With it or on it

Within his work, ‘Moralia’, Plutarch recorded the famous line “Come back with this shield or on it”, as an example of the kind of stoic farewell from a Spartan mother to a son departing for battle.

Although there was never any real danger of such an extreme alternative should Logan fail to send back images of Greek bulbs in the wild (as he makes his way through a number of Southern European countries), the level of expectation around our studio was indeed elevated.

And we were not disappointed by the excellent photos that came through of Muscari (syn. Leopoldia) comosum and Galanthus reginae-olgae growing in disturbed ground, woodlands and rocky habitats of the Zagori region.

The timing of this trip was particularly fortunate for us, given the recent website development in which we have started to add plant profiles of some of the many flowering bulb species that we use within our work – including the two species noted above.

Anyone who is familiar with the O2 website will know that we place great value on the observation of plants in their natural environments. However, the effort and expense in getting to the Mediterranean far exceeds that involved in our frequent travels around New Zealand for work and research.

Thanks to Logan’s well-chosen route through the wider region, we have been able to add valuable context to the profiles on Galanthus reginae-olgae and Muscari (syn. Leopoldia) comosum. And of course, Logan does not need to fall upon his camera in dishonour.

What a relief.

The habitat photos included within this journal article are provided by Logan Drummond. As with all other images on the O2 Landscapes website, ownership resides with the photographer, and these images may not be used or reproduced without the consent of both Logan and O2 Landscapes.