Snowdrop - summary of a comprehensive lesson. Legends about snowdrops A short story about snowdrops

Galanthus nivalis

Good afternoon, dear readers!

In early spring, the snow-white snowdrop flower is the first to emerge from under the snow.

Snowdrop galanthus galanthus nivalis is a genus of plants in the amaryllis family. There are 17 - 18 known species growing in foothill and mountain forests and meadows.

The most common snowdrop is the white snowdrop, growing mainly in central Europe. In Russia, it grows in the lower, middle and alpine zones of the Ciscaucasia along the edges of the forest, among bushes; snowdrops grow in vast clearings in bright sunny places.

Snowdrops appear when there is still snow. From under the melted snow in March - April, the first spring flowers appear - wonderful gentle harbingers of Spring, and they fade with the last snow. To escape the frost on a cold night, the snowdrop has the ability to bend the peduncle and hide the flower under the fluffy snow.

Snowdrop snowdrop is a perennial bulbous plant with a short growing season, a low plant 8 - 15 centimeters tall with two linear, flat, dark green leaves. When a bud breaks through the snow at the beginning of spring, it is protected by two halves of a bract, tightly closed and pointed at the top. Freed from them, the bud, initially aimed at the sky, bends lower and lower towards the ground and takes on the appearance of being suspended on a curved peduncle. It really becomes like a “snow drop” - snowdrop, as the British call this plant.

A flower arrow usually has one flower. Snowdrop flowers are regular, bisexual with a six-part white perianth, consisting of 6 separate petals, 3 outer petals are twice as large, each flower blooms from 5 days to two weeks.

After flowering, the fruits ripen - a fleshy greenish-yellow capsule with spherical black seeds with a juicy apex. For the sake of tasty seedlings, ants take away seeds through underground passages, promoting the reproduction of snowdrops.

The ground part of the snowdrop dies off after the seeds ripen, and the bulbs overwinter until next year. With the autumn rains, new roots grow from the bottom of the bulb, where nutrients have accumulated. Together with them, leaves and flowers slowly grow, almost reaching the surface of the earth. In this form, the plant overwinters, so that with the first rays of the spring sun it can emerge from under the snow to the surface.

Snowdrop medicinal properties

Snowdrop snowdrop is not used in folk medicine due to the risk of poisoning. The whole plant is used to obtain potent medicines, since the delicate, beautiful flower is very poisonous and contains the alkaloids galantamine and nivalin, which used by official medicine in many serious conditions. Galantamine is used in the treatment of nervous diseases, paralysis and the effects of polio. The alkaloid nivalin also helps treat, in addition to the listed diseases, migraines and vascular spasms of the extremities. Galantine is also used for intestinal and bladder atony.

Galantamine is included in the list of vital and essential drugs. Use ready-made pharmaceutical drugs.

Snowdrop galanthus is also grown as an ornamental early spring plant and has been cultivated since the 14th century. Plants bloom in the sixth or seventh year after sowing.

One of the ancient legends says that at the time when the first people were expelled from the blooming paradise, it was snowing on the earth and Eve was very cold. To cheer her up and instill hope for better times, several openwork snowflakes sprouted, turning into delicate snowdrop flowers, which became a symbol of expectation of a brighter future.

Snow-white snowdrop is listed in the Red Book

Every year, many flowers are picked for bouquets and snowdrops gradually disappear, and in many places they have already disappeared completely, especially in the vicinity of cities - despite the fact that this plant must be protected so that it does not disappear completely and so that our children can admire them, our descendants.

Let's take care of our nature - it is beautiful, rich and very diverse, but not endless!

Watch the video for a good spring mood:

A symbol of hope is a fragile snowdrop...

Legends of snowdrops - about the earliest spring flowers, which include numerous types of corydalis, gooseberry, anemone, lungwort, comrade, mantle, as well as chistyak, crayfish, or serpentine... We traditionally call all the first flowers “snowdrops,” although In fact, the snowdrop is galanthus - just one species of many primroses. Since ancient times, primroses represented by the snowdrop have been considered an emblem of hope and, of course, the snowdrop has often become the hero of various legends and tales...

One day, the old woman Winter with her companions Cold and Wind decided not to let Spring come to earth. All the flowers were frightened by the threats of Winter, except for the snowdrop, which straightened its stem and pressed a hole in the thick blanket of snow. The Sun saw its petals and warmed the earth with warmth, opening the way for Spring.

