The young people from the FOREST project are preparing for their first exhibition of herbaria.
After a break due to the pandemic situation, the project “For everyone saved a tree” (FOREST) resumed its activities and as an autumn crocus blossomed cheerfully in late September with the smiles of Serbian and Bulgarian youth…Autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale)… Brownray knapweed (Centaurea jacea)… Maidenhair spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes), Common liverwort (Marchantia polymorpba)… this is only part of the autumn aspect of the flowering herbaceous plants, ferns and mosses which the youngsters from Botevgrad and Nis had to collect from their local mountains and to prepare from them herbarium materials. In the period September 25-27, 2020, the Serbian youth visited the mountainous areas near the town of Niska Banya, famous for its healing water, while their Bulgarian peers wandered the paths full of spiritual energy around the Etropole monastery “St. Trinity ”and the captivating as a picture of Juan Miró park “The Sky pastures” near the village of Osikovitsa.
The young people managed to observe the vegetation in different habitats – wet and hay meadows, oak and beech forests. Under the guidance of teams of Bulgarian and Serbian expert scientists, they collected plants, studied their names, features and properties, dried them and arranged them to turn them into pleasing to the eye and mind herbaria.
During the implementation of the activities, the groups of Serbian and Bulgarian young people communicated fully through an on-line connection and managed to exchange their knowledge and impressions from their meeting with Nature.
We look forward to the culmination of the activity – the exhibitions of our unique herbaria, where guests from Bulgaria and Serbia will be able to see 150 species of flowers, ferns and mosses. We will announce the opening dates soon. Welcome friends!
Project “For everyone saved a tree (FOREST)” №CB007.2.32.170 is co-funded by EU through the Interreg-IPA CBC Bulgaria–Serbia Programme.
This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union through the Interreg-IPA CBC Bulgaria-Serbia Programme, CCI No 2014TC16I5CB007. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of YMDRAB and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union or the Managing Authority of the Programme.
