Yesterday I took the international playgroup to enjoy the early spring in the forest. There’s a special place I know of where you can find the beautiful and rare spring flower Anemone Hepatica (blåsippa). We spent the afternoon in a natural clearing, enjoying the sun, nature and of course fika (fruit and biscuits). Climbing tree trunks and rocks, picking flowers (the non protected vitsippa) and learning about the Swedish nature made a great start of the weekend.

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket) issues national protection orders for wild plants and flowers. Additional regional rules may also apply. Together these regulate how you may handle certain protected species; pick but not collect to sell, no digging up by roots, no picking at all.

The Anemone Hepatica is protected in parts of Sweden. In some counties it must not be picked at all. The blåsippa is a rare and cherished spring flower in Sweden. It even has its own children’s song “Blåsippan ute i backarna står”!
Link to protected plants and wildlife in Sweden; Swedish only.