Woods see more than 10,000 stinking onions removed

The project aims to remove the non-native species and allow bluebells to grow

More than 10,000 allium triquetrums, better known as stinking onions, have been removed from woods in Guernsey in 2023.

The removal in Bluebell Woods has been part of a project headed by the Guernsey Conservation Volunteers (GCV) to remove the non-native species and allow bluebells to grow.

The onions have dominated the woods in St Peter Port, destroying the bluebells and turning the woods white.

Angela Salmon, GCV operations director, said the onions needed to be removed if the bluebells were to thrive.

She said: "They're non-native, so they were brought here many, many years ago; in the 1840s, they were brought in and what's happening is they're starting to dominate the bluebells.

"We started working in mid-November and we've done 13 work parties so far, and that's just over 200 hours of work in there.

"We've removed just over two one-tonne bags of the bulbs."