The Atacama Desert, an arid region in northern Chile, is the oldest and driest desert in the world. But a lesser-known fact about the desert is that it explodes with new plant life every few years. Surprised? Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared some photos on Twitter showing the desert land of flowers. According to BBCthis is caused by huge and unexpected amounts of rain in the area, leading to an unusual phenomenon known as ‘desierto florido’ or desert blooming.
Chile’s Atacama Desert is known as the driest place on Earth.
The average rainfall is 15 mm/year. Some weather stations have had no rain at all.But when it gets more rain, it blooms like a fairyland. pic.twitter.com/jOoj3jH2Eb
— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) August 21, 2022
“The Atacama Desert in Chile is known as the driest place on earth. The average rainfall is 15 mm/year. Some weather stations have never had rain. But when it rains more, it blooms like a fairyland,” says Nanda. wrote while sharing the post on Twitter on Sunday.
According to the BBC, rain causes buried seeds to germinate and bloom, causing the phenomenon of “desierto florido” (desert blooms) every five to seven years. This arid land explodes with new plant life during this period.
The post shared by Mr. Nanda has garnered hundreds of likes and shares on Twitter. Users have left surprisingly nice comments in the comment section of the post.
One user wrote: “That’s Mother Nature. Beautiful.” Another simply said, “Wonder of nature.”
“I always remember when I went to Atacama, it was cloudy and I didn’t see the stars, I saw it rain and I left just before it bloomed,” wrote a third user while commenting on the post.
During a desert bloom, thousands of wildflowers cover the area in color. This desert is home to more than 200 different species of wildflowers, including the pink pata de guanaco and the yellow ananuca.
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