ASTANA – Bright colors are springing to life as Kazakhstan’s signature rare Greig’s tulip blooms near Temirlan village in the Turkistan Region, reported the Kazinform news agency.
Rare Greig’s tulip blooms near Temirlan village in the Turkistan Region, reported the Kazinform news agency. Photo credit: Maksat Shagyrbayev/ Kazinform. Click to see the map in full size. The map is designed by The Astana Times
Spread over 100 hectares, tulips in intense shades of red attract travelers eager to capture stunning photographs.
“Tulip fields in the region are increasing every year. I think this stems from the fact that wildflowers are protected at the state level and from growing environmental consciousness among the population,” said Gani Nazarbek, a researcher at the Syrdarya-Turkistan State Regional Natural Park.
Photo credit: Maksat Shagyrbayev/ Kazinform
Central Asia and Kazakhstan are considered the source of the world’s first tulips. Diverse types of wild tulips originated here more than 10 to 20 million years ago, spreading to the west and the north.
Kazakhstan is home to nearly 40 out of approximately 100-120 wild species known to the world. Eighteen of Kazakhstan’s tulip species are included in the Red Book that lists rare and endangered flora and fauna, such as túlipa greigii (Greig’s tulip), túlipa kaufmanniana, and túlipa schrénkii.
Photo credit: Maksat Shagyrbayev/ Kazinform
For those who intend to collect plants listed in the Red Book, the penalties are quite severe: over $24,600 per uprooted plant, 800 hours of community service, or three years of imprisonment, but even that did not dissuade some.
Police officers located a resident of Ordabasy village who had picked Greig’s tulips. A woman recorded that on video and shared it on her social media page.
“The police of the Turkistan Region reminds residents and guests who come to admire Greig’s tulips that the law stipulates responsibility for uprooting plants listed in the Red Book,” warned the regional police department’s press service.
