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An Up Close Look at the Spring Flowers of the Považsky Inovec

Almost everybody enjoys the first flowers of spring. This fact is also well known by nurseries and gardening businesses, which have all come up with ways to accelerate the blooming of plants.

As such, they can offer them to impatient customers during winter as well. However, for the true flowers of spring one must wait and then go out and look for them in their natural environment. Among the most common and well-known is the delicate snowdrop. We can now see several decorative types, which grow on the nearby hills of the Považsky Inovec.

The meadow anemone or pasque flower (Pulsatilla grandis) begins blooming at the end of March. It’s large and striking purple flowers contrast greatly with the dry grass and fallen autumn leaves making them impossible to overlook. They also grow in popular tourists areas around the Tematin Castle, in the Tematin Hills (Tematínske vrchy) Nature Preserve, and on the exposed slopes of Ihelník. A well-known location for the meadow anemone is Sedliská pri Hlohovci, in the area called Soroš, which, in the past, was decimated by fires from burning grass. The Tematin Hills and Sedliská were included in the network of protected areas called Natura 2000 (areas of European importance). This flower also grows around the rocky ridges near Bezovec, in the Holé Brehy Nature Preserve on the slopes of Úhrad hill. Despite it being forbidden, people often dig these flowers up and grow them in their gardens.

From the end of March to the beginning of May pheasant’s eye (Adonis vernalis) is in bloom. The gender name “pheasant” (Adonis) was already well-known in Greek mythology. The beauty and colour of the flower is reminiscent of Venus’ lover, from whose blood the flower sprang (several species of the genus have red flowers). Big yellow flowers adorn the warm, limestone slopes and rugged edges of the forest. In the Považsky Inovec Range it spreads from the southern mountains to the northern areas (Sedliská, lúky nad obcou Jalšové, Ahoj nad obcou Banka, Tematínske vrchy, Beckovské skalice and other locations).

In the semi-shaded areas of sparsely-illuminated forests as well as along their edges grows the snowdrop anemone (Anemone sylvestris). It has one white flower, which is from 3 to 5 cm long. It blooms in April and May.

All three of these flowers belong to the family of Ranunculaceae and are poisonous. The meadow anemone and pheasant’s eye are also used in healing medicine.

Another plant, which you will surely notice while wandering around outside in the spring, is the military orchid (Orchis militaris), which is a member of the orchid family. In May, its reddish-violet, almost purple inflorescence – forming a cone of 10 to 40 flowers – can be seen from a distance. It’s not until we take a closer look that we can see the bizarre composition of the flower and its wide range of colours and shades. All of the flowers mentioned, except the snowdrop anemone, are protected in our country.

Do not miss this opportunity to witness this beauty first-hand!