The first field trip of the year — and it is only January. We found ourselves at the southernmost point of Turkey: Hatay. It was my first time here, and the land is truly impressive. We were in the area of Cebel-i Akra Mountain (Kel Dağ), where one side of the ridge faces Turkey and the other, Syria.
After collecting several specimens in the area — Iris histrio, Galanthus sp. and Sternbergia sp. — we continued on to Adana, then Mersin, stopping at every opportunity along the way to look for plants.
The main purpose of the trip was to find Iris stenophylla at a particular location. Unfortunately, the timing was slightly early for the flowers, and we left empty-handed on that front. We are planning to return to the same spot in February — at which point I hope to update this post with a rather more satisfying title: ‘A Complete Field Trip.’
In the meantime, I have put together a short film to convey something of the spirit of fieldwork. The music I chose — Boléro by Maurice Ravel — was the very piece we listened to throughout the entire journey. It is a piece from my childhood. On every single field trip I ever made with my father, Boléro would be playing in the car — from a cassette, in those days.
When we find the plant, the film will be completed too. Fingers crossed!
