Snowdrops will soon start their bloom, marking the end of another gloomy winter and the coming of spring. In anticipation, the Kyiv Post has selected the best places to visit in order to enjoy the beauty of spring flowers in Ukraine.
Ichnia National Park
Ichnia National Park in Chernihiv Oblast is especially beautiful in spring, when snowdrops and squills (Scilla bifolia) cover its 10,000 hectares like a blue-and-white carpet. These tender flowers are an endangered species in Ukraine, so it’s forbidden to pick them.
The reserve is worth visiting not just in March. Various flowers come into blossom at different times over spring. The park is home to 52 rare species, including anemone, grass of Parnassus, lesser butterfly orchids, verantrum, and many others.
Ichnia National Park. Ichnya, Chernihiv Oblast (164 kilometers northeast of Kyiv). 43 Lisova St. Open daily 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Guided tours cost Hr 10 per person. Visit in March or April to see the snowdrops.
Snowdrops start to bloom in Ichnia National Park at the beginning of March. The flowers are endangered species included in Ukraine’s Red Book. (Courtesy)
Danube Reserve
Ukraine’s marshlands become a riot of color as bog plants, attractive for their bright shades and unusual forms, put on their springtime show. One of the best displays can be seen at the Danube Biosphere Reserve in Odesa Oblast. The 50,000-hectare reserve is rich with rare species of water plants like floating water nut, Nymphoides peltata, wild orchids (Anacamptis palustris), summer snowflake, Bessarabian clove pink (Dianthus bessarabicus), water lilies, yellow water lily (Nuphar lutea), and many others.
The reserve is also a good spot for birdwatching: It boasts 263 bird species living in marshlands and water meadows, such as pink pelicans, the glossy ibis, yellow heron.
Danube Biosphere Reserve. Vylkove, Odesa Oblast (670 kilometers south of Kyiv). 132A Tatarbunarskoho Povstannya St. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hr 20 for adults, Hr 10 for children. The best time to visit is June and July.
Water lilies are among most popular attractions of the Danube Biosphere reserve. Their flowering period lasts from June till September. (Courtesy)
Askania-Nova Reserve
In spring, visitors to the Askania-Nova biosphere reserve will be especially delighted by the beauty of the Ukrainian steppe. Every year at the end of April the reserve’s 33,000 hectares, Europe’s last virgin steppe area, is blanketed in a silvery bloom – feather grass blossoms. The springtime steppe is mesmerizing – the long and fluffy blossoms of the feather grass twist in the wind and look like foamy sea waves.
Askania-Nova is also famous for its 170 hectares dendropark area, where more than 170 plant species live. Tourists can enjoy the blossoms of lilacs, Cercis Canadensis, Catalpa and many other trees and bushes there.
Askania-Nova biosphere reserve. Askania-Nova, Kherson Oblast (695 kilometers south of Kyiv). 15 Parkova St. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m from April 1 until Nov. 10. Hr 55 for adults, Hr 40 for children. The best time to visit is from late April until June.
Every year at the end of April till June feather grass blossoms on the 33,000 hectares area of Askania-Nova biosphere reserve, Europe’s last virgin steppe area. (Courtesy)
Tulip fields
In spring, the Kropyvnytsky Dendropark resembles the fields of the Netherlands – the park has a vast plantation of tulips that occupies nearly a hectare. The flowers will astonish with their various colors and sizes – more than hundred tulip varieties, with white, red, pink, yellow and even green hues. The range of tulip sizes is also impressive – the smallest grow to only 10 centimeters, while the tallest can be nearly 30 centimeters high. The park is especially proud of its Christmas Sweet tulip variety – an elegant flower with white blooms and a distinct pink hue on its petals.
Kropyvnytsky Dendropark. Kropyvnytsky (301 kilometers south of Kyiv). 28 Yevhena Telnova Ave. Open daily 7 a.m. – 11 p.m. Entrance is free. The best time to visit is from April to May.
The tulips in Kropyvnytsky dendropark astonish with variety of colors and sizes. The tulip fields occupy nearly a hectare area there.
Kyiv’s magnolias
When they come into bloom, the large white and pale pink flowers of the magnolia tree attract thousands to Kyiv’s two botanical gardens.
The first magnolia trees were planted in Kyiv botanical gardens in 1996, and now the gardens boast 10 varieties of magnolia trees. The early-blossoming varieties of magnolias start flowing in mid-April, while the late-blossoming ones stay in bloom until the end of May.
Hryshko National Botanical Garden. Kyiv (1 Tymiryazevska St.). Open daily from 8.30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Hr 30 for adults, Hr 10 for children. To see magnolias, visit in mid-April or early May.
Fomina Botanical Garden. Kyiv (1 Petliury St.). Open daily. Free
