I knew about this flower from TV documentaries where they show it growing and flowering through the snow. I first saw it in exactly that sort of position , behind a rock amongst snow patches on the way up to the 6,000 foot peak Debela Pec in Slovenia but the photos were poor. In the Austrian Tyrol I found far fewer of these flowers but this was one of them. This is the laziest hill-walking I know: You take the funicular railway to about 5,000 feet where, in summer the restaurants primarily built for winter skiers, stay open. A slightly undulating walk amongst the alpines is possible for most people - ending in a drink and a meal.
Next to late summer snow, Austrian Tyrol, 11th June 2002
Latin Index English Index Home Page
Added on 20th October 2004, amended on February 4th 2005, corrected 24th December 2005