The
bloom starts immediately after the melting of snow but
the peak blooming period is from mid July to mid of
August. Almost 300 species of wild flowers bloom here
in natural way. Wherein some of the species areAnemone,
Geranium, Marsh marigold, Prinula, Potentilla, Geum,
Asters, Lilium, Ranunculus, Corydalis, Inula, Braham
kamal, Campanula, Pedicularis, Arisaema, Morina, Impatiens,
Bistorta, Ligularia, Anaphalis, Saxifrages, Sibbaldia,
Thermopsis, Trollius, Codonopsis, Dactylorhiza, Cypripedium,
Strawberry, Epilobium, Rhododendrons and numerous others.
Most of the flowers have medicinal values too. The abundance
of Asmanda fern in this valley is a rare sight than
in other Himalayan valleys. The valley remains is bloom
for three months while the looral composition keeps
on changing every few days. By September the hue starts
changing and autumn bids farewell to flowers and the
entire vegetation remains dormant for about next five
months when the valley is snow bound.
Apart from the flowers some species of Butterfly, Musk
deer, Blue sheep ( Bharal ), Himalayan bear, Himalayan
mouse hare and some Himalayan birds & Snow leopard
are also found in this area. Due to these specialities
it has always caught the attention of the nature lovers
as well as the environmentalists. To conserve the nature’s
benevolent gift and to maintain the natural balance
of the valley-the valley was declared a National Park
in 1982. The Valley was introduced to the world as the
Valley of Flowers by Frank S, Smith - mountaineer, explorer,
botanist who camped here for several weeks in the monsoon
of 1937 and did valuable exploratory work. He authored
a book called "The Valley of Flowers" which
unveiled the beauty and floral splendours of the valley
and thus threw open the doors of this verdant jewel
to nature-enthusiasts all over the world.
In 1939, Miss Margarate Legge, a botanist deputed by
the botanical gardens of Edinburgh arrived at the valley
for further studies. While she was traversing some rocky
slopes to collect flowers, she slipped off and was lost
for ever in the garden of the gods. Her sister later
visited the valley and erected a memorial on the spot
where she was buried by the locals. The thoughtful memorial
is still there and the lines inscribed on the marble
slab read: "I will lift mine eyes unto
the Hills from whence cometh my strength" |
