Every spring, the meadows all across Slovenia are full of wild flowers and everyone starts to smile more as the sun shines brightly and begins to warm the air. Especially worth visiting in this time of year are Golica and Velika Planina, known for their white daffodils and purple crocuses, which, every year at the end of April or in May, cover the slopes appearing like white snow-like and purple carpets.

Daffodils on Golica

Each spring, something magical happens on the slopes above the industrial town of Jesenice in northwestern Slovenia. Several of the normally lush green meadows on the mountainsides of Golica, a mountain on the Slovenian-Austrian border, turn almost completely snow-white. But it is not a late-spring snowstorm that is the cause of this extraordinary transformation, but the beautiful white blossoms of wild-growing daffodils.

Unfortunately the daffodil flowers responsible for the striking springtime display are much more fragile than previously thought. In the last few decades, their number has been steadily decreasing. While they still make parts of the Golica mountain white, they have thinned out noticeably in some areas. The main reason for this has been their beauty and immense popularity. Despite several large signs urging visitors not to pick flowers, too many of them can’t resist the temptation to take a couple of them home as souvenirs. Another important reason for the lower number of daffodils on the meadows under Mt. Golica has been overgrazing and the use of fertilizers. To limit the damage, the local farmers have been asked to leave some of the pastures untouched and to use only natural fertilizers on their fields.

For those who wish to witness this breathtaking sight, there are several ways of reaching Mt. Golica. Among them, routes lead from the villages of Planina pod Golico, Javorniski Rovt or from the Dom Pristava mountain hut though the former is the most popular and most direct route.

The slopes below the 1,836 metre-high Golica mountain in northern Slovenia were again covered with white mountain daffodils this year.

This year, the early spring caused the flowers to blossom some three weeks earlier than usual.

The flowers have a trumpet-shaped structure set against a star-shaped background.

Daffodil flowers symbolize friendship, and are some of the most popular flowers due to their unmatched beauty.

Intensive farming, lack of mowing and inconsiderate visitors who can not resist the temptation to take some of them home as souvenirs are endangering the landmark plants.

The amazing view towards the Koca Na Golici mountain hut with the Julian Alps in the background.

Elevated view of the Koca Na Golici mountain hut.

The Koca Na Golici mountain hut at an elevation of 1,582 meters is a very popular destination, or stop-by station, for many local hikers.

A view towards the Julian Alps.

A view from the top of Mt. Golica towards Mt. Stol, the highest peak in the Karavanke mountain range.

The highest point of Mt. Golica at 1,836 meters.

A view from the top of Mt. Golica towards Austria.

Thank you so much Masa Vodenik for sharing all these beautiful photographs. To see more of her beautiful landscape photography, make sure to follow her on Instagram!

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