Tulips of Kyrgyzia & Kazakhstan

Over ninety per cent of Kyrgyzia lies above the top of the UK’s highest mountain! Independent after the collapse of Soviet rule in Central Asia, this stunningly beautiful country never actually existed before the Soviet Union, rather it was invented (as an autonomous region) in the 1920s by Stalin. Perhaps not surprising then that few of us know much about this land of alpine lakes, fast-flowing rivers, rolling steppelands, conifer forests and rare walnut forests that lie between the arms of the giant snow-capped peaks of the Celestial Mountains.

Time waits for nobody and that’s certainly true of spring bulbs. Hence we are offering two tours to Kyrgyzia a month apart. Quite simply there is a very different range of bulbs to be seen on the two trips. This, the first, concentrates on some fabulous Juno Irises, some of the most beautiful of all the irises, as well as some stunning Frits and early Tulips. First those Junos. An extraordinary seven species are likely! We’ll soon make the acquaintance of lilac Iris narynensis whose falls are centred deep purple. Variable Juno subdecolarata comes in palest yellows, whites and a cold blue that is nowhere near as ice-blue as gorgeous Juno kuschakewiczii that adorns the Besh-Kungey Hills. Along the scenic Naryn River Canyon we’ll find the stacked leaves of Juno graberiana packed full of bright blue blooms, and there’s also pale, greenish-white Juno austrotadchatkalica and little-known Juno rodionenkoi!

Tulips will also be a major focus. Alongside masses of elegant yellow Tulipa ferganica are variable Tulipa ostrowskiana, with its red, yellow or any combination in between blooms, and the shiny white stars of Tulipa jacquesii. Still there are more – Tulipa pseudofegania, Tulipa orthopoda, Tulipa bifloriformis and Tulipa dasystemon. By patches of snow are the white stars of Crocus alatavicus and the gorgeous little pale blue Iridodictyum kolpakowskianum whose falls are dipped in purple ink. Snowmelt is a rich hunting ground for the botanist here – we’ll find Scilla puschkinioides, Gageas, weird orange Gymnospermium albertii and Eranthis longistipitata. There’s also the unusual yellow Colchicum luteum and little Colchicum kesselringii. Fritillary-like Rhinopetalum stenantherum is a beautiful plant, though small in stature it is hung with numbers of stunning pink bells, and there are two more of these gorgeous little frits to find during the tour, little-known Rhinopetalum rugillosum and pinker-still Rhinopetalum karelinii. Anemone gortschakowii and Anemone petiolulosa both have bright yellow flowers, the undersides of the petals often almost red. We’ll find the gorgeous deep pink blooms of Primula fedtschenkoi with their dark eyes, the yellow pyramids of Leontice ewersmannii, delicate Corydalis nevskii, and architectural Euphorbia rapulum. The variety seems never-ending, and the landscapes one fabulous vista are another.

Moving to the northern slope of the Tien Shan in Kazakhstan, a truly remarkable display of colourful tulips carpet the lower mountains and valleys of Southern Kazakhstan in spring. Chief among them are the magnificent goblets of Greig’s Tulip which come in an unforgettable pageant of reds, oranges and yellows. Beautiful water-lily flowers of Tulipa kaufmanniana adorn the lower slopes of the Mountains of Heaven like so many jewels, while swathes of multi-coloured Tulipa ostrowskiana and Tulipa kolpakowskiana shine in the crystal clear air of these Central Asian Mountains.

Stunning red Tulipa albertii and luminous yellow and orange Tulipa lehmanniana are among twenty species of Tulip that include rarities such as Tulipa buhseana, Tulipa tetraphylla and the lovely bicoloured Tulipa zenaidae. Most recently we’ve added the beautiful Tulipa lemmersii, only described two years ago, a yellow beauty known as yet only from west‑facing rocks in a single canyon.

But these are just part of a floral extravaganza. Fritillary-like Korolkovia severzovii and Rhinopetalum stenantherum, with their strange coloured bells, the latter a stunning pink, mix with bright yellow Anemones and a colourful variety of elegant Corydalis species. By patches of snow are the white stars of Crocus alatavicus and along with half a dozen species of Iris is the many-hued Iridodictyum kolpakovskianum. We’ll walk in the famous Aksu-Dzhabagly reserve where we’ll see Siberian Ibex and the globally endangered Arkhar on flowery slopes. Sometimes we encounter Isabelline Brown Bears as they select the most succulent greenery in rich turf by patches of snow. The Sugaty Plateau in the Ketmen Mountains is home to Desert Warbler and elegant Pallas’s Sandgrouse, and Susliks will whistle at us as we enjoy a fine display of bright yellow Tulipa iliensis and lovely Iris scariosa. Bird migration will be in full swing. Flocks of up to a thousand Demoiselle Cranes will be a fantastic sight. Resident Blue Whistling Thrushes and Brown Dippers are joined by migrant Blue-headed Redstarts and Black-throated Thrushes feeding in rocky valleys ablaze with Juno subdecolorata, Iris ruthenica, Paeonia hybrida and the milky wands of Eremurus lactiflorus.