Namaqualand’s Miraculous Spring Flowers
Namaqualand is an arid region in Namibia and South Africa,
extending along the west coast over 600 miles and covering a total area
of 170,000 square miles. During the arid summer months, it’s as dry as a
desert, however in the spring a miracle happens. As the rains soak into
the thirsty earth, millions upon millions of flowers emerge in a
phenomenal explosion of colour which transforms the landscape into a
wonderland of beauty. This is known throughout South Africa as the
Namaqualand daisy season, when orange and white daisies, as well as
hundreds of other flowering species, spring up from a previously barren
landscape.
The riot of flowers is a highly volatile exhibition
occurring between August and October on most years. The flower display
depends on whether the rains have been good that season, as the dormant
seeds lie in the dry earth for months waiting for rain. Every year
between brings a different formula, and a different selection of
flowers. Approximately 4000 species of plants bloom in the region and an
estimated one-forth of the species are found nowhere else on earth.
