Date: Sun, 21 Dec 97 04:46:36 GMT From: saharris@iafrica.com (Eric Green) To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg4776$foo@default> Subject: Summary of 6 months of travel and cp study.
Hello,
Robert Gibson here in Cape Town now 6 months into my year of travel and
Drosera study. I present a brief summary of what I have done so far, and of
my plan for the rest of the travel.
I have spent 2 months in South Africa, in two blocks. The first was in July
when I saw many of the winter growing Drosera around Cape Town, some
of which were just coming into flower. I have returned here to see many of
the summer flowering species in the wild, and in Eric Green's amazing
collection. I am sketching the Drosera of South Africa for a report for the
herbarium at Kirstenbosch, Cape Town, which is also a synthesis of
herbarium and field study. This is keeping me out of mischief and I am
getting to know the details of this superb range of sundews. It has been
amazing to see many of these plants in cultivation, then in the wild, and
then seeing herbarium specimens in Africa and Europe. It is a wonderful
opportunity to do this type of study, and to get a feeling of European-based
exploration of the rest of the world.
I have spent 4 months in Europe; in Iceland, England, Wales, France,
Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Germany. Luxembourg and Switzerland.
Aside from the hiking trip in Iceland I have primarily been visiting
herbariums, botanical gardens and fellow carnivorous plant growers. The
botanical gardens at Kew, Ness (near Liverpool), Rouen, Copenhagen,
Lund, Berlin, Munchen, Wurzberg, Frankfurt and Laussane deserve
special mention for some superb displays and ranges of plants
(carnivorous and otherwise). On the non-cp side it has been a great thrill to
see many castles, cathedrals, churches etc etc etc and to get a feel for the
amazing history of western Europe.
In late January I will return to Europe to travel to more of the UK and
Ireland, return to France and visit northern Italy, and possibly return to
Germany, before flying to New York in March. I'll have three months in the
USA (east and west coasts and the Great Lakes) and adjacent parts of
Canada before returning to Australia in late June. I'll have a large selection
of photos, slides and sketches and am happy to give talks to fellow cp
enthusiasts, as well as anyone interested in Iceland and Macquarie
Island:-)
It has been amazing to meet so many fellow cp enthusiasts, and
particularly wish to thank Frank Wolpert, Wolfgang Bopp, Stan Lampard,
Phil Wilson, Serge Lavaysierre, Clara, Thomas Carow, Paul Debbert, Dr.
Jamn Schlauer, Thomas Alt, Christian Clyne and Yves-Andre Utz for their
time and help. I send a huge THANK YOU to Phill Mann, Dr. Neville
Marchant, Eric Green and Pierre Sibille.
As mentioned above I am writing a report on South African Drosera, but
have seen so much in my travels which I also will write about.
In short, this is an amazing experience in which I am meeting up with
some fantastic people and learning much more about carnivorous plants.
Cheers and Christmas greetings from Cape Town,
Robert
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