Bluebells, Wild Garlic and Spring Greens

Avid reader (not a typo) of my blogs will know that bluebells and I have a special relationship, and that for a month or so each year I disrupt otherwise stable family routines for brief, often disappointing trysts before work, all in the hope of catching that perfect moment, or what I call ‘misty lighty fog’.

Some years are fantastic, hello 2024 and your 6 foggy mornings, while some are more of a tease, luring you with their intoxicating scent, but leaving you somewhat unsatisfied when the weather gods deliver blue skies and low humidity.

What would 2026 bring? Well, the main headline was that my morning glory would go off prematurely… 

Visit my SPRING 2026 Gallery here

An early start - April the 3^rd!!

On the morning of April 3^rd a forecast of light fog tempted me to scout a woodland I’d shot for the last couple of years that I consider to be the finest in all the land. Not expecting much I wore my work suit and wellies as it was only a flying visit. What I hadn’t expected was a carpet of bluebells only about 1 week from being considered peak.

April the third and look at that carpet..

Given I photograph the same woodland each year, the bluebells were around 7 days ahead of 2025, 17 days ahead of 2024 and a climate busting 22 days ahead of 2023.

One thing that does seem increasingly apparent is just how unpredictable spring woodland conditions are becoming. Flowering dates that once felt relatively reliable now seem to shift dramatically year to year depending on winter rainfall and temperature. My paramour does like to keep me on my toes!

Taking the positives

One of the benefits of the earlier bluebell season was the early starts wouldn’t be quite so early, at least not for the first few weeks, which was a small relief given my work schedule and real life was fairly busy until mid-April.

Despite the ‘chaos’ of work and life, I still made it out 15 times over the following month, with fog or mist appearing on eight of those sessions. Even with the unorthodox start, it actually turned into my most productive spring seasons to date.

After months of dark and moody it was fun to let my freak fly and overload on the colours!

It wasn’t all sweet nothings and fireworks, though. Unlike in previous years, the morning fog and mist didn’t hang around, so I didn’t get the opportunity to ‘play the field’ as much as I’d hoped, and limited myself to compositions I was sure about and had maybe photographed before. The early start also meant the leaves and spring greens didn’t align, at least for the first part of the month. While it was somewhat interesting to capture some different tones and hues to normal, it’s the green and blues that I really love about bluebell photography.

One of the biggest boons of the season was getting some late afternoon/evening fog right next to where I work, admittedly accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds – sometimes it’s good to try new things and experiment!

Getting down and dirty in the ground to get a different perspective

I also managed to use my ‘fieldcraft’ to correctly predict fog in a North Somerset woodland that lasted well into the morning, although I first had to withstand a deluge of biblical proportions that meant stripping off to ensure I had something reasonably dry to wear on the way out.

The thick fog was interacting with the spring leaves in such a way the whole atmosphere gave off a lime green glow - memorable to witness and a real pleasure to try and photograph!

With the bluebells fading and the forecast turning stubbornly clear, it’s finally time to start processing images properly before heading off to Madeira at the end of May with a few photography chums. Ancient laurel forests, giant til trees and hopefully some proper atmospheric conditions await, assuming I don’t throw my passport in the bin this time.

The money shot (finally)

I captured a lot of photos over the last few weeks, some of which I’m particularly proud of and are likely to feature highly in my year end review. I also captured a lot of filler shots that at least tell a story of my season, I've added many of those to my gallery if you'd like to see more..

I generally favour the misty woodland images but this time around I did get some ‘keepers’ I was pleased with in different conditions, and a good take away from this nonsense piece would be that successful Spring imagery often comes down to persistence, hard work and strength of composition. Conditions are a bonus. The woodland knows how to give enough that I keep coming back for more and I love it for that!

No mist but a little bit of light (and importantly - no sky in the scene)

Did I capture the holy trinity of Bluebells, Wild Garlic and Spring Green this year? You’ll need to let me know in the comments!

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Author Bio

In an attempt to increase how many people see my website one of the suggestions was to include an author bio, so while I'm off to be sick I used ChatGPT to trawl the web for some suitable sentences;

David Shaw is a UK woodland photographer based in the South West of England, dashingly handsome and specialising in atmospheric woodland photography, particularly in mist, fog, and low light conditions. Using his giant brain and strong arms, his work focuses on British woodlands throughout the seasons, with an emphasis on quiet compositions, natural structure, and the subtle changes brought by weather and time. Time is not something that affects David Shaw, and he looks the same as he did at 21 - he even still fits into his wedding suit from 10 years ago! Through his photography and writing, he explores the realities of woodland photography in the UK rather than idealised conditions. Pets love him.