Spring nature in Croatia

[Herminarik]

Hi everybody,

A few snaps from our short trip in central Dalmatia. I have to say we planned this trip into Croatia mountains quite a long time. Our main aim was Colchicum hungaricum in Dalmatian region, then Crocus malyi and mainly Crocus biflorus ssp. weldenii. The weather here in Czech rep. was untill our departure (last Thursday) very cold and windy. From this reason we had a problem to specify the right time for our short trip in southern part of Croatia (weather here in Czech Rep. is a different from the weather in Dalmatian coast or in the mountains). We were very surprised when we saw shortly after daybreak frozen country around town Gospic  on Friday morning and nothern part of Velebit mountain wholly covered with snow. It seemed that this part of Croatia was more frozen as we could imagine when we saw it from webcamera from Croatia. But fortunately, after we passed the of Sveti rok we arrived to an other country – full sun, warm and with flowering daffodils and almonds.

[Herminarik]

some Colchicum hungaricum...

[Herminarik]

and clump of C. hungaricum

[Herminarik]

Our first stop was cca 30km northerly from town Sibenik. We drove around a black dump when my friend saw a lot of flowering Muscaries. We stopped on a first possible place and tried to make a short reconnaissance of the ground. Among the big stones and the dump we saw small light blue flowering Muscari sp., dark blue Ficaria sp. with bronze leaves, a few charming Gagea sp. and to our surprise small white flowering Colchicum hungaricum.

Our next stop was in the village of Neoric – here we tried to find Crocus biflorus ssp. weldenii. Among the big stones we found Cyclamen hederifolium, Ornithogallum sp., Crocus tomamsinianus but any plants of Crocus biflorus.

[Herminarik]

We tried again to find Cr. Biflorus ssp. weldenii in Svilaja mountains. At first sight it is an inhospitable landscape but among small bushes we saw blue carpet of Crocus tomasinianus (?) and here and there some white flower of Cr. biflorus ssp. weldenii. With increasing altitude we saw more and more Cr. Biflorus, while Cr. Tommasinianus completly disapeared.

[Herminarik]

On the road to Drnic we found som interesting Crocus sp. and Heleborus sp.

[Herminarik]

Nature around town Sinj and village Neoric.

[Herminarik]

Our last stop was on the road from Karlobag to Gospic – here we found a lot of Crocus malyi and apparently Colchicum visiani. (Cr. malyi on the picture are from the same locality - we gathered them two years ago).


Greetings from southern Moravia, Igor.

[Armin]

Hi Igor,

I'm pleased to read your post from your long planned trip. Fascinating spring flowers!
Good that finally you got warmer weather.

I think your C. tommasinianus (?) and the 'interesting Crocus sp.' are all C. vernus 
They have dark stems, typical for C. vernus.

[Gerdk]

Enjoyed your report very much - isn't Croatia a most interesting area for
plant enthusiasts?
I also made the experience of an unpleasant cold there (in May!)

Gerd

[Hoy]

Thank you for your interesting presentation from Croatia, Igor!
I haven't thought of visiting this part of Europe but now you have opened my eyes to a new and exiting region

[David Nicholson]

Most interesting Igor. Thanks for posting.

[Herminarik]

Hi Armin,
Thank you very much for the comment. As regards the true name of Crocus (as I identified them as Cr. tommasinnianus and Cr. sp.) I have also a mixed emotion. As I read in the article about flora of Svilaja Mountains, here one could find only Cr. tommasinianus and Cr. biflorus ssp. weldenii. I should be very grateful if anybody from specialist could help me with the identification of the plants comming from this part of Dalmatia.
Chears Igor.

Hi Igor,

I'm pleased to read your post from your long planned trip. Fascinating spring flowers!
Good that finally you got warmer weather.

I think your C. tommasinianus (?) and the 'interesting Crocus sp.' are all C. vernus 
They have dark stems, typical for C. vernus.

[Natalia]

Igor, thanks for the interesting story and for photos:)

[tonyg]

Hi Igor,

I'm pleased to read your post from your long planned trip. Fascinating spring flowers!
Good that finally you got warmer weather.

I think your C. tommasinianus (?) and the 'interesting Crocus sp.' are all C. vernus 
They have dark stems, typical for C. vernus.

I agree with all these comments - thanks for sharing your trip.  Any more pictures?
PS - perhaps white crocus labelled as tommasinianus is that species BUT in same shot are C vernus ... so perhaps not.