Snowdrop

About

Snowdrop opens the flowering season in the Carpathians. In the deciduous forests of the foothills and low mountains — beech, hornbeam, and oak forests — as well as in shrubs and on forest edges, it blooms when patches of snow still lie around: in March — April, and in warm winters in February.

This small bulbous plant is 7–15 cm tall with two narrow bluish-green leaves. On a thin flower stalk hangs one drooping white flower: three outer petals are longer and pure white, three inner ones are shorter, with a green spot near the edge.

Snowdrop is widespread from Spain to Ukraine, but in many places its populations have declined due to mass gathering for bouquets and digging up bulbs. In Ukraine, the species is listed in the Red Data Book under the name 'white snowdrop' with the status 'data deficient', and in the EU — in Appendix V of the Habitats Directive. The International Union for Conservation of Nature assesses it as near threatened.

Therefore, picking and selling wild snowdrops is prohibited. Do not buy them at markets and along roads: each such bouquet encourages poachers. The plant's bulbs are toxic, so keep garden snowdrops away from children and pets.

Where in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries

Slovakia · Ukraine · Czechia · Austria · Poland · Hungary · Romania

Mountain ranges

Slovak Ore Mountains, Maramureș Mountains, Lesser Fatra, Moravian-Silesian Beskids, Little Carpathians, Gorgany, Strážov Mountains, Vihorlat Mountains, Volovec Mountains, Chornohora

Altitude belts

Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Safety

The bulbs are toxic.

Protection and rules

Listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine (white snowdrop, data deficient). Picking, digging up, and selling is prohibited.

Admire, don’t pick: plants listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine — and any plants in nature reserves and strictly protected zones of national parks — must not be collected.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