Back at the beginning of my blog adventure, I told you that I would get a camera and begin to teach myself how to take photos and then load them onto this site. That may seem so easy for many of you, but for me, I assure you, it is like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with an 800 pound anvil on my back!
Desert Flowers are wonderful things. Of course the colors of the flowers and buds are gorgeous and so very calming, yet vibrant. But the thing that I like the most about desert flowers is their fragility. Seeing them is like seeing a secret unfold. It is something that doesn't come all the time, nor will you go into stores or flower shops and see most of these shy blooms. Just seeing one 'live' is a special thing.
I love it when Namibia gets heavy rains and whole areas of the country which are brown and vast and 'moonscape' like, become alive with colorful flowers of all description!
For me, the randomness (seemingly) of the desert flower is what makes it more beautiful.
I took this photo in my own back yard! Not bad for an amateur with a cheap digital camera! This is a round cacutus with long painful needles to be sure. The Afrikaans word for this plant translates to be "mother-in-law's cushion." I laughed hard at that one. You can imagine some guy making up that name wishing that his mother-in-law, who must be a pain in the butt, sits on such a thing!
The plant is indeed shaped like a round, fat floor pillow that you'd sit on. Believe me, if anyone sits on this bad boy, you'll not sit anywhere else for weeks after you get out of the hospital. Aside from the scary needles, the flowers are quite lovely. This one has delicate little yellow flowers budding all over. See how the buds look like little peanuts first; then as time goes, the peanut gets bigger and then opens on all sides into a yellow flower! Hurray!
Actually, it is Spring here in Namibia... remember our seasons are the reverse of North America. I touched the little buds and they look and feel like thin, gossamer wings or thin rice paper. The yellow color is rich, but you can see through to the other side of the bud when you touch it. The yellow gets deeper and deeper as you move towards the center of the flower. I love that about desert flowers, delicate and hesitant to show their glory!
This one is also from my backyard in Windhoek. This cactus (I will have to look it up and find its real name) is tall! Like at least 9 or 10 ft high! At the tippy-top are these small purplish, lavender little flower buds. See them?
I pointed the camera up so that you could see it better. This camera is a cheapie so there is no zoom to get a closer look. This guy grows wild and free and has needles all over. Each of the 'branches' could be broken off and planted individually so they can grow another plant on their own. At times, when it gets too tall, the branches get heavy and it does break off, particularly on windy days. Those guys just root themselves right where they are.
This plant's next door neighbor in my garden is a large, tall Aloe family plant. We peel off the bottom leaves every so often and that makes it grow even taller.
Both of these plants are great for the semi-arid conditions in Namibia. Watering your garden daily here is unthinkable where water is so scarce. So, you go with nature! In the dry season, we push the envelope and water two times per week, but these suculents and cacti don't need water more than twice per month really. We have indigenous desert cacti all over our garden. When I get better at the photo taking thing, I will roam around and take even more!
Until then, here are some other more professional photographs of various flora from Namibia. I don't know the name of the beautiful pink one, so just enjoy the fact that it is pretty to look at. The green one is the famous Welwitchia plant. These guys have actually two leaves only and some are as old as 2000 years! Amazing! They are unique to the Namib desert and another desert in the southern part of Angola going into Namibia.
The website of the Namibia Tourism Board also has free downloads of all kinds of photos of Namibia. Check that one out too!
Of course my website is www.africatourconsult.com.na. Sorry, I've been a bit busy and have not updated my website in months! I will be doing that by the end of this month.
When you come to Namibia on Holiday.... you can see all the desert flowers in the world, right here! Tell your tour operator that you want to come just at the end of the rainy season and see the desert flowers in bloom.
When you come,
Tell'em Jackie sent you!
No comments:
Post a Comment