From our hotel (Gasthaus Sandlwirt) room we saw this beautiful Alm-meadow and I supposed the white flowers were the famed paperwhites. After the crowds at the festival the previous day Leilani and I were in the mood for a remote and lonesome hike. (I drew the path we took to the meadow, and then further in pink.)
We studied the map, and decided to go off trail as there was no official trail to the meadow.
Leilani made a friend while still walking through the little village of Obersdorf
This fountain had really great water – we stopped there before to fill our bottles, and a sign to refresh one self… Leilani was certain they meant the beer that someone refrigerated there. When we came back after our hike 1/2 of the bottles were gone.
The first paperwhite, Narcissus poeticus (more rounded)
And the last farm. We chatted with the farmer for a while and continued on the wooded path
Finally we reached the start of the real paperwhite meadow
Rosa Primel Primula malacoides
Trollblume Trollius europaeus
View of Obersdorf, arrow pointing to our Gasthaus
The Almhaus
The star shaped narcissi (narcissus radiiflorus) belong to a large group of different species of narscissus and are native to Austria in the areas of Styria, Lower- Austria, Upper- Austria and Carinthia. They are particularly prevalent in Ausseerland, due to the ideal climate and nutrients in the land. They can tolerate or relatively dry locations. The bulbs are in bloom between the middle of May and the middle of June depending on the altitude. Sadly, increased fertilization of the meadows and earlier mowing has decreased the paperwhite meadows, and the flowers on the remaining meadows. The one we found was too steep to mow, and used only for grazing (and the cows obviously don’t like the narcissi).
Knabenkraut Orchis mascula
Old skies at the Almhaus
