The small village on the bank of Lancangjiang River（澜沧江)was where we started our expedition
Ahualuo merrily runs through the lush forest.jpg)
The Lisu (傈僳) hunter with his crossbow
Unidentified violet 1
Unidentified violet 2
A violet growing on a moss-covered tree trunk in the stream
Viola diffusa（蔓茎堇菜）?
Helwingia japonica （青荚叶/叶上珠）I joined in a botanical expedition to Ahualuo River（阿花落河）in Weixi（维西）County. It was part of the EIA work for the proposed hydro-power station on the river.
8.28
The scenery on both sides of the road leading to Weixi was breathtaking. Quiescent Nixi（尼西）Tibetan village, nestled in a deep valley about half an hour's drive from the botanic garden, awed me at first sight. Only the fast-moving van prevented me from taking a good picture of it. Along the way, I saw many houses built on steep slopes and quite a few temples on high cliffs or mountaintops.
8.29
We set off at around 9 a.m.. After crossing a suspension bridge, we reached the place where Ahualuo mingles with Lancangjiang (澜沧江), and from there we started our exploration.
I spotted my first violet of the day soon after, and it was in flower! It looked like Viola acuminata to me except that there were no purple stripes on its lower petal. Later on I found several more species (V. diffusa?, V. magnifica?, etc. )on the roadside, but only the one which resembled V. acuminata was still in flower. The elevation of the place was lower than Jietang and the weather was much warmer. I was surprised yet delighted to find violets still in bloom at this time of year.
We reached our camp site quite early. I was surprised that my teammates did not bring any tents. They simply cut some tall wormwood （蒿）stalks to put on the ground and we slept on them in the open with only a plastic sheet hanging on the walnut tree to provide some cover.
8.30
I was not able to sleep much and got up at 3 due to the cold. Fortunately our guide kept the fire going all night through. So I sat close to the fire and waited impatiently for the dawn to break and the temperature to rise.
The journey today was more difficult than yesterday. We walked on a rough narrow path alongside Ahualuo River. But the spectacular view rewarded our endeavours. Ahualuo ran merrily through the lush forest dwelt by a myriad of wonderful plants, including quite a few species of violets. I had to make quick stops to take pictures as I did not want to be left far behind.
After we had reached the first inspection site, our guide did not know the way further into the deeper mountains and we were stuck on a slope. Luckily just then we met a Lisu (傈僳) hunter who was collecting mushrooms in the forest. He agreed to show us the way. We passed his home in the forest and he invited us in and treated us with fresh umes (Prunus nume, 梅子) picked from his tree.
8.31
On our way back to the village, we ran into a lot of children harvesting walnuts, or herding flocks of goats and pigs in the forest. I also spotted a number of cultivated fields on precipitous slopes. We were told that almost all the Lisu people who had traditionally lived on the mountains were relocated to the more "civilized" flatland area. However, like the hunter we met, many have returned after a while because the mountains were where their hearts belonged and on which their livelihoods depended.
Alas! Another free-running river, home of the Lisu people, and a haven for wildlife is falling victim of "development"...
8.28
The scenery on both sides of the road leading to Weixi was breathtaking. Quiescent Nixi（尼西）Tibetan village, nestled in a deep valley about half an hour's drive from the botanic garden, awed me at first sight. Only the fast-moving van prevented me from taking a good picture of it. Along the way, I saw many houses built on steep slopes and quite a few temples on high cliffs or mountaintops.
8.29
We set off at around 9 a.m.. After crossing a suspension bridge, we reached the place where Ahualuo mingles with Lancangjiang (澜沧江), and from there we started our exploration.
I spotted my first violet of the day soon after, and it was in flower! It looked like Viola acuminata to me except that there were no purple stripes on its lower petal. Later on I found several more species (V. diffusa?, V. magnifica?, etc. )on the roadside, but only the one which resembled V. acuminata was still in flower. The elevation of the place was lower than Jietang and the weather was much warmer. I was surprised yet delighted to find violets still in bloom at this time of year.
We reached our camp site quite early. I was surprised that my teammates did not bring any tents. They simply cut some tall wormwood （蒿）stalks to put on the ground and we slept on them in the open with only a plastic sheet hanging on the walnut tree to provide some cover.
8.30
I was not able to sleep much and got up at 3 due to the cold. Fortunately our guide kept the fire going all night through. So I sat close to the fire and waited impatiently for the dawn to break and the temperature to rise.
The journey today was more difficult than yesterday. We walked on a rough narrow path alongside Ahualuo River. But the spectacular view rewarded our endeavours. Ahualuo ran merrily through the lush forest dwelt by a myriad of wonderful plants, including quite a few species of violets. I had to make quick stops to take pictures as I did not want to be left far behind.
After we had reached the first inspection site, our guide did not know the way further into the deeper mountains and we were stuck on a slope. Luckily just then we met a Lisu (傈僳) hunter who was collecting mushrooms in the forest. He agreed to show us the way. We passed his home in the forest and he invited us in and treated us with fresh umes (Prunus nume, 梅子) picked from his tree.
8.31
On our way back to the village, we ran into a lot of children harvesting walnuts, or herding flocks of goats and pigs in the forest. I also spotted a number of cultivated fields on precipitous slopes. We were told that almost all the Lisu people who had traditionally lived on the mountains were relocated to the more "civilized" flatland area. However, like the hunter we met, many have returned after a while because the mountains were where their hearts belonged and on which their livelihoods depended.
Alas! Another free-running river, home of the Lisu people, and a haven for wildlife is falling victim of "development"...
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