Spring is in full bloom, as this beautiful picture of bluebells in Alton shows.

This wonderful carpet of flowers in Ackender Woods was captured on camera by Dawn Ayres.

The bluebell, or Hyacinthoides non-scripta, is a bulbous perennial plant found in Atlantic areas from the north-western part of the Iberian Peninsula to the British Isles, which is also frequently used as a garden plant.

It is particularly associated with ancient woodland, where it may dominate the ground to produce carpets of violet–blue flowers in ‘bluebell woods’, but also occurs in more open habitats. It is protected under UK law.