Darling Wild Flowers: Exceptional year expected
The popular Darling Wildflower Show (20-22nd September) is fast approaching and one of the region’s well known experts, John Duckitt, says he is very optimistic that this year will be an exceptional flower year in the region.
“The Wild flowers in the winter rainfall area are adapted to survive hot dry summers, which is why a good hot dry summer always heralds a good wild flower year.
“And, here in Darling, we most certainly had a good hot dry summer. In fact, until the end of June, the rainfall patterns were tracking those of the driest year ever (1958) in our records. However, that expectation changed dramatically in July when July turned out to be the wettest July ever in our records with three times the average rainfall for July falling in that one month. By the end of July, the volume of rain increased to such an extent that the graph was almost tracking that of the wettest year ever recorded (2013)!
“So, the big question is, how will so much rain and water in winter and the very dry summer affect the wild flowers? To be quite honest, I don’t really know, because the last time I experienced this type of wet weather, I was still in school! However, history has taught us that even in times of severe drought or after an extremely wet winter, there are always wild flowers to be seen in Darling. This year has a combination of both.
“Additionally, the continuous cold weather has forced the veld to mature very late this year, so hopefully we will have some of the early-flowering species available to show this year. What is also certain is that, when the weather does eventually turn warm, the flowers will mature very quickly and we will therefore get a massively concentrated and exceptionally beautiful display which will hopefully last a long time if the weather remains cool.
“All in all, I am very optimistic that the weather conditions this year have conspired to make this an exceptional wild flower year.
“Having said that, here are a few pointers to remember
1. the flowers always face the sun, so go to the furthest point north you want to go to in the morning and work your way slowly southward to get the best view of the flowers
2. The veld is exceptionally wet this year. Be sure to wear water boots!
3. Stick to the road when you drive through the flower reserves. Trying to go off-road will get you in a lot of trouble and recovery from Cape Town will get expensive.
4. If you are in a hurry, you will not only miss the point, you will lose the plot! Be patient, drive slowly, stop your car and walk in the veld. Only then will you hear the birds calling, hear the bees buzzing, smell the distinctive scent of the buchu in the veld and see all the interesting little flowers you could never see out of your car window driving at well beyond the speed of sound!
“Even if the weather stays poor, remember you can see a good selection at the Wildflower Show in Darling on the weekend of 20-22nd September. At our show in the showroom of the Darling Sport club you will see an educational and exciting display of all the very special wildflowers of the Swartland Renosterveld, including some species that are not accessible to the public.
“It is going to be a great year to view Darling’s special wild flowers.” – John Duckitt