The appearance of snowdrops in the first ten days of February signifies a return of the plants' biological calendar to normal, given that in previous years flowering had been seen as early as January due to milder winters, explain specialists from the Buzau Genetic Plant Resources Bank (BRGV) who are making efforts to conserve the species.

The first snowdrops have appeared in gardens across Buzau County. The frost periods in January encouraged their emergence in the first part of February, the normal flowering period. According to specialists at the Genetic Plant Resources Bank, the appearance of the white bells in the first ten days of the month indicates a return of the plants' biological calendar to normal after years in which the flowers could be found both in the wild and in gardens as early as January.

Photo: (c) Florin Zafiu / AGERPRES

'It is within its normal calendar, from now on it begins to appear. This means that nature has somewhat recovered, or that the biological calendar of plants is returning to normal. If we look at this winter from a meteorological point of view, we can describe it as a somewhat normal Romanian winter, as we remember winters from the past. As we know, recent winters have been without low temperatures, not very cold, with no snow, no severe frost or freezing. This winter has come closer, we could say, to a typical normal Romanian winter and that is why the plant is within its calendar. So far, we are dealing with a normal winter with precipitation, whether in the form of snow or rain, with frost periods reaching minus 20 degrees. On this model, we can also expect a normal spring. This is what we want, because temperature fluctuations or a warmer winter do nothing but mislead plants and cause many of them to start growing. That is what happened last year, when high winter temperatures caused trees to enter vegetation and then we had frost intervals in spring. Now, the fact that we have low temperatures, frost and snow only helps keep most plants in a dormant state,' director of the Genetic Plant Resources Bank Costel Vinatoru told AGERPRES.

In order to protect local snowdrop species, the Genetic Plant Resources Bank will attempt to multiply them while also carrying out studies to provide details about the specific conditions that favour their development.

Photo: (c) Florin Zafiu / AGERPRES

'We are talking about an interesting species with several varieties, protected by law. The snowdrop should be admired where we find it and left to multiply, because when it is picked it does not last very long. In Romania there are areas where it occurs naturally, we can call it a richness, an element of heritage, a vegetal treasure. We preserve specimens at the Genetic Plant Resources Bank and we have managed to obtain varieties from our area, from the Buzau Valley. We brought bulbs from there and we hope to multiply them, but we are at the beginning. As you know, the snowdrop reproduces vegetatively, through underground bulbils and not through seed. We want to create a collection of these snowdrop species found in Romania and, why not, also bring in varieties that are not found naturally in Romania. When we think of the martisor [March trinket - a spring charm usually offered on the 1st of March and having a red and white string] of the past, in all its forms, years ago it was symbolised by the snowdrop, as the herald of spring, the one that brought joy. It was loved by our people, it is part of our tradition, we find it in literature and in songs. We could even think of it as a national flower, although we already have a flower that represents us very well, the peony. Within our institution we want to clearly determine the natural conditions and the limiting factors that can put it at risk, to know what it does not like and what the optimal conditions are in which it multiplies naturally, so that we know how we can save it if needed. This is the mission of our bank, to contribute to its preservation,' Costel Vinatoru added.

A year ago, snowdrops could be seen as early as January, a phenomenon that led researchers to believe that the species might be threatened by climate change and might no longer serve as a marker of spring.

Photo: (c) Florin Zafiu / AGERPRES

'It is a species that is somewhat threatened by climate change. It might no longer be a reference point as it once was, when we oriented ourselves by plants. The arrival of spring was foretold by the behaviour of plants and snowdrops were seen as heralds of spring, but now it is January and we do not know what they are announcing, the arrival of frost or the arrival of spring,' the director of the Genetic Plant Resources Bank had said in January last year.

Snowdrops are often grown in gardens and parks as ornamental flowers and are cherished for their special charm. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Florin Zafiu; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)