According to one ancient legend, snowdrops were the first flowers on earth. When God expelled Adam and Eve from paradise, it was winter and snowing on earth. Eva froze and began to cry. The snowflakes took pity on her and several of them turned into flowers. Eva was very happy about this. She had hope for forgiveness, and flowers - snowdrops - have since become a symbol of hope.

There is an old story that resembles a fairy tale in its plot. Once upon a time, there lived a brother and sister. Their parents died early, leaving a house on the edge of the forest, and the children were forced to fend for themselves. The brother was a hunter, and the sister was busy with housework. And then one day, when my brother was not at home, my sister decided to collect more snow to wash the floors in the room. Spring was just coming into its own, and therefore there was still a lot of snow in the forest. The sister took two buckets and went into the forest. She wandered quite far from home. But the girl knew the forest well, and therefore was not afraid of getting lost. But another misfortune awaited her here: the old goblin, riding around his possessions on a lame wolf, saw a girl and realized that such a neat housewife would not bother him. He grabbed her and took her to his den. But the girl was not at a loss - she pulled a string of beads from river pearls left from her mother and began to mark her path with beads. But they fell into the snow without a trace. The girl realized that her brother could not find her and began to cry bitterly. The clear sun took pity on the orphan's grief, melted the snow, and in the place where the pearls fell, the first spring flowers grew - snowdrops. It was through them that the brother found his way to the devil’s den. When the goblin saw that his hiding place had been discovered, he screamed and ran away. And the brother and sister returned to their home and lived happily.

And here is another beautiful Polish legend about the origin of the snowdrop.
It was a harsh winter outside. A family lived in a hut in the mountains. The father of the family went around the world in search of work, and his wife and two children remained waiting for him. At the end of January, the boy suddenly fell ill and the healer identified the illness, but fresh flowers and leaves were needed to treat it. Then his sister went in search of plants and saw that everything around was frozen and covered with snow. She threw herself on the ground and began to cry bitterly. These hot and heartfelt tears of the girl broke through the snow cover, reached the ground and awakened delicate flowers - snowdrops. They began to make their way through the thick layer of snow and finally crawled to the surface. And wherever the girl cried, white flowers rose from the ground. The young beauty picked them, brought them home, and the little brother was saved.

There is also a German version of the story of the origin of the snowdrop.
When the earth was first covered with snow, it really lacked green grass, flowers and beautiful plants. And then the white snowdrop fell to the cold winter and the stinging snow, as a harbinger of the passing frosts. The snow was so happy with the snowdrop that it allowed it to bloom right under its cold blanket.

In Romania and in some countries there is one wonderful spring custom. On the first of March, all people give their loved ones or family and friends a small gift - Marcisor. These are two silk laces with tassels at the ends, woven together (one should be white and the other red) and a flower (most often it is a snowdrop), a heart or something else. Thus, people celebrate the arrival of spring, considering the first of March to be a kind of holiday of spring and love. And the legend itself goes like this.

One day the Sun descended in a village in the form of a young man to have a little fun. The Evil Snake guarded him for a long time, and then stole him from among the people and locked him in his palace. The world became sad, the birds stopped singing, the springs stopped flowing and ringing, and the children forgot what fun and laughter were. The world plunged into darkness, sadness and despondency. And none of the residents dared to fight the terrible Serpent. But there was one brave young man who volunteered to save the Sun. Many people equipped him on the road and gave him their strength so that he could overcome the Serpent and free the Sun. The journey continued all summer, all autumn and all winter.

The guy found the Serpent's palace, and a battle ensued. The young man defeated the Serpent and freed the Sun and it rose into the sky. Nature came to life, people rejoiced, but the brave young man did not have time to see spring, as he was mortally wounded. His warm blood flowed from the wound and flowed onto the snow. Where the snow melted, white flowers grew - snowdrops, the harbingers of spring. The last drop of blood fell on the white snow. A courageous young man has died.

Since then, in honor of the liberator of the world from darkness and sadness, young people have been weaving two thin cords with tassels: one white and one red. They give them to the girls they love, or to relatives and friends. The red color signifies love for all that is beautiful, reminiscent of the color of the blood of a young man, and the white color symbolizes the health and purity of the snowdrop - the first spring flower.

