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Plants
Plants that can be hundreds of years old, plants that bloom in a brief flush, plants adapted to every imaginable ecosystem – you can see all this variety in Earth-Touch footage, including some video clips that focus specifically on plants instead of just treating them as a backdrop for animal life.
Namaqualand
Namaqualand Every year, the spring rains bring a spectacle to the dry region of Namaqualand, in South Africa’s Northern Cape: a landscape carpeted with about 3 500 species of wildflowers, mostly daisies and succulents of the Succulent Karoo Biome. See the colours bring life to a harsh environment in the clips Namaqualand daisies waft gently in the breeze, The famous flowers of Namaqualand, Beetles on the daisies, Bulb capital of the world and Namaqualand flowers create lakes of orange.
For more information, see the South African National Biodiversity Insitute
Wetland plants
In addition to papyrus, the Okavango Delta is full of other reeds and lilies (Dancing lily, Joining cold fish in the clear Okavango, Underwater networks), whose stems and roots form thick banks. Jacanas walk on the lily pads floating on the surface, and hippos clear paths through the vegetation under water. Other flowers like mistletoe and flame lilies are also found in the Delta.
The delta slopes only slightly along its 250km (155mi) length and the water from rainfall in the catchment area takes five or six months to reach the far end of the swamps. This water is low in nutrients because the soils in the catchment are sandy. And despite evaporation, it does not get saline, because of the way the delta’s vegetation regulates the dispersal of water and sediment and influences the accumulation of salts.
When old channel systems dry out and peat catches fire, nutrients and clays are released and form fertile soils which produce grass on which large herbivores can graze. For a fuller explanation of the role plants play in this system, see the work of the Okavango Research Group at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Shazibi swampland is one of the micro-environments in the Isimangaliso Wetland Park on the coast of South Africa. This forest, full of frangipanis and ferns, filters the water and drains it towards Lake St Lucia. See the clip Clean, green swamp drains coastal strip.
In the wet season, wild flowers bloom on the banks of Clay Gully, a creek in Myakka River State Park, in Florida, USA. One of the plants in this ecosystem is the carnivorous bladderwort, which traps tiny creatures with its submerged leaves. See the clip Complex microcosm of wetland life.
Thailand
The national parks of Thailand have yielded some beautiful footage of flowering plants, including orchids. In the clip Foul-smelling fungus wears delicate skirt, you will see the misty, forested hills of Kaeng Krachan and the bamboo, ferns, orchids and parasitic plants that grow there, as well as the astonishing fungus of the title.
In a pine forest in Nahm Nao, a bamboo orchid and a flower named after a Buddhist festival can be seen in the clip Flowers bloom in Thai forest.
In Phu Hin Rong Klan, flowering plants, algae, lichens and ferns grow in the wetter parts of rocky sandstone outcrops, moistened by mist. See Butterflies and orchids in a Thai paradise.
Around the limestone cliffs of Thong Pha Phoom, an orchid whose Thai name means ‘dragon’s tongue’ made a tough climb worthwhile for the cameraman. See Dragon tongue orchid in Thailand.
The Welwitschia
The Welwitschia mirabilis is a strange-looking plant found in the fog belt of Namibia and southern Angola.
It comprises two leaves growing from a corky stem anchored in the desert sand. The root may be as deep as 3m (10ft). The tough leaves are arranged in flowing rolls around a central point. The plant depends on moisture from the fog that forms when the cold Benguela Current of the Atlantic Ocean meets the hot air over the Namib Desert
According to the Gymnosperm Database, the rate of growth of the leaves suggests that some of the specimens measured may be 500-1000 years old.
The plant reproduces by means of cones, borne on separate male and female plants. Each female produces thousands of seeds annually. According to Plantzafrica, the seeds germinate only after fairly heavy rain over a few days, which is rare in this habitat. This is why many of the plants in an area are often the same age.
See them in the clip, Ancient plant grows slowly in Namibian desert, filmed in Naukluft National Park.
papyrus
One of the most common sedge grasses found in the Okavango Delta in Botswana is papyrus, the plant used by the ancient Egyptians to make the world’s first primitive paper.
This grass is usually the most dominant plant in a permanent swamp environment. It grows quite densely to a height of around 2.5m (8ft) and covers extensive areas.
You can see papyrus in the clip Dawn on the flood plain.
Kelp and dune vegetation
The kelp forests in the cold ocean off Cape Town, South Africa, harbour small fish, starfish, anemones and sea urchins. See the clip Life teems in the kelp forest. In rough seas, kelp often gets washed up onto the beach; in the clip Beached kelp and in Plants cling to life on harsh coastline, you can also see other dune plants which form part of South Africa’s fynbos plant kingdom.
Trees
Trees are the backdrop for so many Earth-Touch videos, whether in the savannah, the rainforest (Jungle canopy), mountains or coastal areas. Sometimes they form an ecosystem of their own, as in Mossy old tree hosts tiny creatures, Sunlight dapples forest glade, Writhing roots, and Roots play crucial role. Forests can be calm places, as in Soothing spirit of the forest and Dune forest birdsong. They can also go up in flames which stimulate seeds to germinate (Fire in the life of the forest). The complex biological mechanisms governing the life of trees are illustrated by the candlepod acacia, which releases unpalatable tannins when animals browse on the leaves, signalling to other trees to do the same. See Trees attract and repel giraffe.
