If you walk around swampy areas this time of year, you might be lucky and catch sight of the beautiful Fritillaria meleagris.

You can find it on damp meadows and pastures around Europe: from UK (Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Ducklington..), Sweden (Kungsangen, near Uppsala), France, all the way down to Balkans and Caucasus. In many places (including Slovenia) it is endangered (shrinking habitat):

In Slovenia it is protected since 1949. You can still find it in Ljubljansko barje, Bela krajina, Pesnica, Lendava, Mala Polana, Polskava.. It has many names: močvirski tulipan, močvirska logarica, logarica, žerjavček.

In English it is also known as: Snake’s Head Fritillary, Snakeshead Lily, Snakeflower, Fritillary, Chequered Lily, Hen Flower, Guinea, Guinea-hen flower, Frog cup..

It blooms in April and May (this year already in March due to warmer weather). It is recognizable by the distinctive violet-white pattern, reminding on the chessboard (but they can also be found completely white).

It is hermaphrodite (an organism having both male and female reproductive organs).

It grows up to 25 cm (10 inches) and can be easily spotted in the wild. Bees love it, but the bulb is poisonous!

If you spot it in the wild, admire it there, don’t pick it – it would die quickly! If you still prefer to admire them on your own garden, buy bulbs in specialised shops.

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