This year nature-lovers will have to wait longer to enjoy charming sights of woodlands carpeted with English bluebell flowers.

Experts said yesterday that traditional carpets of bluebell flowers in woodlands were not expected to appear until early May following the harsh winter in more than thirty years.

In the past few years, milder winters helped the flowers to appear by early April as the development of the flowers depend on warm ground temperatures.

Commenting on the topic, a spokesperson for the National Trust said, “It's going to be touch-and-go this year, so this annual spectacle that symbolises the season is likely to be up to three weeks late.”

Experts also said that hybridising with the scentless Spanish bluebell flowers were also posing a threat to the native variety.