The stunning tulip fields that look like they have been created with a giant pack of crayons... and they're a tourist attraction too

By MATT BLAKE
Last updated at 1:44 AM on 25th April 2011

A vast patchwork of kaleidoscopic colour, Holland's tulip fields are clearly nothing to be sneezed at.

From the air it looks as though a giant toddler armed with a box of super-sized crayons has been let loose on the Dutch countryside... if the lines weren't quite so perfect.

The vibrant blues, reds, pinks and yellows sprawl as far as the eye can see in Lisse, western Netherlands, where farmers hope to make huge profits selling them to florists and supermarkets around the world.

Kaleidoscope: Tens of thousands of tourists have flocked to catch a glimpse of these spectacular quilted farmlands before they are cut and sold to florists and supermarkets around the world

Tens of thousands of tourists have flocked to catch a glimpse of these spectacular quilted farmlands in all their technicolour glory.

Many flower-gazers are so excited by the views that they have parked caravans along the bulbfields in a bid to soak up every last hue.

More than three billion tulips are grown each year and two-thirds of the vibrant blooms are exported, mostly to the U.S. and Germany.

Attraction: Many flower-gazers are so excited by the views that they have parked caravans along the bulbfields in a bid to soak up every last hue

Popular: Their dazzling colours are thanks to the years in the 17th century when Tulipmania swept the globe and the most eye-catching specimens changed hands for a small fortune

The tulip season begins in March and lasts until August with several shows held across the country, but the flowers are undoubtedly at their most spectacular at this time of year.

The cultivation of flower bulbs began more than 400 years ago and today Holland produces more than nine billion bulbs every year, of which two thirds are exported overseas.

Evenly distributed, this number would allow for almost two flower bulbs for every person on the planet.

Good pluck with that: Farmers can be seen wading through the fields which can hold over 60million tulips at any one time

Their dazzling colours are thanks to the years in the 17th century when Tulipmania swept the globe and the most eye-catching specimens changed hands for a small fortune.

The country's reputation for producing the colourful flower has grown so much that the area between Haarlem and Leiden is now regarded as "De bollenstreek" or the bulb district.

But like a rainbow, this colourful landscape is a short-lived phenomenon.

When the flowers are gone, the land will be cultivated for a rather more mundane crop of vegetables.