Namaqualand’s Fabulous Feast of Flowers. A Visual Extravaganza.
It’s that time of the year again when the usually arid region of Namaqualand springs to life with an abundance of wild flowers that transform the dry landscape into a carpeted kaleidoscope of colour and beauty. And fortunately for those of us who can’t make the journey to see the wild daisies and assortment of […]
It’s that time of the year again when the usually arid region of Namaqualand springs to life with an abundance of wild flowers that transform the dry landscape into a carpeted kaleidoscope of colour and beauty.
And fortunately for those of us who can’t make the journey to see the wild daisies and assortment of other spring flowers for ourselves, local resident Hester SophiaEsta Marais – who lives in the heart of Namaqualand – has kindly shared her photos of the visual extravaganza on this page.
Hester – who is known by SAPeople followers for her insatiable passion for South Africa and particularly for the Karoo and Namaqualand (or Namakwaland) area – started reminding us in mid-July that the incredible blooming of the flowers was coming soon…and now it has arrived in all its glory.
Hester says, “The flowers are just so bright…this is between Vanrhynsdorp and Nieuwoudtville. I hope you will enjoy it with me…”
These photos were taken in and around Vanrhyndsorp, Nieuwoudtville, Grootdrif and Kammieskroon.
With its winter rainfall, Namaqualand is home to the richest bulb flora of any arid region in the world, according to SANParks.
And more than 1,000 of its approximate 3,500 plant species are found nowhere else on earth!
On a day out in the veld near Grootdrif, Hester took these photos of her “guest-house” (“I hope you like it,” she says.)
Below are some close-ups of the variety of flowers – just some of those 3,500 plant species. As Hester says, “My data gaan opraak as ek al die blomsoorte moet wys. As ek n botanis was sou dit vir my n fees wees.” (I will exhaust my data if I show all the different flowers. If I were a botanist, this would be a treat for me.)
“I promise I won’t show you everything in Namakwaland,” says Hester. “”Namaqualand is a thankful world…and the flowers are back for 2015. Groete aan almal. (Greetings to everyone.)”
Dankie Hester! Thank you!
More photos of Namaqualand’s wild flowers!
https://www.sapeople.com/2015/08/22/photos-wild-flowers-namaqualand/