Cape Town and the Western Cape Province have a pleasant Mediterranean climate because of geographical location. Rain in summer and spring is rare although one would never say so at the moment - the Cape is well known for experiencing all 4 seasons in one day! The spring months of August and September and into October offer wonderful opportunities to see the Cape Floral Kingdom at its best and many of the areas have an abundance of colour as a result of all of the indigenous flowers in bloom.
Declared as one of South Africa’s 7 World Heritage Sites, the Cape Floral Region is one of the hottest spots for global plant diversity. Mostly fynbos, 8 500 plant species thrive in the narrow coastal strip that covers just over 90 000 square kilometres. It is the smallest and richest of the world’s six floral regions.
The Cape Peninsula alone, at 470 sq. km, has more than 2 200 species, of which 90 are endemic. To give you an idea of the magnitude, the entire British Isles has only 1 492 species and it is 308 000 sq. km. A great place to experience the incredible Cape Floral Kingdom's treasures is at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens in Cape Town, where these photos were taken (courtesy of my dad).
No comments:
Post a Comment