Every year millions of flowers bloom on earth. They are so different, but all, without exception, are beautiful. Look at the flower that grows near your house, in the garden, in the field or in the forest. Whatever it is - very tiny or huge, you will be captivated by its fabulous beauty.
In the region where I live, a lot of snow falls in winter, and in spring the sun turns it into streams of melt water. As soon as the snow melts, in clearings in the forest, in meadows, in gardens, in flowerbeds near houses, amazing creatures called flowers bloom and bloom until late autumn.
Today I will tell you a fairy tale about a small flower that blooms in the forest every year in early spring and is the first to rush to meet the Sun. His name is Snowdrop.
Spring has come. The sun began to peek out more often from behind the gray clouds. It illuminated the clearings in the forest and melted the snow. And as soon as the ground warmed up a little, tiny sprouts of herbs and flowers appeared from it. They liked the sunlight so much that they began to grow very quickly, reaching up towards the Sun, and soon covered the ground with a bright multi-colored carpet of blooming flowers and green grass.
But the small, very delicate white flower could not keep up with them. Because tall blades of grass and flowers, like a dense dense forest, blocked the sunlight from him, preventing him from warming up and getting stronger.
– I need to see Sunny too! - said the flower, asking the blades of grass to part and let him through to the Sun.
But the thin voice of the little flower was not heard by the tall blades of grass and large flowers. They didn't care about the baby. The main thing is that they themselves could be warmed by warm rays from morning to evening, and therefore grew even taller and became even stronger.
The little flower was freezing. Not a single ray of sunlight fell on its head or warmed its delicate white petals. The flower sadly bowed its head and began to cry.
Spring passed, then summer, autumn, winter, and spring came again. But this spring the flower was not lucky either. He never saw Sunny. But it did not know about his trouble. Only one Earth felt sorry for its son and came up with this.
She said to the little flower:
– Next year, in early spring, when the snow has not yet melted, you do not wait for it to melt, but try your best to grow. Strive upward towards the Sun, and don’t be afraid of the cold snow! Then you will be the first and win!
The flower did just that. As soon as spring arrived, he began to struggle through the loose snow with all his might. He wasn’t even cold, because he knew that there, behind this snow, lived the Sun, who would warm him!
And when the little flower saw the clear blue sky and bright sunlight, it cried out with joy:
- Hooray! I see sunshine! Good afternoon, dear Sun!
The sun admired him, looking at him, and said:
– Hello, small but incredibly brave flower! I am very glad that you were not afraid of the cold snow!
As a reward for courage, the Sun decided to warm the thin stem of the flower and its blond head. It immediately sent its hottest rays down to the flower! From such heat, all the snow in the sunny clearing melted instantly. And then the forest saw how the entire clearing was covered with a carpet of amazing, very delicate small snow-white flowers.
These were Snowdrops - the first spring flowers, little brothers and sisters of the baby Snowdrop, who was the very first of all flowers to break through the snow to see the spring Sun and get to know him.

2.01.13
---- read my fairy tales at http://domarenok-t.narod.ru ----

Reviews

Dear Tatyana! What a wonderful tale about the very first brave Snowdrop! She has so much sincerity, warmth and kindness! Tomorrow, on the first day of Spring, I will certainly read it at the labor lesson for first graders, we will just make cards with our own hands, inside which cute snowdrops will come to life and bloom. I sincerely thank you for the joy you have brought me! With respect and warmth, Evgenia, Kyiv.

Thank you very much, dear Evgenia, for the warmth of your words! It's very nice to read such sincere reviews! Let your snowdrops and my fairy tale create joyful impressions in the hearts of children. Such bright moments are remembered for a long time!
Sincerely,

Fedya and Tanya spent their first winter outside the city with their mom and dad, and it seemed to them that there couldn’t be a better time than winter.

Indeed, they had a lot of fun in winter. On bright, frosty days, the children stayed in the garden for a long time, chasing each other there, throwing lumps of snow, pushing each other on small sleds, sometimes sliding down a snowy slide together, merrily and quickly skating.

The children were very sorry that spring was coming. Where the sun warmed the earth, black earth began to appear, and then one day, when they were walking in the garden, Fedya stopped in surprise and shouted:

- Tanya, Tanya, look at the flowers!

Tanya came up and stopped. Indeed, in one place, where the snow had melted, light green stems were visible, and pretty little white flowers were swaying on them.

“Poor things,” said Tanya, “They thought that spring had come and grew up.” How cold they must be! What a pity to see them among the ice and snow. Let's run home, call mom, ask her how we can warm the flowers. I think they made a mistake and bloomed too early.

Fedya and Tanya ran home and told their mother that flowers had grown in the garden, which were probably mistaken, would now freeze and, of course, die from the cold.

