I had some NGO meeting at the end May in Lagodekhi in Kakheti Region, and these were fortunately taking place within a few moments’ walk of the park with the same name. I didn’t get to walk the marked trails for the few kilometers to the park’s famous waterfalls. I would recommend it if you have a few extra hours. But the forest was a delight and inspiration to me as a nature photographer and lover. It’s a forest of deciduous trees (leafy ones) and conifers (evergreen, needled trees).
Although the sun was shining, temperatures were still nowhere near the scorching summer temperatures of lowland Kakheti. Flowers were everywhere. There were many examples of branches of leaves “dripping their shadows” onto their tree’s trunk. This is a subject I have been searching for. There were also many other people in small groups or singles, who came and went. One group was a school excursion with loud music, which I could have lived without, but it lasted only a short time. I don’t understand why people would bring loud music from the city into the woods. But there it was. Birdsong, in concert-level variety took over when the music faded behind me. It was a much more fitting fit.
I wandered, mostly on trails, but sometimes straying if a tree or scene caught my eye. The relative sizes of raptors were compared to the arms of a human. Other wildlife and features in the park appeared on small billboards, which helped us understand the experience.
You can stop anywhere in a forest and see the abundance of life. The forest is full of life. There are trees that are huge, but there are also creepers and flowers on the ground. Birds, insects and rodents such as squirrels, deer, and other ruminants; wild members of the feline family, wolves, foxes and bears. All large or potentially dangerous creatures are rare and timid. The right weather brings out mushrooms, but the hidden part of the mushroom, the mycelial network, which we are just now beginning to understand, is what connects the forest underground. The mycelial networks allow trees to communicate in subtle, complex and detailed ways over vast distances. We should be amazed at this interconnected conversational process.
The microscopic world is full of life, and the interconnectedness of everything is even more evident. The smallest organisms are the ones that support the larger organisms, and the trees give us oxygen. All carbon-based and mostly powered by sunlight. Other life forms may exist off Earth that are based on elements other than carbon. Sci-fi writers, for instance, love silicon-based lifeforms. But here, we all share a common need for water and the stuff of diamonds and pencil leads.
As I walked through a small section of Lagodekhi Park in Georgia, I noticed the large and small, working together and competing. Georgia’s diverse flora, fauna and other living things provide a unique experience wherever you go. You can see both endemic species as well as others that are found elsewhere. The combination of ancient architecture and landscapes, castles, fortresses, towers, and churches is unique. You can find more diversity in a small area of less than a kilometer. If you crouch down and examine, even a square meter, you will be amazed. Slow down and take notice.
BLOG by Tony Hanmer
Tony Hanmer is a writer and photographer who has been working for GT since 2011. He has lived in Georgia and Svaneti, respectively, since 1999. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with over 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/groups/SvanetiRenaissance/
He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti
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