The true beauty of British springtime

The true beauty of British springtime: Thousands of bluebells flower early deep in the woods

These stunning images of thousands of bluebells in the wild show the beauty of British springtime at its very best.

The striking blue flowers, pictured deep in Micheldever Wood near Basingstoke, look like something from a fairy tale.

The recent warm weather has caused the plants to flower earlier than usual - creating this incredible scene.

Morning has broken! Photographer Anthony Spencer captured this stunning image shortly after dawn - as the mist was still clearing from Micheldever Wood near Basingstoke in Hampshire

As the sun rises on a perfect Easter morning, the sunlight flickers through the trees to create a magical scene.

Photographer Anthony Spencer captured one of the stunning images shortly after dawn - as the mist was still clearing from the wood.

Anthony had been waiting for the Bluebells to come into full flower, to capture the image, for weeks. 

Picture perfect: Two visitors to Micheldever Wood stop to capture the breathtaking scene of a carpet of thousands of bluebells. The delicate blue plants have flowered early this year due to the unusually warm weather

Enjoy not destroy: Visitors to Micheldever Wood have been enjoying the stunning blue flowers, but are encouraged not to pick them or take them home. In the UK, the common Bluebell is a protected species

And he spent days rising in the early hours of the morning to get to the woods to get the picture at exactly the right time.

He said: 'The area where the Bluebells are is deep in the middle of the woods.

'There must be hardly anyone who has been there to see how beautiful they are.

Fairy tale: Eight-year-old Daisy Dennis runs through a seemingly endless bluebell glade. The beautiful blooms have been captivating visitors to the woods in Hampshire after flowering early due to the mild spring weather

'I wanted to let people see the incredible beauty of the flowers.'

In the UK, the common Bluebell is a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Landowners are prohibited from removing common Bluebells on their land for sale, and it is a criminal offence to remove the bulbs of wild common Bluebells.