Did you know that the mountains above Montreux in Switzerland are one of the natural habitats of wild narcissus – the white variety of the daffodil ? In fact, from 1897 to 1957, there used to be an annual narcissus parade and festival in Montreux to celebrate the blooming of the spring flowers.
The “Association pour la sauvegarde et la promotion des narcisses de la Riviera“ (roughly translated as the association for the protection and promotion of the daffodils along the Swiss Riviera) is trying to maintain and restore fields of the flowers.
One of the areas where you can see the flowers is near Les Avants, north of Montreux, and as this is the time of the year, I went with my wife and friends to find the flowers. What surprise when we reached a field with a sign that says the farmer is supporting the protection of the daffodil, but which was cleared of grass and flowers. Why would he have done that? Answers on a postcard, please.
We did see fields of daffodils a little further down the road, and it is a truly magnificent sight. I hope the Association can maintain the practice of keeping the flowers in bloom, and convince the farmers not to mow the grass too early!
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