To the south of Varna, a major city and port on the Black Sea coast, lies another unspoiled natural recess - the Kamchia Reserve. The area around the Kamchia river mouth is remarkable for its variety - unique flooded forests of a riverine type, wide beaches with high sand dunes, freshwater marshes and marshy remnants of old riverbeds, cutting deep into the forest. The unusual coexistence of ash, oak, elm, alder and maple trees with lianas climbing between their branches, creates the impression of a tropical forest. The Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum) and several Buttercup species (Scilla sp.), make the scenery even more enchanting. About 100 km further down the coast lies another forest reserve - the Ropotamo. There is no other place in Bulgaria with such a diversity of habitats as in the last 7-8 km stretch of the Ropotamo river, before it joins the Black Sea - the island in front of the river mouth, the coastal cliffs and sand dunes, the river with its tributaries, marshes, flooded and thermophylous forests, wet and dry meadows, caves, a small rocky mountain and maybe more. The exceptional diversity of the riverine habitats harbors rich animal and plant life. Honey Buzzards, Lesser-spotted and White-tailed Eagles soar overhead and the woods hold the Black Stork, the Grey-headed and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, the Wryneck, the Sombre Tit and the Semi-collared Flycatcher. A lot of rare sand plants typical for the Black Sea coast grow in the two areas - Tulipa thracica, Fritillaria pontica, Linum tauricum ssp. bulgaricum and various species of orchids. In the beginning of August the sand dunes at the Ropotamo river mouth are adorned with the white flowers of "The princess of the beach" - the beautiful Sand Lily (Pancratium maritimum).