In pictures: the celestial meadows of Armenia

Often taken for granted, one of the UK’s most threatened habitats is the meadow. These havens of biodiversity are found all over the world, supporting an incredible range of life.

Head of Landscapes and Horticulture at Wakehurst, Iain Parkinson, travelled to Armenia to meet local botanists, who have been working with Kew for a decade, and to experience some of their stunning meadow landscapes.

Wakehurst’s Head of Landscapes and Horticulture, Iain Parkinson, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

Iain was joined by Alice Cathcart, Botanical Horticulturalist at Wakehurst., Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

Plants

Iain and the team carried out ecological research to inspire Wakehurst’s next intrepid landscape transformation: the Silk Road Steppe.

The meadows of Armenia included familiar species to us in the UK, alongside more iconic plants of alpine and meadow steppes.

Purple flower spikes growing in a meadow — A field of Salvia nemorosa, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

Inspired by the plant life along the Silk Road, an ancient trading route that connected China to Europe, our new landscape will be brimming with flora native to this Central Asian region, including Armenia.

A close up of a white flower — Cephalaria gigantea, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

A close up of a pink and yellow flower — Erigeron venustus, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

A collection of small purple trumpet shaped flowers — Campanula stevenii, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

A collection of small white flowers — Tanacetum balsamitoides, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

Places

The Caucasus is an area of great ecological importance.

It is a world biodiversity hotspot, home to 6,400 species of plants, as well as Persian leopards, brown bears, wolves, bison, and golden eagles.

The team explored alpine and sub-alpine meadows, as well as meadow steppe.

A range of meadowland flowers growing in an Armenian field — A meadow in Armenia, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

A person stood next to a car surveying the area with binoculars in a wide valley filled with meadow flowers — Local rangers hold vast knowledge of these ecosystems, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

People

Armenia is famous for the indigenous diversity of major food crops, including many fruits and nuts.

Dr Aisyah Faruk is a Kew Scientist whose team at the Millennium Seed Bank have been working with Armenian partners for over ten years.

Together, they have worked on conserving fruit and nut wild relatives, and native orchids. She said, “Here, the relationship between plants and people is so strong, it’s almost tangible.”

"Our purpose was to safeguard wild populations of fruit and nut species, as well as preserve the knowledge of their traditional use," she explained.

A wide valley filled with meadow flowers — The team's field camp in a subalpine meadow in Armenia, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

Two botanists talking in a glasshouse — The team was led by Anush Nersesyan, Ecologist at Nature Heritage Armenia, who generously shared her vast knowledge with Iain and Alice, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

A person smiling at a food market stall with a pyramid of fruit — Kima shows the team her fresh fruit and home made products on her market stall, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

A person smiling in a meadow — Armenian botanist Sona Galstyan shared her passion for the traditional uses of plants across the country, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

A person smiling through a car door window — Drivers Aram and Edo ensured the team travelled safely through treacherous mountain passes with their impressive off-roading skills, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

A person looking at a full stocked food market stall — Nuts and dried fruits on a market stall, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

“In local markets and roadsides, there are proud displays of fresh cherries, plums and peaches. Sweet lavash, a traditional fruit leather, and stacks of gata, delicious large sweet breads filled with ground walnuts and sugar and topped with intricate decorations, also line the streets,” said Aisyah.

Pollinators

Pollinators abound in the meadows of Armenia.

It was almost melancholic to imagine the relative silence of our UK meadows when compared to the buzzing meadows of Armenia, which are packed full of bees, butterflies, spiders, and birds.

Fly on a white flower — Armenian meadow flower with fly, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

A purple flower with a spider on it — Armenian meadow flower with spider, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

A cricket on a slim green leaf — Armenian meadow flower with cricket, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

A yellow flower with a moth on it — Armenian meadow flower with moth, Lydia Shellien-Walker © RBG Kew

Inspired by Armenia and the wider Caucasus, The Silk Road Steppe will use the soulful language of plants to celebrate the intimate bond between people, plants and place. The landscape will tell the story of people’s cultural associations with plants and the interdependence upon the benefits they provide. Watch this (beautiful!) space.

Acknowledgements

The team would like to thank the Nature Heritage NGO for their fantastic efforts over the past years, and for their meticulous organisation of our expedition. We would also like to thank the local rangers who assisted us.