Hola friends!
Chilean plants grow upside down! It's the weirdest thing.
In case you forgot (as I often do), my season's here in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite of yours up north. I arrived here in the middle of Chilean winter and have slowly (tantalizingly, painfully) been moving towards warmer weather ever since. I've been upset about missing fall at home I think in part because our change of season from winter to spring has been subtle to say the least. There has been no beautiful bloom, no slow unfurling of leaves, or even no increase in sunny days.
Our weather has continued to be incredibly erratic. The mornings and evening are quite cold (in the 40s if my iPhone weather isn't lying to me) and made colder by the lack of indoor heating, which leaves buildings in a perpetual frosty state. But in the afternoon, between 11 and 3 most days, the sun usually comes out, raising us into the lower 60s most days.
What never goes away though is the wind. It's a hallmark of Valparaíso Septembers, otherwise known as the Month of Kites. It blows and blows and blows some more leaving everyone to looking windswept and emphasizing the passing of time (which seems to be blowing right past me faster and faster each day). I've actually been told to be careful standing near ledges in this weather!
But, back to the point! I noticed this about the plants when my mom (hi M!) asked me about how the plants have changed with the seasons. Their change happened very quickly and more subtly than I expected. My completely unscientific theory is that because we are in a region where it doesn't frequently go below freezing, not all of the plants change during the winter time. There have always been some flowers in bloom and some leaves on the trees. So the spring has been more of a filling in that anything.
That being said, there's nothing like noticing the leaves on the trees for the first time!
And the upside down plants... they haven't changed a bit. Here's a few:
Are stems in the southern hemisphere defective? Or better, are they upside down because we're upside down all the way down here? Clarifications welcome.
Love to all.
(Tallos defectivos means "defective stems")
Chilean plants grow upside down! It's the weirdest thing.
In case you forgot (as I often do), my season's here in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite of yours up north. I arrived here in the middle of Chilean winter and have slowly (tantalizingly, painfully) been moving towards warmer weather ever since. I've been upset about missing fall at home I think in part because our change of season from winter to spring has been subtle to say the least. There has been no beautiful bloom, no slow unfurling of leaves, or even no increase in sunny days.
Our weather has continued to be incredibly erratic. The mornings and evening are quite cold (in the 40s if my iPhone weather isn't lying to me) and made colder by the lack of indoor heating, which leaves buildings in a perpetual frosty state. But in the afternoon, between 11 and 3 most days, the sun usually comes out, raising us into the lower 60s most days.
What never goes away though is the wind. It's a hallmark of Valparaíso Septembers, otherwise known as the Month of Kites. It blows and blows and blows some more leaving everyone to looking windswept and emphasizing the passing of time (which seems to be blowing right past me faster and faster each day). I've actually been told to be careful standing near ledges in this weather!
But, back to the point! I noticed this about the plants when my mom (hi M!) asked me about how the plants have changed with the seasons. Their change happened very quickly and more subtly than I expected. My completely unscientific theory is that because we are in a region where it doesn't frequently go below freezing, not all of the plants change during the winter time. There have always been some flowers in bloom and some leaves on the trees. So the spring has been more of a filling in that anything.
That being said, there's nothing like noticing the leaves on the trees for the first time!
And the upside down plants... they haven't changed a bit. Here's a few:
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| I think this is actually the Chilean national flower, copihue |
Are stems in the southern hemisphere defective? Or better, are they upside down because we're upside down all the way down here? Clarifications welcome.
Love to all.
 |
| Aromos, my favorite trees here have been in bloom since the start |
 |
| Beautiful flowers at the market |
 |
| Flowers growing on an empty grave |
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| My travel shoes, purple flowers, and a lady bug |
(Tallos defectivos means "defective stems")
Hello! I love your observations about the misbehaving plants! I think they are upside down because they are still young and are upset that the southern hemisphere has backwards seasons. So, they are rebelling against gravity to mimic their brethren flowers in the North. Trust me, I watch Sherlock and House...my deduction skills are prime. Keep up the great work and the lovely pictures! You're doing a wonderful job :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I feel think this entry was just for me. Can't wait to see all those strange, beautiful flowers.
ReplyDelete