This year’s census of gentians – conducted annually as part of a conservation programme – is marked by a mix of anticipation and concern. In dry years, many plants typically perish, affecting the number of both flowering plants and first-year rosettes; because gentians have a biennial life cycle, adverse weather impacts the following season as well.

The drought is clearly evident in many areas this year. Although the spring mowing was skipped due to slow growth, the grasslands are currently mostly short, sparse, and parched. Some gentians withered before they could even bloom. Nevertheless, the situation does not yet appear as dire as it was during the extremely dry years of 2015 and 2018; at some sites, the number of flowering gentians has even reached a record high.

"The richest local site for the autumn dwarf gentian (Gentianella amarella) – located within the Kopičácký rybník National Nature Monument – did not disappoint. The first record of the species, noting several dozen plants, dates back to 2009; six years later, 126 flowering plants were counted. A massive boom occurred in 2024, with as many as 41,688 plants blooming. However, the following year the number dropped to 7,634 individuals, and this year we counted 16,191 flowering gentians. Yet, such significant year-to-year fluctuations are characteristic of these plants," explains Helena Neuwirthová, a conservation programme coordinator at the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic (NCA CZ).

NCA CZ manages the Kopičácký rybník National Nature Monument, ensuring, for instance, that regular mowing takes place. The gentians also benefit from grazing and the movement of wildlife; their hooves disturb the soil and curb the growth of more competitive plant species.

Bitter gentians have all but vanished from the landscape, just as traditional farmers, sheep, goats, and meadow mowing have disappeared. Consequently, NCA CZ has developed conservation programmes for three species of gentian. "We focus primarily on ensuring the care of sites where these gentians still grow, as well as on researching and monitoring all existing locations. We are reintroducing carefully timed meadow mowing and grazing, alongside measures to disturb the turf—such as raking. Gaps in the vegetation and a thin moss layer are crucial for seed germination," explains Neuwirthová.

The Bohemian Early Gentian (Gentianella praecox ssp. bohemica) currently grows at 41 sites, primarily in the Šumava region and the Šumava-Novohradské hory foothills. The Autumn Gentian (Gentianella amarella) was found at 59 sites, concentrated mainly in the lowlands and hilly areas of Bohemia, while Sturm’s gentian (Gentianella obtusifolia ssp. sturmiana) occurs at eight locations in western Bohemia.

The European project Prospective LIFE is also working to ensure these beautiful plants do not disappear from the local landscape.

Photo Veronika Valová