(source: Michaela Zdražilová, TASR)
Thousands of Iris Siberica flowers put on a show in the Hostovické meadows of the Snina district, colouring the meadows violet. This place was declared a natural reservation in 1980 in order to protect this law-protected plant.
“It is under the 4th degree of protection, which means that entering the area is forbidden,” said Anna Macková from the Administration of Protected Regional Area Východné Karpaty, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
Any kind of manipulation with Iris Siberica that could harm the plant, such as touching and tearing, is forbidden, she added.
“The social value of one of them is 51 Euros,” she noted for TASR. Depending on damage, the fine may be even higher.
Iris Siberica is more than one metre tall. Besides that, there are other precious plants in the locality, such as Turkish marsh gladiolus, yellow iris, shining meadow-rue, marsh grass of Parnassus and 15 species of moss.
With the surrounding area, the Hostovické meadows have been included in the area of European significance since 2004. The whole area is about 13.49 hectares.
