Nature Experience

The blooming season usually begins in spectacular fashion around the end of March. Along the streams and in the forests, vast carpets of snowdrops—also known as March bells—spread out. You can experience this rare natural spectacle especially in the valleys around the Schalkenbach and Altburgerbach streams. 

Typical flowers in March:

• Snowdrops
• Daphne
• First wood anemones
   

Spring really comes into its own starting in April. The scent of wild garlic fills many parts of the forest, while the first cowslips and pasqueflowers appear on the limestone grasslands. You’ll find plenty of spring flowers now, especially on the sunny south-facing slopes around the Schönecken castle ruins. 

Typical flowers in April:

• Wild garlic
• Wood anemone (widespread)
• Cowslip
• Hollow corydalis
• Woodruff

The variety of flowers reaches its peak in May. Hawthorns begin to bloom, and many rare orchid species appear in the forests and on the nutrient-poor grasslands. Columbines can also be admired along the hiking trails and at the edges of the woods. 

Typical flowers in May:

• Hawthorn
• Arum
• Columbine
• Silver leaf
• Golden deadnettle
• Common violet
• Bulb-bearing toothwort (with brood bulbs)
• Beginning of fern development

In early summer, orchids are the defining feature of the landscape in Schönecker Schweiz. The warm, calcareous grasslands and open forest areas now offer ideal conditions for many specialized plant species.

Typical flowers in June:

• Thyme and oregano (on calcareous grasslands) 
• Orchid species (depending on location)
• Meadow flowers and the first summer bloomers