Living somewhere as beautiful as Hitchin does carry one big risk.

Yes everyone, I did say 'risk'. Admittedly it is risk of the 'mild peril' variety rather than the more unpleasant kind, but a risk it is, nonetheless.

Let me explain.

The UK has nearly 85% of the world's chalk streams, and around here we have several pristine examples that bubble-up at our feet.

We possess a local skylark population that seems to be vociferously bucking the national trend of decline attributed to habitat loss- just listen as you wander the Greenway near Wymondley, for example.

And our town is framed by a chalkland landscape so special that it has been awarded the status of 'Area of Outstanding National Beauty' (AONB): one of only 34 in England.

Add in a smattering of local Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI's), including Oughtonhead Common and Wain Wood in Preston, and you can't help but come to the conclusion that we are more than ordinarily blessed to live where we do.

That's all well and good, but still, where's the risk?

Well, how many times do we start a new day by thanking providence for the good fortune that led us to live around here, eh?

So the risk here is complacency, the gateway attitude that can lead to the far more acute condition of 'familiarity breeding contempt'.

But don't be downhearted: the good news is that we do have a handy cure for this complaint. It is a safe natural multi-sensory intervention based around immersion in an environment of natural wonder, the jaw-dropping beauty of which will stop us all from taking stuff for granted…

The bluebells

Over half of the world's bluebells are here in the UK and although they will grow anywhere that suits them, they truly thrive in our ancient woodlands- which is something else that we have more than our fair share of locally.

And it might also be worth remembering that there are parts of the country that do not have any massed displays of bluebells at all. Imagine that.

The bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) is a wild hyacinth and you can still see similarities with its domesticated garden relatives.

And more importantly our native variety can also be easily distinguished from its invasive Spanish relative (Hyacinthoides hispanica), if you know what to look for.

The English bluebell has a finer stem that droops like a shepherd's crook, with all the bells growing out of one side.

The flowers are narrower and possess a richer, more satisfying colour. If you see a bluebell with these features, together with creamy white pollen and a faint, sweet perfume then you are almost certainly looking at the native variety.

With its larger, paler bells growing all around a thicker stem, its blue pollen and no perfume, the Spanish variety is inferior on all counts but since escaping from Victorian gardens it has been successfully cross-pollinating with our own variety, so still presents a challenge.

We can all help by buying our English bluebell bulbs from trusted suppliers only- there was a story on the radio only this week where police had arrested thieves stealing 8000 such bulbs from woodland in Norfolk. These were to be sold to gardeners eager for the English variety. Caveat emptor!

I am quietly proud that our variety is both more fragrant and more vivid. However, the flower's name might be a slight misnomer, an understandable approximation of a colour that is actually much harder to classify…

One of the primary roles of colour in plants is to attract pollinators and this is the result of the interaction of various underlying pigments and specialist conical cells on the petal surface.

As a result bluebells will attract many bees and butterflies- amongst other species- during their brief flowering period that starts now and lasts until the woodland canopy finally blocks out the sunlight in late May.

But if they're not blue, what are they?

If you can get down to eye-level with a bluebell flower without damaging the surrounding plants- and I highly recommend that you do- you will see that the colour is not homogenous.

Each bell contains tiny strands of white, gold, silver and purple that all contribute to their 'blue' appearance.

So the way we see the colour of this flower depends on the time of day, the age of the plant and the quality of light in your chosen magical forest. Or litter-strewn roadside copse.

The exact hue may be debatable, but one thing is certain: the stunning effect of thousands of plants, all in flower at once: you will be looking at a forest that has been magically carpeted in turquoise, blue and green, all through a hazy purple filter.

Truly spectacular in the low sun of an early spring morning.

In Japan they have the annual custom of Sakura, where thousands flock to immerse themselves in the spectacular blossoming of the cherry trees.

This 'hamami'- the viewing of the flowers- is seen as both life affirming and restorative and can be no different to us walking through woods awash with these magic plants.

And there is magic: they are said to ring at night, this mystical nocturnal peal summoning all the fairies to meet in a forest glade. But don't go listening out for this, for if you hear it then poor fortune or even death will follow.

Hurting bluebells will also result in bad luck and your misery will then be compounded by a hefty fine as this plant is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981). As we have seen, this law forbids the digging up of bulbs but also the massed picking of the flowers and other deliberate damage.

But the good news for us law-abiding and careful wanderers is that by sticking to public rights of way both the landowners and the fairies are happy for us to experience this once-a-year wonder.

But where to go?

Well, the ancient Hitch Wood in Preston is by far the most popular local spot, and rightly so, and as my picture shows these flowers are just starting to appear.

No other place has quite so many bluebells in such glorious surroundings and all criss-crossed by easy to follow paths, too. But my advice? Go as early as you can on some velvet morning and have the place (nearly) to yourself. And remember what that song said: 'learn from us very much, look at us but do not touch'

So there is a green (or blue) prescription to cure the risk of complacency.

And you can exceed the stated dose, too.