First up is a Cycad, protected by law, and one has to have permits to own them.
They are very expensive plants, and the sad thing is that criminals poach them to sell on the black market.
These plants were alive in the dinosaur era, and it is such a privilege to see a real live one. They were declared endangered in South Africa, as many of the species have become extinct, or are in the process of becoming extinct due to the people stealing them in the wild for personal enrichment. Thankfully, the place where we saw it is very safe and no one will come and try to steal this one. The plants are male and female, and this one is a female, as her cone shape reminds one of a pineapple. The male has a thinner shape and hangs down similar to a big banana.
Here below is a wider look at the cycad plant, and it is a lovely plant.
Now here is the other plant.
Without scrolling down, can you tell me what this is?
Maybe you can identify it now?
Yes, it is an Agapanthus, at its early bloom.
And here is one that is starting to open.
Finally, I also got this one to show you how elegant these flowers look.
There is always something nice to be found in nature, and although I don't know much about flowers it is always a good thing to try and identify the odd ones that I get on camera. It is like finding treasures when we go walking, and nature has many such things to show us. Even a potato looks good when it grows wild in nature. Lol. The thing is that it's all to do with appreciation for the good things in life.
We face an emerging drought here. Some places in the Southern Cape will soon have no water. The Western Cape is heading there too. Our rainfall has been below average, and unless the next rainy season picks up significantly, we will also be heading for days ahead with no water. Water is a vital element of life. When we as humans have lots, we take it for granted, or we moan about it being too wet. So, when it is no longer there, we will wish that we had never moaned about too much water.
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
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