Joburg's cosmos flowers put on a pretty show. Image Lorne Philpot
Take advantage of Johannesburg’s “wildflower season”. Spectacular concentrations of cosmos flowers are on display right now.
By: Lorne Philpot
In South Africa the cosmos species religiously flowers around Easter time, transforming open fields and roadways with their masses of flowers, and the flowering can continue until the first frosts.
Cosmos are beautiful summer flowering annuals native to Mexico and the United States, where most of the species can be found.
The species is also widespread over the high eastern plains of South Africa, where it was introduced via contaminated horse feed imported from Argentina during the Anglo-Boer War.
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Johannesburg is not typically known as a location for the viewing of natural wildflowers. However, at the moment Johannesburg can easily boast that it has an enviable display of wildflowers.
The Western Cape is world renowned for the magnificent floral displays which emerge from approximately the end of July, depending on the amount of rainfall the region receives during the winter.
ALSO READ: Beautiful blooms: Four spots to see wild flowers in the Western Cape
This year spectacular floral displays await those who take a trip to Johannesburg’s Delta Park. The park is one of the city’s green belts, ideally located between leafy suburbs in the northern part of the city.
Just below Delta Park Primary School, there is a large concentration of wild cosmos flowers. This part of Delta Park has been transformed into a sea of pink and white flowers.
The blossoming cosmos flowers are putting on a floral extravaganza at the moment. As winter draws near and frosty temperatures arrive, the flowers will start to disappear.
The flowers are drawing much interest from locals coming to see the natural extravaganza. Botanists and nature lovers and just about anyone who appreciates the outdoors can be seen in the fields of pretty cosmos flowers.
Spectators walk the paths flanked by walls of cosmos flowers, while photographers can be found in the flowers, getting that perfect shot. Even our four-legged friends appear to be having fun dashing in and out of the cosmos.
ALSO READ: Bloom among the gloom: Best West Coast wildflower viewing spots
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