Despite the fact that the fields are still covered with a white blanket of snow, spring still clearly claims its rights. And in order to establish herself in her power, she is the first to release white flowers - snowdrops. With unique firmness, the harbingers of spring break through the snow and stubbornly reach for the sun. Although they are fragile and delicate in appearance, any plant can envy their perseverance and irresistible desire to live. At a time when snowdrops are in bloom, all nature comes to life after long winter days: snow melts, streams murmur, drops ring under the windows.
Where snowdrops grow
It is impossible to unambiguously answer the question of where snowdrops bloom. The geographical range of their growth is quite large: they grow in Asia Minor, Central and Southern Europe, but the largest number of flowers inhabits the mountain valleys of the Caucasus. Anyone who was in these parts at the time when snowdrops are in bloom, probably noticed how nature comes to life with the appearance of these fragile snow-white inflorescences. But, despite their beauty and resistance to climatic changes in temperature, they are quite capricious and prefer open sunny meadows.- places where you can safely grow. The duration of their flowering is only two or three decades, depending on climatic conditions.
How to determine the growing season
In nature, there are more than 12 species of galanthus (snowdrops), and half of them are listed in the Red Book. At the time when snowdrops bloom, you can determine their growing season, which depends on the location and climatic conditions. If you cut the flower bulb lengthwise, you can find out the time of its life. The section shows that it consists of the number of scales of previous years of life. Each year, 3 scales appear, one of which grows from the lower leaf, and the other two from the base of the assimilating leaflets. Each neck of the bulb produces 3 leaves with pointed tips.
How snowdrops breed
Let's understand not only how snowdrops bloom, but also how they reproduce. A snow-white flower about 20 cm in size, with a subtle, barely perceptible pleasant smell, appears on the surface of the earth simultaneously with two linear green leaves that have their own individual surface. In some it is keeled, in others it is smooth, in others it is folded. For reproduction, galanthus have rounded fruits in the form of fleshy boxes, divided into compartments, each of which contains several small black seeds. At the end of flowering, the ripe box opens from below, and all the seeds fall to the ground. And then the ants carry them to differentpoints of the earth. After the period when snowdrops bloom, their bulbs are again stocked with useful substances. And white spring flowers are gaining strength to grow in the new season.
Why do they bloom early
Now let's find out why snowdrops bloom early? They appear in the world earlier than other plants, because they belong to the category of bulbs, which usually grow on their own first, and then grass appears around them. Due to the appearance of flower arrows from the root, they do not need to waste time and energy on the separate appearance of a flower. Its laying takes place in the summer, so snowdrops live very little and quickly go to the next hibernation until the next flowering.
