Upside-down tulips that grow in the mountainous regions of Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia in Turkey in the spring and are called the ‘crying bride’ among the locals, offer a visual feast. Upside-down tulips, which usually evoke sadness but herald the end of the long winter in the East, are also guarded by the residents of the neighborhood so that no harm can come to them. The tulips have a lifespan of 15 days, prompting people to visit the area to see them before they fade away.
It is forbidden to pluck upside-down tulips, which is an endemic species. An administrative fine of 109,593 TL is imposed by the Van Nature Conservation and National Parks Provincial Directorate for those who pluck the tulips for destroying biological diversity.