: Published: 02 June 2022

Captivating stories about the plants of the Pieniny mountains by Professor Ludwik Frey

Professor Ludwik Frey, botanist, enthusiast of plants, and tireless promoter of science, associated with our Institute, is truly a master at creating captivating and informative stories about plants growing in the Pieniny Mountains (and not only there). In his stories, the reader will find answers to the questions: why is it better not to pick gentians (Gentiana sp.) and not to put it in vases, what is the etymology of the folk name "Judas Iscariot's pieces of silver" of perennial honesty (Lunaria rediviva), which researchers were especially fascinated by the Pieniny Mountains and which plant is the symbol of the Pieniny Mountains. Reading the story will also reveal which plants the author gave fanciful, pictorial titles: Alpine Stray, Botanical Cinderella, Black Lady, Miss of the Pieniny Mountains, Tireless Pilgrim or Charming tricksters.

Professor Frey started his activity as a popularizer of scientific knowledge in 2006, publishing a story about orchids in the November issue of the monthly Z doliny Grajcarka and thus inaugurating the widely read column From a botanist's notebook. This activity has been going on for 15 years, and so far 180 articles have been published throughout the series. Thirty-three of them were richly illustrated and published in 2010 in the form of a book entitled Tales of plants from the Pieniny Mountains (available as PDF; articles from 2017–2021, which were not included in the book, can be downloaded from the website of the Municipal Cultural Center in Szczawnica).

In 2012–2015, Professor Frey wrote about plants of the Pieniny Mountains also for the bilingual, Polish-English quarterly Polski Region Pieniny. In the last issue of this periodical, his 13th article was published, entitled Pienińska flora z kajaka widziana ‒ Pieniny flora as seen from a kayak.

We encourage you to read the stories by Professor Frey, which introduce readers to the diversity and beauty of the plant world in an interesting and inspiring way.