The land of wild tulips

Did you know that tulips came from Kazakhstan? Neither did I, until a Kazakh mentioned it. I did a quick search and came to an article in The Astana Times which said “The first tulips came to the kingdom of the Netherlands over 400 years ago from Türkiye, where they were brought from Central Asia. They originated in the mountainous regions and adjacent deserts of Kazakhstan and Central Asia more than 10 to 20 million years ago.” In another age when I visited Turkey I learnt a little about this back story: how tulip mania spread in Turkey beginning from the time of Suleiman the Magnificent. Now, on a walk on the banks of the river Sayram Su in the Tien Shan mountains I got to see the original tulips.

• 

• 

The wildflowers from which garden varieties come are often smaller. These wild tulips were definitely smaller than the Dutch cultivars whose macros take over photo forums in early spring. But finding meadows full of wild tulips is a bit of a dream. We sat down to our picnic lunch in just such a meadow. I munched on an apple and sank back on the grass, to get a worm’s eye view of the place. I didn’t have any previous experience with tulips, and the people I was with were not interested in flower identification. So, for the moment the lovely wildflower which you see in the gallery above (bud and flower) remain unidentified.

Tulipa regelii (?) The biggest technical challenge in taking these photos was the bright sun. Although I was using the better lens, with its UV absorbent coating, it wasn’t enough to get rid of the glare: you can see that bits of the petals are blown out. Why can’t I fix this by changing ISO? That’s because of the harsh shadows which such a strong illumination gives rise to. Stepping down the ISO would then throw the shadows into complete darkness, giving a different feel to the flowers. I’ve always found it much harder to take macros in very bright sun than under an overcast sky.

Another tulip that I saw on the walk was quite different in shape. I recognized the first one as a tulip because of the shape of the bud. This was something I put down mentally as possibly an anemone as I passed. But someone else stopped and said “A different tulip.” Maybe it is the Tulipa regelii. The next time I go to Kazakhstan I’ll make sure to find a guided walk for tulip watching. April is the best time for it. The weather was wonderful, and I understand that it is the time when the largest variety of wild tulips flower.

Tulipa greigii

Once I realized that a variety of tulips flower in this region in May, I went back to an accidental photo I’d taken the previous day in a cemetery in Sayram. I’d not looked carefully at the red flowers which had popped up everywhere, putting them down as poppies. But now, looking at the photo I’d clicked inadvertently while slipping my phone into my pocket I realized that these are not poppies at all. They are the colourful Tulipa greigii.

Of course a walk in the Tien Shan mountains in late April is full of other lovely things. Some I sort of recognized, like the dandelion that you see above. There are so many types of dandelions that I won’t go further. The butterfly? It was very uncooperative. As I circled it to get a good look at its wings, it circled its perch to keep the wings angled away from me. But from the brief look I got as it flew I think it belongs to the genus Phalanta, the leopards.