BLUEBELLS have burst through the soil and will soon create into sea of lilac on the woodland floor.
The spring spectacular will wow visitors at Harcourt Arboretum near Oxford, after the flowers emerged over the Easter weekend.
Education and outreach officer at the site Tegan Bennett took the opportunity to see them up close while enjoying the blue skies yesterday
The Arboretum, in Nuneham Courtenay, has been part of the University of Oxford since 1963.
Every spring the bluebells sprawl across the site's 130 acres of forests and lawns, which are home to a huge collection of trees including the oldest redwoods in the UK.
The bluebells, which were hailed as Great Britain's favourite flower in a Springwatch survey last year, should be out until the end of May.
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