Snowdrop season is here! Jess Barrett celebrates the reappearance of these beautiful flowers. 

Carpets of white

It’s been a rather cold start to 2018 so far with snow for many of us and temperatures lingering below freezing. Yet, despite this there are signs of spring creeping in with the return of snowdrops to many of our gardens and woodlands. These delicate white flowers, the first to bloom while we’re still in the grips of winter, herald to us that warmer weather and longer days are on the way.

For me there is a magical feel to this time of year; rather than heading home in the dark after work I see beautiful sunsets,  I catch sight of my own breath in the cold, crisp days, and have a desire to be outside bundled up in lots of layers seeing how nature all around is changing week to week.

Nothing though can compare to seeing a carpet of snowdrops while out on a walk. From afar they look like a blanket of snow while closer up you can see each individual one and the way they gently sway in a fresh breeze. Yet, the scientific name for snowdrops Galanthus is a bit different from the wintery connotations we associate with them; it comes from the Greek words gala for "milk", and ánthos for "flower". You can certainly see how such a name is also appropriate as they could be said to look like droplets of milk.

Name aside it’s easy to understand why these small flowers have become such an integral part of our seasonal calendar when they can not only survive but thrive when the trees are still bare and other flowers are yet to be seen. It’s always so exciting to see the first ones of the year growing up out of the ground and makes me think of the spring days to come when nature will be in bloom.

The Scottish Snowdrop Festival is currently taking place across the country until 11th March celebrating these lovely flowers. Our Loch Leven and Lochwinnoch reserves are two of the places taking part – why not pay them a visit to see these beautiful flowers for yourself?