First it was cherry blossoms, then wisteria hysteria, and now influencers are targeting the UK's bluebell fields. Outraged locals have taken to online forums to express their distress as content creators trample delicate wildflowers in pursuit of the perfect Instagrammable snap.
Ideal Conditions Attract Crowds
Ample rainfall and an unseasonably warm spring have created ideal growing conditions for bluebells. However, conscientious walkers fear that swarms of influencers will bring an even earlier end to the season. The UK is home to 50 per cent of the world's bluebells, and these native flowers are protected as an endangered species. The delicate bluebell plant is easily damaged and can take between five and seven years to recover after being trampled before flowering again.
Local Frustrations
On Threads, one person described installing boundary fencing to protect the bluebells from being damaged, broken, or plucked by content creators taking 'poor quality' pictures. 'However, this hasn't solved the problem,' they added, as 'careless' videos filmed in hotspots like London's Kew Gardens, Surrey, Kent, Devon, and Nottingham sparked fears that the plants were being destroyed.
TikTok is flooded with videos showing where to find the prettiest bluebell displays in the UK. Creators film themselves walking through fields, allowing dogs to run, and even riding ponies in the woods. One post by @rachael_penn showed four dogs playing in 'bluebell woods', while @lottiebonephotography knelt on flowers to photograph her daughters in the middle of a field in Ilkley.
'Cute and all, but please stick to the paths!' one person urged in the comments. 'You're destroying all the wild flowers just for the sake of a picture.' The creator replied they had been 'really careful' because 'bluebells are our favourites'. But others were not as discerning.
Illegal Activity
Some filmed themselves picking bluebells, even though this can attract a fine of up to £5,000, as plucking or destroying the flowers is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981. Scores of comments urged visitors to Rannerdale Knotts in the Lake District to 'enjoy nature as it is' after TikTok user @geordie_hiker highlighted the 'magical' walk.
'As a local, we love to share our landscape with visitors but please remember to maintain the natural beauty,' one comment read. 'So many people trample on them to get the perfect Instagram shot.' Another pleaded, 'Please don't walk amongst bluebells, it takes seven years for them to recover from any damage,' after @keltaylor filmed her young son walking through fields at Everdon Stubbs in Daventry.
Persistent Problem
Despite warnings, most hotspots show 'crushed plants on all sides'. On Facebook, one person wrote they travelled to Wanstead in London after seeing 'gorgeous pictures of UK bluebells woods' only to be met with crushed plants. Another confessed, 'this very thing is the source of MUCH consternation in local WhatsApp groups'. A third wrote, 'It is annoying.'
At the start of bluebell season last month, a 'frustrated' Threads user revealed they had volunteered to install boundary fencing, but nothing deterred the 'moronic general public' from stepping over it. 'Every year they put up information boards,' one person commented. 'Every year I've seen people with dogs off leads and groups posing for photos within the protected areas.'
'I can really sympathise. We used to be able to visit a beautiful bluebell wood near where I live in Dorset,' another wrote. 'Now it has all been fenced off and no one can go there anymore because so many idiots ruined it. It's very sad.' A third agreed the problem of influencers was 'so annoying', adding: 'My local spot for bluebells was showing signs of ill-treatment like trampling and dog poop everywhere.'
Historical Incidents
In 2022, eco-influencer Alice Aedy came under fire after filming herself stomping all over bluebells. The filmmaker, who has over 150,000 Instagram followers, ignored signs to walk on woodland flowers while being filmed for a social media post about the environment. Ms Aedy wore a 'Choose Earth' T-shirt in the video filmed in a private woodland in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, to mark Earth Day. She went off the designated path and walked across swathes of bluebells.
'No one could believe she was walking across the bluebells. She was immediately told off by others present and she said sorry,' a source told the Daily Mail. Despite this, she posted the footage, prompting widespread indignation and an apology. She later reflected on the 'intense backlash' and being branded a flower 'murderer', calling out 'the perfectionism we hold climate activists to'.
Earlier this month, Monty Don reiterated the National Trust's warning against digging up bluebells, adding: 'If you go to a wood and see acres and acres of them, take one, and you've broken the law.' He recommended buying potted bluebells after the flowering period ends in May.
