Namaqualand Spring

[Ann]

I didn't want to hijack Elsa's thread but here are some more Namqualand landscapes to complement hers:

[Ann]

And some close-ups of a few of the flowers:

[Jack Dahlgren]

Very nice. Looks almost unreal.

[Ann]

Thank you, Jack.

If you get the timing right, the the Spring flowers on the West Coast and the uplands of Namaqualand are one of Life's great experiences.

I love that area: It is very varied geologically with stunning landscapes; and it is full of fascinating photographic opportunities including a huge protected Gannet nesting area and many very beautiful prehistoric Cave Paintings.

[Akira]

These are gorgeous flowers, both as carpet and individual!  As Elsa explained, many are daisies but there seems to be many other species that looks peculiar and beautiful.  Is the fourth one in the second series some sort of succulent?

[Ann]

It's definitely a succulent _ but which one??

Possibly a Ruschia — but I am totally flummoxed by the plethora of South African plants and they are seldom what I think they are.

That area is renowned for succulents but also for bulbs, and Iridacea in addition to all the different daisies.

I have two books on the subject but the illustrations are really too small in most cases for me to be able to identify much of what I photographed.

[Jakov Minić]

Ann, the photo ending with 4861 is a wonderful photograph! I would really like to go and see this amazing landscape myself.

[Ann]

Jakov:

You would adore that whole area and the flowers are indeed amazing if you catch the right moment.

Akira:

I think that I have identified the flower which you asked about.
I think that it's Mesembryanthemum crystallinum.

It's a very curious plant with in-built survival skills — as this article explains:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesembryanthemum_crystallinum

So thank you so much for causing me to learn something new and extremely interesting today.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

... or one of the many other members of the Aizoaceae. There is not only an enormous diversity of plant life in this region, but also a very high proportion of endemic species. Thus identifying each flower photographed can be a daunting task. I still have some specimens unidentified from the trip with Elsa in September, 2015.

Many of the species are what botanists call geophytes that survive the unfavourable season as subterranean bulbs or rhizomes. However, as exemplified by Ann's flower, there are other successful strategies for survival as well.

[Ann]

Bjørn:

As a trained Botanist, your trip with Elsa to the West Coast must have been a breath-taking experience.
I am interested that even you found identifying the enormous number of different species to be quite difficult.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

The flora coverage is not up to European standards .... and they are still discovering and describing new species all the time. Hence the difficulties anyone interested in the exact identification will have to handle.

[elsa hoffmann]

Beautiful  images Ann.

[Ann]

What I think the flowers which I have shown here may be (in the order shown):

Gazania rigida;
Grielum humifusum;
Babiana;
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum;
Arctotis fastuosa:
Sparaxis elegans;
Lessertia frutescens;
Ferraria uncinata.

Hopefully Bjørn and Elsa will be able to come to my rescue over these identifications.

[Akira]

Ann and Bjørn, thank you for sharing your considerations of the species.  There seems to be no doubt that the place is of great interest both for the botanists and photographers.

[Frank Fremerey]

You got such a unique style to transport colours and styles. I always tend to doubt these landscapes and plants did really look the way I see them on my monitor. Very bright and very colorful. I take them as what they are: your way of seeing and showing the world. And I think to myself: quite possibly I would have taken and edited the shot completely differently. That is a fascinating aspect of photography. I hope I get the chance to ramble a little part of the world with you to compare my and your way of seeing and showing given the same subject. Thank you for sharing your view.