NEWS /Fritillaria gussichiae in Rila Monastery Nature Park

Walking along the mountain paths of the Rila Monastery Nature Park, it is possible to see a beautiful flower that looks very much like a tulip, but it is not a tulip. This is a Fritillaria gussichiae. The flowers of the Fritillaria gussichiae are very similar to the tulip, but they hang down. It is one of the earliest blooming beautiful forest flowers. Spring Easter, forest pine, cornflower, and others also bloom with it. In Bulgaria, it is also found in the Struma Valley, Sredna Gora, Western Rhodopes, and others. Although the predominantly green color in the color of the Fritillaria  "hides" it in the grass and bushes from prying eyes if you see it do not tear it for bouquets. The Fritillaria gussichiae is a protected plant species - included in Annex № 3 of the Biodiversity Act. In the Red List of Bulgarian higher plants the species is categorized as "Almost endangered", and it is also a Balkan endemic.