Operation Wildflower
  • Home
  • Albums
  • Links
    • Botanical Gardens
    • OWF Sites
    • Public Parks, Gardens and Reserves
    • Reference Sites
    • Private Parks, Gardens and Reserves
  • Information
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Articles
    • Plant Records
      • Aloes
      • Bulbs
      • Climbers
      • Cycads
      • Euphorbias
      • Ferns
      • Grasses
      • Herbs
      • Orchids
      • Parasites
      • Shrubs
      • Succulents
      • Trees
    • Sources of Information
    • Disclaimer
    • Subject Index
Home Home » HABITAT » Mountains » Rocks fashion microclimates
Back to Category Overview
Total images in all categories: 11,544
Total number of hits on all images: 6,626,002

Rocks fashion microclimates

Rocks fashion microclimates
Start View full size
[Please activate JavaScript in order to see the slideshow]
Previous Previous
Image 71 of 81  
Next Next
Image 73 of 81  
  • Portulacaria afra undermining its own future
  • Protea cynaroides big on rock
  • Protea subvestita with early food scout
  • Psoralea pinnata on a mountain
  • Psoralea sordida on the Swartberg
  • Remoteness serves biodiversity
  • Rock Rorschach
  • Rock wriggling
  • Rocks fashion microclimates
  • Shelter
  • Snowy mountain
  • Spring vegetation on sloped and flat land
  • Sunset on ancient battle fought in rock
  • Table Mountain sandstone and fynbos
  • Talking rocks
  • What is the question?
  • Where do you think best?

Image information

Description

A microclimate is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often comprising slight differences, sometimes substantial ones. The area of a microclimate may be as small as a few square meters or less. Climate is statistical and small sample statistics tend to include unstable, exceptional results.

This definition is descriptive of situations that may vary dramatically among the huge rocks characterising parts of the land here at Kagga Kamma and more widely in the Cederberg. The spatial and temporal variation of mean values of climatic parameters in different nooks among such rocks favour the discovery of surprising pockets of unique mini-gardens of nature.

Such conditions result in rare plants thriving by themselves in rocky courtyards or combinations of plants forming astonishing ensembles worth searching for, as visibility (and access) are generally restricted in such places.

The typical size, growth pattern and appearance of a plant species may be exceeded or otherwise transformed in miniclimatic conditions. The most striking or attractive specimen of a plant may be found here, as well as some forms that may present difficulty in the recognition of even familiar plants, due to the atypical growing conditions (Wikipedia).

Hits
318
Photographer
Ivan Latti
Author
Ivan Latti
 
Back to Category Overview
Powered by JoomGallery