FLOWERS OF North-West HIMALAYA - virtual GUIDE

See separate web-site: https://sites.google.com/a/shpa.org.uk/fowh/

FOR AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE SPECIES COVERED SO FAR, GO TO THE ENTRY FOR IMPATIENS GLANDULIFERA, WITHIN IMPATIENS, AS THIS ILLUSTRATES WELL THE POTENTIAL DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY HAS TO TRANSFORM THE STUDY OF FLOWERING PLANTS AND GREATLY IMPROVE THE STANDARD AND RELIABILITY OF PLANT IDENTIFICATION - WHICH IS DESPERATELY NEEDED IN THE HIMALAYA (AND MANY OTHER REGIONS OF THE WORLD). THERE ARE CURRENTLY SOME 50 IMAGES ON THIS PAGE SHOWING CLOSE-UP DETAIL OF FLORAL AND FOLIAGE - A DIFFERENT WORLD TO THE SINGLE, OFTEN GENERAL IMAGES AVAILABLE PER SPECIES IN SUCH GUIDES AS 'FLOWERS OF THE HIMALAYA' (Polunin & Stainton, published in 1984 AROUND THE TIME I BEGAN MY STUDIES ON FLOWERS OF THE NORTH-WEST HIMALAYA) - WHICH HAS BEEN A STANDARD REFERENCE FOR DECADES, ALBEIT WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF APPROXIMATELY ONE TENTH OF THE TOTAL FLORA OF THE PARTS OF THE HIMALAYAN RANGE IT ATTEMPTED TO COVER.

SEE: https://sites.google.com/a/shpa.org.uk/fowh/impatiens-1

SURELY, ANYONE LOOKING THROUGH MY PHOTOS (TAKEN ON A MODEST DIGITAL CAMERA) CANNOT FAIL BUT TO REALISE JUST WHAT POTENTIAL EXISTS AND GIVEN THE FOOLISH RESTRICTIONS NOW IN PLACE PROHIBITING THE COLLECTION OF PRESSED, DRIED SPECIMENS, FOR USE IN HERBARIA (THE TRADITIONAL WAY TO IDENTIFY PLANTS), WE NOW HAVE A MEANS OF STUDYING PLANTS WHICH ANYONE WHO CAN MASTER THE BASICS OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND FUNCTION IN A METHODICAL FASHION, WHILST BEING WILLING TO EXPLORE INTO COUNTRYSIDE, CAN CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS.

I URGE THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN PHOTOS OF PLANTS IN THE NORTH-WEST HIMALAYA TO CONTACT ME, WITH A VIEW TO SENDING THEM FOR ME (FREE-OF-CHARGE) TO IDENTIFY OR CONFIRM IDENTIFICATIONS OF - THE MORE IMAGES I GET TO SEE, THE BETTER MY UNDERSTANDING OF HIMALAYAN FLORA AND YOU MAY WELL HAVE SOME OF SPECIES I HAVE NEVER COME ACROSS BEFORE OR AT A STAGE OF GROWTH NEW TO ME; IT IS WORTHWHILE PHOTOGRAPHING PLANTS AT EVERY PERIOD OF THE YEAR, ALTHOUGH SHOTS WHEN A PLANT IS IN FULL FLOWER ARE THE MOST VALUABLE, THOSE OF FRUITS AND FOLIAGE ALSO MATTER, AS ONE NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO RECOGNISE SPECIES YEAR-ROUND

The Flora of North-West Himalaya - virtual guide web-site has

The sections on:

It is ALL about examining plants more closely than before

Why arrange this site by genus?

Why are there so many images of each species?

Variation in plant species

CORRECTLY identifying plants is not the quick & easy process you may have thought it was! There is a new & better way - by examining plants more closely...

RELIABILITY of identifications on web-sites is CRUCIAL

How NOT to 'identify' plants......

Which parts of a plant need to be photographed?

Become a 'Plant Detective'

How to use this site to RELIABLY identify native & naturalised species from the NW Himalaya

Get Chris Chadwell to help identify the photos of Himalayan plants you have taken

What is unique about this site?

What is the purpose of this site?

Why are the explanations on this web-site so lengthy?

A modest beginning