The autumn rains in Turkey stir into life the bulbs lodged deep in crevices in the rocks or in pockets of soil. First come the golden sternbergias – the wineglass globes of clusina or the eggcups of lutea – followed by their deep green strappy leaves. In contrast are the silver and green heart-shaped leaves of cyclamen, topped with delicate pink petals rising from slender stalks. A succession of autumn crocus and colchicum start with colchicum variegatum, its slim tepals decked with a chequerboard in pink and purple. Wide flushes of the miniature colchicum stevenii grow near the coast but pass over very quickly. On Tahtalı Dağı, sometimes peeping thrugh the snow under the cedars, is the large violet blue crocus speciosus, and a little lower down grows crocus matthewii, which has a deep purple base to the flower. A rare endemic crocus succeeds them – crocus wattiorum – a spectacular violet flower with black anthers and long orange styles in the centre. It was discovered in 1992, then lost, then reappeared in just a few spots on the eastern Lycian Way. At the other end of the route, and starting to flower at New Year, is crocus babadağensis – also with black anthers – easy to guess where this one grows! At the same time, the galanthus (snowdrops) come into bloom and you know that the year has turned – the days are again lengthening.
Most trekkers will never see these tiny, delicate treasures but, with the trekking season, the wild daffodils, star of bethlehem and the bee-orchids come into bloom. But that’s another story!
Kate Clow
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