THEY may be late but they are certainly beautiful.

The bluebells currently carpeting Arger Fen at Assington, near Sudbury, are expected to attract many people to the woods over the coming weeks.

The ancient woodland is one of the few spots to be blessed with a bounty of budding bluebells at the moment as other well-known spots are still waiting for theirs to bloom.

A spokeswoman for Suffolk Wildlife Trust, which manages Arger Fen and many other sites across the county, said some popular places would not be seeing their bluebells for another two weeks.

She said the long spell of wintry weather had held back the flowers from coming through at their normal time.

She said: “We have got a few sites that are really good for bluebells including Captain’s Wood, near Woodbridge, and Reydon Wood, near Southwold.

“Captain’s Wood is nearly there and Reydon Wood is about two weeks away, after having a word with the wardens who run the sites.

“With the colder weather it takes longer for them to grow and then it hasn’t been warm enough, really. People really enjoy going to see them and most people can’t help taking a picture and we get some added to our Facebook page.”

She said people should not pick wild bluebells but could buy them from their local nursery – and she urged people to buy the native bluebell, which is being threatened by the invasion of a Spanish variety, as reported in the EADT last week.