Blooming wild garlic, Hainich National Park, Germany

Stop and smell the…garlic?. Wild garlic in bloom at Hainich National Park, Germany

These pristine, white blooms are wild garlic plants, probably not what comes to mind when you think of flowers. You can get a closer look if you visit the Hainich National Park in Thuringia, Germany. This national park was founded in 1997 to protect its ancient beech forest, which is full of lush deciduous trees.

Wild garlic is a woodland messenger of spring in temperate climates around the world. Native to Europe and Asia, it's widely grown and enjoyed in Germany—so much so that many cities organize festivals to celebrate this pungent plant. The German town of Eberbach has trademarked its claim to be a wild garlic capital and hosts a month-long wild garlic fair every spring.