May 8, 2006. Woodland Trust. It's time to shake off the winter blues and put Spring in your step with a visit to a glorious bluebell wood, says the Woodland Trust, the UK's leading woodland conservation charity.

Throughout May, more than one hundred of the Trust's ancient wood's scattered throughout the UK really come into their own, displaying carpets of shimmering pendulous bluebells. And to make it easy to find a bluebell wood in your area, the Trust has created a web page to enable you to do just that. Visit www.woodland-trust.org.uk/bluebells and type in your town to find bluebell woods on your doorstep.

Britain's bluebell woods are of international importance indeed, they are believed account for 50 per cent of the entire world population of the flower. This is one of the reasons why the Trust works hard to protect more ancient woodland being lost to roads and developments, and opens its own woods for everyone to enjoy. Bluebells are one of many species that serve as an indicator of ancient woods sites which have been continuously wooded for 400 years or longer.

Ancient woods are irreplaceable, and this time of year, when bluebells and other woodland flowers are at their best, should remind how precious these sites are. Although, back in those days when forests were forbidding places, bluebells were avoided like the plague. People believed that bells rang out to summon fairies to their gatherings: any human hearing a bluebell ring would soon die.

Safe to say that's a fairy-tale and the Trust welcomes everyone to visit its woods. However, visitors are urged not to pick or trample on the flowers, but rather stick to the footpaths to avoid damage to the blooms. It is also now illegal, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, to dig up the bulbs of wild bluebells and dealers now face heavy fines for selling them.

Nick Collinson of the Woodland Trust says: "Bluebell carpets are a timeless example of the antiquity of our ancient woods, and certainly worth a visit. The shimmering sea of blue they present is one of nature's most magical sights and, for many people, is one of the most enduring symbols of springtime and the coming to life of the countryside."

And to ensure the bluebell wood in your area is definitiely in bloom, why not check the Trust's live tracking maps. By visiting www.phenology.org.uk and selecting bluebell from the list of live tracking maps, you can see where in the country they are blooming. The phenology project, the study of the timing of seasonal events, is also run by the Woodland Trust to help scientists assess the impact of climate change.