At the same time, however, there was a connection to the alpine grasslands of the Alps, and plant species coexist here which are otherwise separated by several thousand kilometers, such as cloudberries. Some species evolved under the specific conditions of the Krkonoše unlike in the Alps or in the tundra, especially in Śnieżne Kotły. They are endemic, which means they only appear here. The alpine vegetation zone, with large rocky deserts, can only be found on the highest peaks (Sněžka, Luční hora, Studniční hora, Kotel and Szrenica). Only grass, moss and lichen survive here. Especially species-rich are glacial cirques such as the Obří důl, Labský důl and Důl Bílého Labe on the south side and the dramatic Śnieżne Kotły, Kocioł Łomniczki and the calderas of mountain lakes Wielki Staw and Mały Staw on the north side of the main ridge. The species-richest areas are called zahrádka ("garden"). There are about 15 in Krkonoše, for example Čertova zahrádka und Krakonošova zahrádka. On both the Czech and Polish side, large parts of the mountain range are protected as national parks and nature reserves. The Czech Krkonoše National Park ("Krkonošský národní park", KRNAP) was created in 1963 as the second national park in Czechoslovakia, making it the oldest national park in the Czech Republic. Its area is approximately , including not only the subalpine zone but also large parts down to the foot of the mountains. Poland's Karkonosze National Park ("Karkonoski Park Narodowy", KPN) was created in 1959 and covers an area of . It covers the highly sensitive higher parts of the mountain range from an altitude of about and some special nature reserves below this zone. The strict conservation regulations of the Polish national park prohibit reforestation of damaged and dead forests. On the Czech side, however, large-scale reforestation projects are common. The climate of the Krkonoše is marked by frequent weather changes. The winters are cold and snow depths above are not uncommon.