Discover Sri Lanka New England Wild Flower Society expedition

February 8th-22nd, 2018

Location - Equatorial

Ramayana Indian epic- Earliest mention of Lanka 400 -200 BC Mahavamsa & Culavamsa Compiled 400 CE – recounts 2357 years of history beginning 543 BC arrival of King Vijaya to British conquest in 1815 covering the reigns of 181 monarchs.

Trade on the maritime silk road

Ptolemy’s first map of the world 1st century Taprobane (Tambapanni) Sri Lanka is much larger than India reflecting its importance in maritime trade. The Greek name Taprobane comes from Tambapanni an ancient name for the country meaning “copper earth” –from the reddish color of the iron oxide rich sand and soil in north west coast where King Vijaya is supposed to have embarked.

European colonizers 1505 - 1948

• Portuguese 1505 – 1658

• Dutch VOC – 1602 -1796

• British – 1796-1948 Destinations will cover history from all these periods Compare dates in US history – Dutch – arrival of Henry Hudson for VOC in 1609 and establishment of New Amsterdam in 1613. Exchanged with the British in 1667 for Surinam. British challenged by the Colonists in 1765. Eventually routed out in 1785. British took over Dutch territories in 1796 during Napoleonic wars when the Netherlands was vulnerable to French take over.

Current political and cultural make up • 21 million people • Majority ethnicity Sinhalese 70% • Majority religion Buddhism 70% • Two major minorities – Tamil Hindus and Muslims

( Tamil speaking) • 10% Christians of both ethnicities – Sinhalese and

Tamil • Two main local languages – Sinhala and Tamil • Small but influential community of Burghers –

who trace their roots to Portuguese, Dutch and British who stayed behind in the island

• Parliamentary democracy • Very high literacy and education levels • First elected woman head of State in 1960-65,70-

77, 1994-2000

� ලංකාෙව ාාක ෙකෙකය - Sinhala

இலங்ைகய�னேதசிகக்ைகா - Tamil

Break up Gondwana – Deccan plate and island formation

Prehistoric activity Balangoda man 38,000 – 35,000 BC

Topography, floristic zones and trip route

Modern botanical exploration

Linneaus’s First tropical Flora in 1747 - Flora Zeylanica Many tropical genera and species in his seminal Genera Plantarum and Species Plantarum come from Sri Lanka

Several British era Floras in the 1800- 1900 Current Flora of Ceylon 14 Volumes 1980- 2000

Field guides available

Forest cover in Sri Lanka 1992 - 2010

Current extent of forest lands and non-forest tree cover: 30% forest cover -2 million ha, 13% tree crop home gardens 0.85 million ha 8% coconut and rubber - 0.52 million ha Protected area - 26 % protected areas. Earliest recorded sanctuaries under King Devanampiyatissa in 250 BC when he converted to Buddhism.

Trip itinerary 1. Muthurajawela Marshes –

Negombo 2. Dambulla Cave Temple – UNESCO

World Heritage Site 3. Habarana 4. Ritigala Nature Reserve 5. Sigiriya Rock Fortress – UNESCO

WHS 6. Spice Garden, Matale and Kandy 7. Peradeniya Royal Botanic Gardens 8. Nuwara Eliya and Petro Tea Estate

and Tea factory 9. Horton Plains National Park 10. Hakgala Botanic Gardens 11. Yala National Park 12. Sinharaja Rain Forest UNESCO WHS 13. Dutch Fort in Galle, UNESCO WHS

Muthurajawela Marshes wetland and bird sanctuary on the Negombo lagoon

Hot and humid – 80 degrees F and 90% humidity. Early morning boat ride will be cooler. Long sleeved shirts and sunscreen advised. Also insect repellent for mosquitoes.

200 species of plants, mangrove swamps wetland, grassland, stream banks

Dambulla Cave temple UNESCO World Heritage Site 300 BCE – 1100 CE

Five major caves with elaborate sculptures and painting depicting the life of the Buddha, royalty and divine beings. Rock is about 500 ft – the climb is gradual about 350-400 rock hewn steps. As in all Buddhist places of worship you will need to take foot ware off before entering the sacred area. Long pants and skirts advised for modesty and extra socks if you don’t want to be bare foot. 80 -90 F, 80% humidity a bit drier and breezy at the top

Ritigala Nature Reserve

. Isolated hill range among the northern plains – 2500 ft elevation Climate progressively cooler at the higher elevations with high rainfall. Remnants of wet zone flora Associated with Ramayana legend

Ritigala – Monastic complex from 350 BC – 1000-1100 CE

Climb is gradual along the stone paved path. Mostly through the high forest and shady and cool. Walk is bout 1 mile and climb upto about 1000 ft.

Sigiriya Rock Fortress UNESCO World Heritage Site

On its summit are the remains of a 5th century palace.

600 ft high, about 1200 steps – first 500 gradual in stages and then a steep climb. Takes about 1 to 1.5 hour to the top. Lots to explore in between

Sigiriya Rock fortress

Named Lion –rock “Sinha – giri” has two huge lion’s paws carved in stone Hidden in a cave along the citadel are some of the most

magnificent ancient frescoes in South Asia

Spice Garden— Matale and on to Kandy 1200-1600 ft elevation

Royal Botanic Garden, Peradeniya Founded in 1824 beginning of British plantation agriculture

80 degrees F, 70% humidity long sleeved shirts and long pants and insect repellent for day time mosquitos.

Nuwara Eliya - Little England Petro tea estate – 6000 ft elevation

50 – 60 F, humidity 100% pleasantly cool

Horton Plains National Park

Horton Plains is a wild stretch of bleak, high-altitude moorland with peaks up to 7,500 feet. 50 – 60 F, humidity 80 -100%, early morning frost. Light jacket appropriate.

Horton Plains

The sheer precipice of World’s End and Baker’s Falls are among the attractions of the park. Montane evergreen forests also cover the park.

Hakgala Botanical Garden established 1860 – elevation 5400 ft

Cinchona, whose bark yielded quinine, widely used at that time as a remedy for malaria was first grown here and plantations established.

Yala National Park 100- 400 ft on the coast

Yala National Park

90 F, 80 % humidity. It is very hot. Safari will be early in the morning and and late evening when animals emerge.

Sinharaja Rain Forest UNESCO WHS Global biodiversity “hot spot” 3300 ft

Last extensive area of undisturbed rainforest. More than 60% of the trees are endemic, and most of them are rare. Also many endemic birds, mammals, butterflies and insects.

Rainforest Eco lodge Southern Sinharaja

Pitcher plant - Nepenthes distillatoria Cool and humid. Good to have sturdy sneakers. Forest paths may have leeches and leech socks can be purchased in-country.

Galle Fort Portuguese-Dutch era 1588 – 1649

Galle Fort – cobbled streets

Thank you! Hope you can join!