Just happened to see …
Last Saturday I took a walk around the dam in our local botanical gardens. It was an overcast day, possibly the reason for not seeing any dragonflies which was the purpose of the trip. Actually, that’s not true. I did see one of the little critters, but it refused to land near me and soon disappeared into the distance.
It’s an in-between time in the gardens at the moment. By that I mean the spring flowers have come and gone, in the main, and the summer blooms are still in their preparation phase. But that’s no excuse, I told myself, and, sure enough, I soon found any number of things to point my lens at. Several plants had gone to seed, such as the Watsonias on the water’s edge (although many of the species are still in full flower and will be until late in January). Watsonias dry into a long brown stem with clumps of little burnt orange berry-like balls (the seeds) arranged along its length. It makes for a delightful picture asnd you cn see an example on my website in the Flora and Litte Fellows album.
There are also a myriad of other plants which, in a dead state, look very interesting – even pretty. Proteas are one specie that can look spectacular in their second life, especially if they've been in a fire. And a variety of grasses look even more attractive adorned in yellow-brown colours, rather than green.
The thing about this time of the year is that the natural vegetation can look rather drab – brown and somewhat dull. But hidden amongst the dull are pinpoints of bright – none less so than the left over yellow daisies which refuse to accept that spring has sprung.
As if planted so as to make my day, I came across a common white vygie. These colourful, sun-loving plants of the succulent family are always a joy to see. Not only can they survive in the most demanding of places, but their splendid colours also make them easily visible and a feast for the eyes. To say they stand out is an understatement and on this occasion, nature paraded the flowers you see above to make me pay attention.
Never let it be said that I ignore nature – as the photograph attests.
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