Isn't this stunning? Who would expect to find such a flower in the middle of the desert of Saudi Arabia? This amazing beauty blooms in the Spring around Tumayr, a drive of about an hour and a half outside of Riyadh.
I have lived in Saudi Arabia for many years, and until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of these wild irises growing here. They bloom the last week of Feb or the first week of March. You have to arrive at around noon if you want to watch them open up.
When you first arrive, you may feel a little disappointed, seeing a lot of green shoots and no flowers. But patience pays off! The flowers start to open up by 1 o'clock, and by 2 the field is full of flowers in various shades of pale lavender and purple.
They grow up right out of the sand. It's hard to imagine them living in such an inhospitable environment!
Not only is there a variety of color, but such a variety of shapes! There are these with an abundance of long, thin petals, while others have 3 perfect petals which are shorter and rounder.
Fortunately, as beautiful as these flowers are, they are simply not tasty to camels. An entire herd of camels roamed past while I was busily taking pictures, and didn't even bother to stop and nibble.
I am so thrilled to have found the wild irises of Tumayr! After a fruitless search a week ago, I was seriously considering not going out again. Thank goodness I did! It was such a treat to see this little field in bloom, and to lose myself in the wonder of it all. I spent nearly 3 hours taking pictures, watching intently while the little flowers opened up to face the sun. Definitely time well spent!
Isn't this stunning? Who would expect to find such a flower in the middle of the desert of Saudi Arabia? This amazing beauty blooms in the Spring around Tumayr, a drive of about an hour and a half outside of Riyadh.
I have lived in Saudi Arabia for many years, and until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of these wild irises growing here. They bloom the last week of Feb or the first week of March. You have to arrive at around noon if you want to watch them open up.
When you first arrive, you may feel a little disappointed, seeing a lot of green shoots and no flowers. But patience pays off! The flowers start to open up by 1 o'clock, and by 2 the field is full of flowers in various shades of pale lavender and purple.
They grow up right out of the sand. It's hard to imagine them living in such an inhospitable environment!
Not only is there a variety of color, but such a variety of shapes! There are these with an abundance of long, thin petals, while others have 3 perfect petals which are shorter and rounder.
Fortunately, as beautiful as these flowers are, they are simply not tasty to camels. An entire herd of camels roamed past while I was busily taking pictures, and didn't even bother to stop and nibble.
I am so thrilled to have found the wild irises of Tumayr! After a fruitless search a week ago, I was seriously considering not going out again. Thank goodness I did! It was such a treat to see this little field in bloom, and to lose myself in the wonder of it all. I spent nearly 3 hours taking pictures, watching intently while the little flowers opened up to face the sun. Definitely time well spent!
Very lovely. Thank you for posting
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ReplyDeleteWhoops ..typo. I'll repeat. I couldn't find them. Could you add some location tips or details?
ReplyDeleteI have been off my blog for a while. I will be happy to try to get a location for you, as it has been years since I've been there. You may email me at aishamarie2002@yahoo.com
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