When there are snowdrops? In early spring!

Winter always seems the longest time of year. So I want it to be over quickly! Sometimes it happens that the snow and frosts continue even in March, when you are already waiting for the heat and sun. Not only man, but the whole nature rushes to wake up from the hibernation. Even the flowers rush to get out of the ground faster and open their delicate and fragrant buds. This is exactly the period when snowdrops appear. One of the first to wake up these little white flowers. They got their name because their first inflorescences are visible from under the snow. This bulbous plant is called galanthus (Galanthus), in translation - "milk flower", although in the people it is called a snowdrop. It belongs to the family of Amaryllis and comes from the forests and meadows of Europe. Depending on the place of its growth, the period from December to April is the time when snowdrops appear.

There are a lot of kinds of such flowers that wake up under the snow, and then proudly look out from under it towards the spring and the sun. If someone thinks that they are all the same, then he is mistaken. Each separate species is individual and not similar to the others. Some of them have curved petals, others - green veins on petals, others have large flowers. But there are some among them that bloom twice a year - in the spring, when snowdrops appear, and then again in the fall.

There is another interesting feature of these flowers - these are poisonous bulbs. And they are equally dangerous both for animals and for humans. However, the galantamine substance contained in the snowdrops is considered curative. Research scientists show that the use in medicine of drugs containing it, allows you to treat certain diseases.

There are many legends about this flower. Some believe that it symbolizes hope, innocence and purity, that's exactly how snowdrops look on the photo. It is considered a good sign to grow them in the garden. But there are those who think quite the opposite. For example, in Britain, a flower is identified with death. According to legend, he grew up next to the dead guy, who was looking for a young sweetheart.

But no matter how superstitious people may think, it is just a beautiful and delicate flower that, contrary to the frosts, blooms and rejoices each warm ray. There is a beautiful tradition that tells when the snowdrops appear. It says that this flower was the first to appear on the earth even in those times when it was covered with a layer of ice.

However, these are all fairy tales, and the reality is that when plants freeze, plants die, and snowdrops, contrary to the laws of nature, are not afraid of frosts and come to life again under the snow. There are many different versions of their behavior. One of the most suitable is the following: they grow in deciduous forests. They are light in spring, and with the appearance of leaves the soil is in the shade. That's why the galanthus appears when the trees are still at rest and the foliage does not dissolve. Here are such amazing, beautiful and delicate flowers snowdrops. A photo of them proves how extraordinary they are.