It is the month of May and it is the time when a very interesting plant blooms in my homeland - the Strandzha periwinkle (Rhododendron ponticum).
Preserved since the Tertiary period, it has survived only in two places in Europe - in the Strandzha Mountains and in the Caucasus. It also exists in other places, but as a different subspecies.
It is not found everywhere in Strandzha. It is most abundant around the villages of Kondolovo, Kosti and Bulgari, and that is why this year my friends and I decided to organize ourselves and go see it.
We chose the route around the village of Kondolovo, where there is an eco-trail called "In the Kingdom of periwinkle".
The trail begins about 100 meters north of the village of Kondolovo. There are many signposts and markings along the way.
Along the way, we enjoyed the unique vegetation characteristic of this region.
The centuries-old trees and the unique moss spreading everywhere were majestic.
I saw interesting mushrooms on the trees.
There is a fork in the path to the St. Panteleimon chapel and we headed there.
The small chapel was located near the river and was clogged with leaves, which we cleaned up and the water flowed to the river.
We returned to the main trail to continue exploring the diverse plant species that grow in this area, which the educational signs told us about. Many plant species, and of the trees - oaks, eastern beech, eastern hornbeam, etc.
The deeper we went into the forest, the more Strandzha periwinkle we saw.
The trail was full of resting spots and observation points.
We also took a break in such a place.
The eco-trail crosses a Murzeliv dol in several places, after which there is a climb along a path where Strandzha periwinkle was in even greater abundance.
My friends and I truly enjoyed the views of this unique plant.
The length of the trail is about 4.5 km and is extremely easy and pleasant to hike. It had rained very heavily the day before, but it was not muddy.
If you have a way there, be sure to take a walk, especially at this time of year - during the months of May and June when the periwinkle is in bloom.
sourses: bgflora.net, tripsjournal.com
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