Blooming marvellous! Joy of spring captured in winning photograph
March 5, 2021
A blanket of blue blooms in the woods is surely one of the greatest sights of spring.
And, after a long winter that is now starting to ebb away, the joy of spring has been captured beautifully in this winning photograph of the South Downs National Park.
Dad-of-three Jamie Fielding took this majestic picture of a carpet of bluebells in woods near his home in West Sussex.
The photograph, called Springtime Blues, was one of over 400 to be entered in the South Downs National Park’s Annual Photography Competition 2020/21, which had the theme “My Tranquil Haven”. During January the public voted in their thousands for their favourite image in “The People’s Choice” poll and Jamie’s image took the top spot.
Jamie, a manager, who lives in Angmering and wins a £100 prize, said: “It’s wonderful that this photograph has struck a chord with so many people. I think it’s an uplifting picture and heralds better times ahead.
“I’m really lucky to have these amazingly beautiful woodlands on my doorstep and took the image during the first lockdown on one of my daily walks.”
Describing his stunning image, Jamie added: “Spring is always a wonderful time of year on the South Downs – everything comes back to life and, best of all, the forests start to wake up too. There’s something very peaceful about a spring forest, with nothing but birdsong at dawn and the chance of spotting a deer roaming around. Bluebells are one of the best things about spring and I wanted to capture my local bluebell forest at its best. I waited for a sunny morning with a hint of humidity to give a nice soft light and bring out the best of the luminescent green beech leaves.”
The UK has over half the world’s population of bluebells. Bluebells usually flower from mid-April to late May, depending on the weather. If spring is mild they tend to bloom early and they will often first appear in the South West of Britain where it’s a little warmer than the rest of the UK.
A flower with strong folklore connections, it’s said that bluebells ring at daybreak to call fairies to the woods.
Craig Daters, a Lead Ranger for the South Downs National Park, added: “This really is a wonderful image capturing the essence of spring in the South Downs. Our native bluebells are a protected species and offer an important habitat for a range of bee and butterfly species. You can help protect native bluebells by keeping to the path on your woodland walks.”
The National Park is advising people to explore woodlands locally to them, in line with the current Government guidelines. For more advice see www.southdowns.gov.uk/national-park-authority/our-work/coronavirus-covid-19-update/