Armenia & Nagorno-Karabakh 2016
This trip was part-fieldwork, part-birthright. I have family in Armenia that I never had the chance to visit before, so when the opportunity came up to join in on a botanical tour of the country, I couldn't pass it up. Tucked in the Caucasus mountains at the fringes of western Asia, Armenia is nothing if not highlands - most of the country is above 2000 m. Mostly arid except for its densely forested northern third, Armenia's fern flora is depauperate compared to its exceptional representation of flowering plants (Apiaceae, Fabaceae, and Rosaceae struck me as especially rich) but the species were interesting nonetheless. Most of the ferns I encountered were tucked in small crevices in cliffs (Asplenium and Allosorus were abundant) but I found others in forests and alpine meadows: Polystichum, Dryopteris, Equisetum, Polypodium, and Athyrium species were never abundant but widespread nonetheless. In particular, the Dryopteris affinis group was well-represented in the country, and needs revision.
I was able to visit the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh during my trip but botanizing was not on the agenda. Because of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the area was (and still is) difficult to explore. Just before my visit, a brief military conflict broke out, in which hundreds on both sides were killed, and tensions were high. The region remains one of the most heavily mined in the world, and following the 2020 conflict, some of the areas that I visited, including the town of Shushi (which was still ruined from the 1990s war) are now controlled by Azerbaijan.
A complicated trip for sure, but one of my favorites. I'll be back - someone has to sort out those Dryopteris!