Rare protected flowers stolen from Hämeenlinna unlikely to survive

Rare and strictly protected hämeenkylmänkukka flowers have been dug up and stolen from Ahvenisto in Hämeenlinna, with city officials warning the plants are unlikely to survive the removal, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reports.

The city has filed a police report for a nature conservation offence after discovering the theft on Thursday. The flowers, which were still intact on Sunday, are classified as critically endangered and legally protected, with a single plant valued at €1,493 by Finland’s Ministry of the Environment.

Leena Väisänen, a forestry engineer for the city of Hämeenlinna, expressed disbelief at the theft. “It’s astonishing that people would dare to dig up these flowers,” she said. The plants were taken from a slope near Ahvenisto’s outdoor swimming area, where they had thrived for years.

Police described the case as unusual. “We handle around 5–10 nature conservation offences annually in the Häme region, but I can’t recall a case specifically targeting a single plant species,” said criminal inspector Teppo Kallio of Häme Police.

The hämeenkylmänkukka, a spring-blooming species and the regional flower of Kanta-Häme, is protected under both Finnish law and the EU Habitats Directive. Its survival depends on sunny, mineral-rich soil, and experts say transplanted specimens rarely take root. Väisänen noted that even if the thieves intended to replant the flowers, the delicate roots—some potentially centuries old—likely suffered fatal damage during removal.

“The chances of new flowers growing in those empty holes are slim,” Väisänen said. “We’ve worked for five years to protect these plants, and this is a major setback for their conservation.”

Authorities suspect the theft was deliberate, as the dug-up patches had been covered, ruling out animal activity. The incident has caused significant harm to both the species’ protection efforts and the area’s natural value.