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IRG 20 August 2011

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Maggi Young:
Extra pictures and information relating to the next issue of the IRG #20,  which will go online on Friday 27th August, will be posted in this thread.  ;)

Stone Rider:
An introduction to the Haškcovec article in IRG for August 2011 ....



Valley of Butterflies

  This part of Antitaurus mountain complex has no Cedrus libani (it occurs in Taurus Mts. west of the Cilician Gates). The only conifer, Abies cilicica, is hidden in Emli Valley, just under and behind that big country steppe which the Haškovecs recently showed us in the IRG. No larger shrubs (taller than 30 cm) or trees spoil the main smooth and flat design of nature there in steppe you must cross using 5 km long dirty road to reach the oasis of Emli Valley.
The bottom of Emli Valley has a small forest of juicy green Abies cilicica and I can see here in large screes, instead of classic short trunk of Cedrus libani, just the strong trunk of Cedrik Haškovec taking a portrait of a Lamium with a fat Nikon camera in his big hands.
   From some reason (probably the deep valley is nice shelter from cool winds) there are millions of butterflies of all sizes, with prevailing small azure blue ones. Here are four species of Acantholimon well protected from thousand of sheep and goats. The best local hedgehog plant is Acantholimon venustum, which was for years distributed from here under wrong name A. acerosum brachystachium.


I know this area in high summer time when some limestone cliffs shine with slender lampposts of porcelain white Michauxia laevigata and flat areas are dotted with bloody red Sedum sempervivoides.


The late Joyce Carruthers reported from a limestone ridge at altitude 1800 m a locality of pink Pelargonium endlicherianum, which I know only from steep serpentines and from our rock garden.


{photos are from Mojmír Pavelka (Sedum and Pelargonium)}

   In August water supply is short here (only one dropping rusty pipe is offered), so the sheep and insects are thinned for the pleasure of late visitors.  To see this great valley in springtime is pleasure for me and I must thank Cedrik and Štěpánka for their flower show offered for summer issue of IRG.


Maggi Young:
To accompany  "Two Crevice Dwellers in the Same Habitat "  by Kata and Ferenc Zoltan in IRG 20 of August ( 8/2011) here are the photos used in the IRG and also some others.

"The end of July is Bellflower-time in the European Alps.  It was a thrilling experience to see two beautiful members, both fissure-loving, of the Campanulaceae family in the same place in the Dolomites" ................. here are photos from June, and also from  July, showing the changes in the plants' development :

June.... starting with the Campanula







and now the Physoplexis


 now from July....







The habitat:

 spot the colour on the cliff...


Maggi Young:
Some more photos of the Physoplexis  from July......










Many thanks to Kata and Ferenc....... known fondly to us at IRG as  " FerKa "

Maggi Young:

--- Quote from: ranunculus on August 25, 2011, 11:09:04 PM ---
--- Quote from: ranunculus on July 28, 2011, 08:03:51 PM ---July's edition is as stunning as all the others ... magnificent, many many thanks to you all.

--- End quote ---

Ditto, Ditto, Ditto, the August edition.  Another wonderful read ... and such beautiful images.

--- End quote ---
Thank you, Cliff. It is surely reassuring to the authors and photographers to read your encouraging posts...... it is to the editor  :)

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