Going on a weekend trip to a country or forest walk, townspeople often return home with beautiful bouquets of wildflowers or forest flowers. These flowers may not be as gorgeous as those bought in the store, but their discreet, delicate beauty is quite capable of delighting, giving a couple of more days of memories of a pleasant time in nature. And, meanwhile, among the flowers plucked for a bouquet, there may be those that are listed in the Red Book.
What is the Red Book
The Red Book is a list of endangered or already extinct plant or animal species. These sad lists are drawn up both regionally and nationally and internationally. In the regional Red Data Books you will find photos and descriptions of those animals and plants that were once found and grown in abundance in the area where you live today, moreover, this "once" may be quite recent - about 20-30 years ago. Climate change associated with human activities, the barbaric destruction of natural resources is most often the reason why you have permanently lost or may lose in the near future the opportunity to see this animal or plant. But it is worth considering that before that they existed quite well on earth, occupying the biological niche allotted to them.
The state, of course, is making attempts to somehow remedy the situation, but most often they are limited to publishing such Red Books, leafing through which you can sadly discover that once you yourself could cause the disappearance of a particular species, having plucked a plant you like or flower. In 1988, the Red Book of Plants of Russia was published, the flowers listed in it are arranged in alphabetical order. Knowing the name of the flower you are interested in, you can always check if it is an endangered species, and if so, you can easily find its description in this book.
Do not stimulate merchants with primroses and do not buy such bouquets from them, almost entirely consisting of flowers listed in the Red Book.
As a rule, especially from the uncontrollable and thoughtless human craving for beauty, those flowers that appear in the forests or on the edges of the first of all, the so-called “primroses”: snowdrops, violets, irises, as well as those that have an attractive bright species: poppies, peonies, etc. You should familiarize yourself with these types of plants so as not to inadvertently continue their extermination. Introduce this book to your child, teach him how to carefully handle those natural resources that at first seem inexhaustible, but which, unfortunately, a person is constantly forced to put on the lists of the destroyed.
If you use traditional medicine recipes, try to purchase ingredients for them at the pharmacy, then the raw materials that are sold there are most often grown on special plantations.
Snowdrop Bortkiewicz
Unlike ordinary snowdrops, whose petals are lilac-gray-purple in color, this delicate spring flower is snow-white. Bortkevich's snowdrop (Galanthus bortkewitschianus) is named after the Russian dendrologist and forester V. M. Bortkevich. The population of this plant from the amaryllis family, once occupying large areas in the middle lane, in the Urals and southern Russia, is constantly decreasing. It grows in the middle and lower mountain zones, and these territories are constantly being developed by humans, not only felling is underway, but also new construction is underway. In addition, people mercilessly pluck this beautiful flower to decorate their homes with these delicate bells framed by lanceolate leaves.
Thin-leaved peony
Some 40-50 years ago, this flower could be found almost throughout the country - it also blooms in spring and from mid-May, clusters of its inflorescences, which have an intense burgundy color, could be seen on forest glades and edges, on the slopes of low mountains in the Black Sea regions. This plant grows in groups, so lovers of beauty put bouquets of such peonies literally in buckets, not limited to a few pieces. Now, unfortunately, its population has declined sharply and most often it can be found in the forests on the Black Sea coast.
Iris yellow
Another of the spring flowers that could be found along the shores of lakes and rivers, next to swamps in the middle of European Russia. This flower has not only a beautiful appearance, it is also used in the perfumery and confectionery industry - I squeeze essential oil out of its flowers, and dry rhizomes with a delicate violet aroma are ground and added to cakes and pastries.
Bracts poppy
This magnificent plant from the poppy family, whose height can reach 130 cm, could quite often be found in the southern regions of Russia until recently. Cirrus-dissected leaves located at the roots are crowned with a high stem, decorated with large crimson flowers. In the center, at the base of the petals, the flowers are black with a yellow border. The flowering time of this amazing poppy is mid or late May, and it blooms for more than 3 weeks.
Lily locust
This variety of liliaceae grows in the steppes and forest-steppes of the southern part of Siberia. The saranka is also called "royal curls" for the shape of the flowers, the petals of which are beautifully bent. Snow-white, pinkish or lilac lily flowers look very beautiful in vases, and its roots are used in folk medicine, which, of course, does not contribute to the further preservation of this plant.
