Walkers urged to protect bluebells

The bluebells are due to come into full bloom in April

Walkers are being urged to take care not to trample on the growing shoots in Guernsey's Bluebell Woods.

Conservationists are reminding islanders it is a "sensitive area" in December and January and urged them to stick to the paths.

Angela Salmon, operations director for the The Guernsey Conservation Volunteers, said it was important people help protect the area so the flowers appear in their full splendour in April.

"At this time of year people might think it's just covered in dead leaves and there's nothing really happening, but underneath those dead leaves the bluebells are already starting to grow," she said.

"So if people walk in those areas where the bluebells are going to grow they could actually snap off an awful lot of those bluebell shoots."

The new bluebell shoots can be hard to spot, conservationists said

She added that the bluebells were already under threat from invasive non-native onions which were "turning bluebell woods white".

She said groups of volunteers had been targeting several areas to restore the balance in 2024.