reveal the exact nature and distribution of the bluebell species and help identify any potential threat posed by hybridisation. It will build on the information already collected by the public since 2006.
The 2009 survey has now closed but you can view the results online.
How you can help
What will happen to your records?
The easy-to-use identification guide and online recording forms let everyone, from children to scientists, contribute to this annual survey. Results are shown in an online interactive map. The information will help us understand and document the evolution, distribution and dynamics of all British bluebells. The results of the survey will also form a vital part of the Museum's science research programme and contribute to scientific publications.
The 2009 survey has finished but you can still view the results online.
Other ways you can help bluebells
If you want to buy native bluebell bulbs for a garden, try and ensure they are from a reliable source and have been raised in cultivation, not stolen from the wild. If in doubt, do not buy them. Do not knowingly plant Spanish or hybrid bluebells in the countryside. Never throw away rubbish containing garden bluebell bulbs 'over the garden fence' or onto outdoor tips or dumps. Remember that compost heaps may not destroy the bulbs.
Protected by law
It has been illegal (without a licence) for anyone to collect native bluebells from the wild for sale since 1998. This is because native bluebells are listed on Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981).
Toolbox
In World War II the Museum was used as a secret base to develop new gadgets for allied spies, including an exploding rat!