THE arrival of May has chased the last traces of winter away. The landscapes are ablaze withcolour and at their most vibrant. Nowhere is this more true than within the bluebell woods.

In England, we are very fortunate to be able to witness the sight of bluebells forming vivid blue carpets beneath the just opening canopies of broadleaf and mixed woodland. Elsewhere in the world, including our closest European neighbours this is a very rare phenomenon.

In Wyre Forest district, we are even more fortunate with many of us being able to take a stroll though this most uplifting of landscapes after just a few minutes walk from our homes. Amongst a plethora of others, bluebell filled woodlands can be found at Hurcott Pool, Spennells Valley, the Rifle Range, Habberley Valley, Shrawley Woods and Hillditch Pool at the rear of Hartlebury Common.

Interspersed in among the vast carpets of bluebells there is frequently a scattering of other wild flowers which seem to add just another dimension to the beauty of these places at this time of year. Lesser stitchwort flowers grow readily amongst the bluebells, these brilliant white flowers have ten paired petals arranged in a classic star shape.

Growing more in patches and clumps, you can also see the slightly more pinky white flowers of the wood anemones. Areas where more light gets through to the woodland floor, like at the edges of the paths, the slightly taller hedge mustard plant grows, displaying tufts, consisting of multitudes of brilliant white four petal flowers. Where the paths pass near a small stream or flush, these flowers give way to the white flowers of the ramsons. Ramson is often known as hedge garlic and you can certainly smell why, with its strong scent frequently announcing its presence.

A lot of these bluebell woods lye near wet woodlands, another internationally scarce and threatened environment, and these are just as beautiful. Whilst the bluebell woods are dominated by blues and whites the wet woodlands are dominates by yellows with a spattering of creamy whites and deep blacks.

The yellow is a brilliant sunshine yellow and is readily provided by two members of the buttercup family, the Lesser Celandine and the much larger Marsh Marigold. The pinky whites come from a plant known as ladies smock or cuckoo flower.

This plant's pinky white bell shaped flowers stand out and look brilliant in clearings in the wet woodland canopy. The deep blacks come from the flowering spikes of a few members of the sedge family. Whilst not classically beautiful their strange purposeful form adds a certain mystic to the landscape.

In addition to all this colour suddenly on display, the hedgerows are also blasting into bloom, as the many millions of hawthorn flowers, transform many of our fields and road verges into beautiful landscapes.

It is amazing just how relaxing a trip into all this beauty can feel. Within just a few moments of leaving the bustle of modern life behind and entering into a landscape filled with the beauty of spring, you can just feel all the tensions of the day drain away.

My recommendation is wait for a fine sunny spell, take yourself out and spend just a little time enjoying the feelings and beauty spring can bring.