“No, no,” mother answered, “don’t be afraid for them.” These are snowdrops, the very first spring flowers. They are not afraid of snow. They feel the warmth of the sun's rays better than all plants and wake up from winter sleep earlier than others. They tell us that spring will come soon, birds will sing and other flowers will bloom. But, of course, if big frosts come again, the snowdrops will die.

— Snowdrops, like other primroses, are not tall plants. They cling to the ground, afraid to tear themselves away from it. It’s warmer near Mother Earth,” my mother said.

Fedya and Tanya liked the snowdrops so much that now they did not want the winter to continue. They were afraid that the delicate white flowers would die, and every day they ran to look at them.

And winter was leaving. Soon the last piece of snow melted. Young, green plants grew everywhere and it seemed to the children that the earth was waking up. Now they had a lot to do. See how this or that sprout has grown, how the buds have swelled. It never occurred to any of them to regret the winter pleasures.

“Yes,” Fedya once said, repeating words he had heard from someone, “there is a time for everything.” Winter was good with snow, skates and sleds, but spring was also good with greenery, flowers and birds.

“True, true,” Tanya answered.

“And then it will be good: a hot summer with berries and mushrooms,” said my mother.

After summer comes autumn with golden leaves and delicious, juicy fruits and vegetables.

Sergey Pancheshny

Hello, my friend! Today I will tell you a fairy tale about a snowdrop. Your dad and mom have long asked me to tell a fairy tale about plants, and so I’m starting with this one. So, sit back and listen.
A long time ago, when there were still very few people on our land and they lived not in cities, but in small villages, the weather on earth was completely different than it is now. In the place where you live, there was a large green forest. Various trees were neighbors in it: huge baobabs and proud sequoias grew next to spruces and pines, and various palms and laurel trees were visible between birches and oaks.
And there were literally no flowers in that forest! Roses and daisies, gladioli and orchids, dahlias and ferns grew together, pleasing the eyes of the few people who could see it. This went on for a very, very long time.
But one day a very cold wind blew from the North, and the weather began to get colder and colder every day. The great glaciation was coming. After all, if before it the weather was very warm, summer-like all year round, now there are seasons that begin to replace each other in turn. And not all forest inhabitants liked these changes.
Animals were the first to go south and birds, who could not remain without warmth for a day, began to fly away. But there were those who remained, and now they live next to us.
Trees and plants, as you know, my friend, have no legs. And therefore, they could not, like animals, run away to the south. But, every year, those plants that loved the sun and warmth most of all began to grow further and further south, until they completely ended up in those warm countries in which they live to this day.
Many flowers also moved south, and a serious dispute broke out among those who remained.
After all, now that winter was coming, the flowers could not grow. They appeared only with the arrival of the first warm ray of the Sun, which awakened the earth from its long winter hibernation. Who should be the harbinger of spring? Rose, cornflower, gladiolus, iris? Or maybe cloves, geranium, chamomile or dandelion?
The plants argued for a long time, but they could not choose a worthy one. And then they decided - next spring, as soon as the first warm rays of the sun break through to the ground and the snow melts a little, all the flowers will appear in the meadows at once. And the flower that passes the test will become the first harbinger of spring.
The next year, among the snowdrifts that had not yet melted, when the cold winter wind was still blowing, beautiful flowers appeared. They were very proud to have taken part in the argument. But another night came, and the flowers, not seeing the Sun, not receiving warmth from it, began to regret that they got involved in this matter. Rose, gladiolus, cornflower, and then other flowers, each decided to grow in its own time.
And only a small, fragile flower with snow-white petals continued to endure all the hardships of the winter night. During the day, he tried to catch any particle of heat that the Sun carried, and at night this particle warmed him until the next day.
-What is your name, persistent flower? - the other flowers asked him.
“I don’t have a name yet,” he answered them.
- Well, since you are the only one of us who did not complain about the cold, snow and lack of heat, then be the first among the flowers who welcomes spring, who is the first to please people’s eyes with heavenly beauty, who gives people hope. And from now on your name will be snowdrop!
This is how it has been since then. In early spring, when the snow has just melted, beautiful flowers appear - snowdrops - the first harbingers of spring. And if you, my friend, manage to see a snowdrop, don’t pick it. Let him bring warmth and joy to other people!

