Coral Tree ...

I haven’t focused much (no pun intended) on the indigenous flora and fauna of the region so far, so today we’ll start to rectify that omission. Although richly planted with exotic species (as we have seen in the autumn colours of the area) the Midlands abounds also with beautiful indigenous specimens. There are certain varieties of animal and plant life endemic to the region and these will be a quest for me to seek out and show in later posts. Many gardeners (myself included) have taken on the challenge of developing the built environment with exclusively indigenous plants, and one popular choice that thrives in local conditions is the coral tree. Found naturally from Mozambique to the Eastern Cape (the broader Eastern coastline), there are a couple of varieties, including this dwarf species (Erythrina Humeana). With a rambling habit the most striking feature of the plant is the vivid red flowering heads produced from Spring to late Autumn reaching 300mm to 400mm long. These trees attract  birds (especially the sunbird species) to the garden making them a must for every small garden.

Against a grey cloudy sky, a soft fill in flash brings out the more subtle colours of the flowers of the coral tree without becoming the obvious statement in red used as illustrations in most botanical books. Different.