Bluebells

Hollingside Wood hosts one of the finest displayed of bluebells in North East England. In late April and early May, take a lunchtime walk to the end of Hollingside lane, beyond the Botanic Garden, descend the steps into the wood and follow the footpath back towards Houghall. You'll find yourself amongst a sea of bluebells, in a woodland that's as fragrant as a florist's shop. If you sign up to the free e-news service provided by the Botanic Garden, you'll receive notice of the best time to see the bluebell display, as well as other events in and around the garden. Details are at  http://www.dur.ac.uk/botanic.garden/whatson/enews/

All the flowers that you can see were formed inside the bulbs early last summer, before last year's foliage died down, and they've been sitting there, primed and ready to grow, all through winter. By July the flowers will have set seed, the leaves will have withered away and the spectacle will be over for another year.

There's also a fine display of bluebells in Little High Wood, behind the Calman learning centre and below the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences. Biology and Psychology students, labouring up the infamous 'Cardiac Hill', can console themselves with the thought that there are few other university campuses where the path to enlightenment is strewn with bluebells.