Snowdrop

Kruglyak Oksana

In spring everything becomes different. After long winter nights, the morning sun seems like a miracle. Gentle, calm, it quietly touches life and gives joy to everyone. Just like that, without asking for anything in return...
Every spring Kuzka and Little Fox went hunting. For the snowdrops! And it was a real hunt, don’t be surprised. Snowdrops are such cunning animals (at least, that’s what our heroes decided for themselves), and they hide so skillfully under the snow, branches and leaves that finding them can sometimes be very difficult!
This happened this time too.
On March 8, you need to give gifts. Moms. And this is a must! You can, of course, get by with good behavior and help around the house, but Kuzya and Little Fox, like true gentlemen, believed that women should be pleased with flowers. Preferably obtained by hand.

This year, spring was in no particular hurry to arrive. Or rather, it was winter that didn’t want to go away, and kept throwing up some surprises in the form of snow, ice and cold wind. It so happened that on March 7 there was still snow, which was not part of the plans of our hero-hunters. But there is nowhere to go, feats must be accomplished. And so Kuzya and the Little Fox decided to go. Of course, this was a big secret, but just in case (so as not to worry), they told Grandpa Kuzi about their crusade. Grandfather - the Cat was a warrior of the old school and greatly respected courage in all its manifestations. Therefore, he approved of the trip and even got them all sorts of goodies for the journey: crackers, dried berries, sweets.
Next to their house there was a forest - a real, beautiful and slightly dense forest. A lot of good things could be found there, including snowdrops. Especially if you know the places. The little fox knew every bush and every blade of grass in the forest, so they counted on success.
“What do you think,” Kuzya kept asking, “are they called snowdrops because they grow under the snow?”
“Well, probably,” the Little Fox thought. - After all, if boletuses grow under aspen trees, then that’s what they are called. This means that snowdrops also grow under the snow.
Kuzya calmed down a little. He was very worried because there was still quite a lot of snow. And it's cold too! He preferred to sit at home near the warm stove, enjoy milk, and watch cartoons. In general, he was an ordinary lazy kitten. But for the sake of friendship he was ready for many feats.
It was early morning. As you know, hunting needs to start in the morning in order to get at least some result by the evening.
The weather was calm. The forest was already preparing to welcome spring. Little by little the trees and birds began to cheer up; The first clearings were already appearing. But there were no flowers. Not a single one. Even in those places where there was usually nowhere to step with your foot (that is, with your paw).
- What should I do? - Kuzya asked confused. - How can I congratulate my mother?
- Yeah, and I should also congratulate Ponytail! And grandma! No, I won't leave here empty-handed!
- Maybe they are sitting there under the snow and don’t know that we are looking for them?
- So what should we do now, dig them or something?
The little fox and Kuzya looked at each other. This was a great idea! Brilliant! They began to rake the snow with their frozen paws, picking at it with twigs, but it was no use... The crust of the snow was quite hard, and it was difficult to break through it - what could a small fragile flower do!
Completely desperate, they sat down to rest and think. Droplets of tears froze on my cheeks, and for some reason I felt very sad.
- I came up with it! - Kuzya suddenly jumped. - We'll warm them up!
“Yeah,” said the Great Fox Hunter skeptically, “We will dance around the fire, as the shamans and spirits of the forest will help us...
Kuzya always guessed that his friend was not all right in his head - he spoke too many incomprehensible words. You can’t read so much about all sorts of Indians, adventures and fairy-tale dragons...
- You don't understand! We will breathe on them, they will feel the warmth through the snow and climb up.
-Can you imagine how much time we will spend on this? We don't know where exactly they are.
- You don’t need to know anything. They are alive, so they will definitely feel the warmth.
There was no confidence in the success of this venture, but it was worth a try.
They couldn’t build a fire because no one trusted them with matches yet (and very rightly so, by the way). So they began to breathe on the snow near the tree, where there was usually a sea of ​​snowdrops, and soon the ground darkened. The sun appeared, smiled and began to help them. Cheerful birds flew in, animals awakened from winter came running and melted the snow with their breath.

The snowdrop pulled out thin green petals and stretched. Then he smiled and said:
- Thank you.

He was alone, first. Delicate, fragile and so cute that it would be a crime to pick it off.
Therefore, the holiday was held right in the forest. Kuzya and Little Fox invited all their relatives and friends and felt great pride that they were the ones who got such a wonderful trophy.
And the snowdrop rejoiced that he was able to bring so much happiness and joy with his mere appearance.
This, of course, is just a fairy tale. But I am sure that dreams come true - you just have to really want it.