Boston Flora

Tag: China garden tour

  • Friday, July 8 – Thursday, July 21 – Travel to China with the New England Wild Flower Society

    July 8-21, 2016, join the New England Wild Flower Society’s Ted Elliman as we explore forests, meadows, alpine communities, and the culture of the traditionally nomadic Tibetan people who inhabit the eastern edge of the Roof of the World. The Tibetan highlands of Sichuan are home to a spectacular array of landscapes, flora, and wildlife, with mountains soaring to 20,000 feet and an extraordinary diversity of plants, including many species of rhododendrons, primroses, orchids, gentians, and numerous other plants. Little wonder the region has been a magnet for plant explorers for over 150 years. The spruce, fir, and hardwood-forested slopes of the mountains, often with dense understories of bamboo, are among the last strongholds of the giant panda. Want to learn more? Download the brochure at http://www.newfs.org/images/learn/FINAL%20FLYER%20NEWFS.Tibetan%20Highlands%202016.pdf or register now! Please note: This tour will be a deeply rewarding experience for passengers who enjoy travel on scenic, winding mountain roads. There will be frequent stops, and most days do not require excessively long drives, but there will be travel most every day. Most nights will be spent in valley locations at elevations below 11,000 feet, and there will be one night in the town of Litang, which is more than 13,000 feet elevation. Lodging will be “best available,” which means basic amenities everywhere, but some hotels may reflect local rather than Western standards of opulence. Some days we will drive and take short walks at elevations that may exceed 14,000 feet, although we do not intend to spend long periods of time at these elevations, nor engage in sustained activity this high. The higher elevation areas will come later in the trip, after you have had some time to acclimatize. And yes, there will be pandas. Trip fee $3,995 per person double occupancy, plus $1,595 airfare from Boston to Chengdu, round trip, and $295 in tour air.

  • May 14 – May 29, 2011 – Secrets of Sichuan: A Journey to Jiuzhaigou

    The New England Wild Flower Society, with the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture, announce the upcoming tour The Secrets of Sichuan, to take place May 14 – 29, 2011.  This unique expedition to explore the flora, fauna, and culture of Sichuan will be led by Ted Elliman, leader of NEWFS botanical forays to China for many years.

    The rhododendron will be in flower during this visit.  This is good news because China, a global center of diversity for many plant groups, supports more than 400 endemic species of rhododendron. Most of these grow in the Hengduan Mountain region, where the tour will be based.  You may not see them all, but if this is your first trip to southwest China, you will probably see more than you ever have before.  Wild mountain nature reserves are the focus of the journey.  Natural areas on the itinerary include Emei Shan, a revered and sacred 10,000 foot mountain with spectacular flora, Tanghiahe Nature Reserve, with dense broadleaved forests and a rich bird fauna, and Wanglang Nature Reserve, where subalpine conifer forests of spruce, larch and juniper grow up through understories of tall rhododendron and a sparkling array of forest wildflowers.  In Wanglang, at 11,000 feet elevation, the high elevation wildflowers will be blooming at and above timberline.  Tangjiahe and Wanglang are also home to wild populations of giant panda.

    A major highlight will be a two day visit to Jiuzhaigou National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of incomparable beauty, that is another great place to view and photograph spring wildflowers.  Jiuzhaigou is a valley complex of crystalline lakes and streams, connected by a superbly designed network of boardwalk trails.  Accessible parts range in elevation from 7,000 to 11,000 feet, and it is an ideal place to explore on foot.  Frequent shuttle buses provide ready access to the boardwalk trails.  Other stops will be Leshan, where a seated Buddha image 200 feet tall, carved from red sandstone, overlooks an auspicious river confluence, Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, and Sanxingdui Museum.  For a complete itinerary, log on to  http://www.wellesley.edu/WCFH/Courses/Sichuan%20Brochure.pdf.  Trip fee is $3,945 per person, double occupancy, plus air fair of $1,195 from New York, round trip, through Betchart Expeditions, Inc.  Call Renee Apostolou at 800-252-4910 for additional information.