Gentle saffron - another harbinger of spring.

I am looking forward to the arrival of spring, even though we had spring temperatures in mid-January. That's why nature started to wake up early. Sunny rays and warm weather always make me happy, but these temperatures bring a lot of worry to fruit growers in my area. Sunny days always tempt me into nature, so I enjoyed walking around Deliblatski Pescara. I knew I would see these saffrons because it was their time. I was delighted by these wonderful harbingers of spring and these first flowers in nature.

Saffron is a widely known herb, especially because it is used as an expensive spice. It has been known since ancient times, used in ancient Greece, Persia, Crete, and other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries as a dye for porcelain and fabric, perfume, and even for medicinal purposes.

The genus Crocus includes about 100 species, while 20 have been identified in Serbia. Unfortunately, crocus sativus, which is used to make the most expensive spice in the world, does not grow in these areas.

But not everything has to have material value. The mere sight of these wonderful petals that first grace the forests and meadows is enough to brighten your day. The saffron I came across is the so-called striped saffron Crocus reticulatus.

Saffron likes sunny places, especially meadows, but it can also be found in forests, deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests, it is only important that there is the sun.

The word saffron comes from an Arabic word meaning "to be yellow", while the Latin name for the saffron genus comes from the Greek word crocus, which means thread, because the stigmas of the pistil are thread-shaped.

I hope you enjoyed the photos of my striped saffron because it was a real pleasure to photograph it. This wonderful and delicate flower brightened my day. As always, I like to research and know more about what I find in nature, so I have shared with you some interesting facts about this plant that has been known since the earliest human civilizations as magical, medicinal, fragrant, and precious.

This is my ENTRY for Amazing Nature Contest: FREE TOPIC - #4/2/23

All the best,
Your Snežana

I found some information about saffron here