Auteur Topic: Turkey and Iran - Travelogue  (gelezen 26596 keer)

Arthur Nicholls

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #15 Gepost op: 5 december 2010, 17:30:00 »
As a group of friends who organize our own holidays, we call ourselves 'Serendipity Tours'.  Serendipity " an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. ...".  One such accident occurred in 2006 when they travelled to Marivan along a different road - they discovered a new Fritillaria.

Arthur Nicholls

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #16 Gepost op: 5 december 2010, 17:44:14 »
At the same site were more of Fritillaria crassifolia aff.

Arthur Nicholls

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #17 Gepost op: 5 december 2010, 17:59:57 »
Further along the road was another Fritillaria.  Although not new to science, it is rarely seen.

To get to this Fritillaria, we had to cross a river in full flow, using a log - quite scary but worth it.

In 2006, Dan and others had climbed the mountainside to discover Fritillaria strausii in its 'red' form.

In 2010, confronted by a steep slope and at the end of a tiring day, I decided to look along the river banks.  Our driver, Ismael, also looked along the banks and soon he was excitedly calling to me.

The others only found one plant badly eaten by lily beetle.  Sometimes it pays to be lazy ;)

Arthur Nicholls

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #18 Gepost op: 5 december 2010, 18:10:41 »
Another two Fritillaria to show you today - tomorrow I will post photos of Oncocyclus irises.

Fritillaria reuteri grows in damp places.  I have been fortunate to see it in several places.

Most resemble the Turkish Fritillaria michailovskyi, but occasionally there is more yellow than dark purple, and very occasionally they are all yellow.

Arthur Nicholls

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #19 Gepost op: 5 december 2010, 18:16:38 »
The final Fritillaria for today is Fritillaria zagrica.  I have not been fortunate to see this in Iran - it had already gone to seed.

The photographs were taken by Dan.

Frankie Wulleman

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #20 Gepost op: 5 december 2010, 18:29:37 »
I had Fritillaria michailovskyi once in the garden, but he was always attacked by various predators. After one year he had already disappeared from the garden. :( Maybe it's something more for the alpinehouse.
Lichtervelde, West-Vlaanderen

Frankie Wulleman

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #21 Gepost op: 5 december 2010, 18:50:37 »
A beautiful serie, Arthur. I've enjoyed it. Also nice to see  these plants in their natural habitat.
Lichtervelde, West-Vlaanderen

Wim Boens

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #22 Gepost op: 5 december 2010, 19:06:24 »
Very beautiful pictures, Arthur. Thanks for showing.
I love F. gibbosa and the new species is a stunner too.

I'm looking forward to the pics of the Onco's tomorrow.

Luc Gilgemyn

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #23 Gepost op: 5 december 2010, 20:36:06 »

Very impressive series Arthur !
Thanks for taking us through this Frit World !  ;)



I'm looking forward to the pics of the Onco's tomorrow.

I bet we all are !!  :) :)
Harelbeke-West-Vlaanderen

Gerrit Roest

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #24 Gepost op: 5 december 2010, 22:57:12 »
Very nice pictures Arthur, thanks for sharing with us.
I now realize that there is a lot for me to learn about Frittilaria's.
and I am willing to do so.
Gerrit Roest
Reusel, Noord-Brabant, Nederland

Lily-Anne Vereecken

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #25 Gepost op: 6 december 2010, 07:52:15 »
Hello Arthur
Thanks for showing the beautiful pictures, Arthur.
my favorit is the Fritillaria gibbosa
Lily-Anne

Arthur Nicholls

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #26 Gepost op: 6 december 2010, 11:46:04 »
The first oncocyclus iris I saw was in 2004.  We were speeding along having just enjoyed finding tulips, frits and other bulbs when Ranveig Wallis yelled "STOP".  Our bus had to reverse about 1km. and there it was - Iris meda.  Only a single specimen but so exciting - the first photo shows this iris.

Towards the end of our 2004 trip near Daran, it was again Ranveig who spotted the iris and yelled "Stop".  This time there were clumps of iris in many colours.  I took slides as well as digital and used 2 rolls of film.  We had planned only a short stop but stayed for nearly an hour.  The following year, when we went earlier to Iran, the flowers were only just emerging.  
« Laatst bewerkt op: 6 december 2010, 11:54:25 door Arthur Nicholls »

Arthur Nicholls

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #27 Gepost op: 6 december 2010, 13:09:01 »
In 2008 we saw many different colour forms of Iris meda.  Due to the drought they only grew to 10cm. rasther than the 15 - 20cm. from previous years.

The first photo shows Bob Charman photographing one of the miniature blooms - if you look hard you will see it  ;D

I have made a selection of the different colour forms

Arthur Nicholls

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #28 Gepost op: 6 december 2010, 13:13:55 »
Some more

Arthur Nicholls

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Re:Turkey and Iran - Travelogue
« Reactie #29 Gepost op: 6 december 2010, 13:31:31 »
In 2004 nearing the end of the holiday, we stopped for lunch outside Hamadan.  We climbed a hillside to see what was there - oncos!

We had stopped at just the right place to see the 'Moleskin' iris - they were in  perfect condition and in reasonably large clumps.

In the middle of photographing these special irises a hailstorm broke out - everyone except Bob Wallis rushed back to the bus.  Bob explained that he had found a very special clump with an unusual colour and knew that he would not find it again if he went back to the bus.

In 2005 we returned to the hillside but as we were earlier there were few flowers to see.

In 2008 we returned again and were nearly arrested.  Although there were no signs on the hillside to prevent you wandering, as soon as we started to look for the irises a gentleman appeared and shouted at us.  John Ingham, who had worked in Iran for 10 years and spoke Farsi, explained that we were trespassing and must leave the mountain.  Worse was to follow.
When everybody was back on the bus, the man demanded that our cameras be placed at the front of the bus where they would be examined by his boss who would arrive shortly.  Fortunately we all had digital camers and having looked through 2 cameras and confirmed that we were only taking photos of flowers, we were allowed to leave.

We are not sure why we were prevented from exploring the hillside, but we think we heard explosions that could mean they were tunneling into the hillside.  A nuclear site  :-\