Published May 11. 2023 12:00PM
PRESS PHOTO BY JIM MARSH In any normal year, this meadow near the Lehigh County Lock Ridge Park in Alburtis would be a carpet of blue with an April bloom of flowering bluebells. This year the bluebells can only be found in widely scattered solo blooms. Where have all the bluebells gone? According to a park groundskeeper, a herd of wild deer near the park have had a great impact this year. The deer have been munching in the bluebell meadow through the winter and spring, the groundskeeper said. With little to no snow cover on the field during the winter, the deer have been able to freely graze, leaving the flowery plants without the ability to mature and bloom.