Wild Child super bloom
On the southern Zor peninsula, about an hour’s drive south of Kuwait City, large areas of land that are barren for most of the year have been turned into verdant meadows in the wake of abundant winter rains. Zor is a narrow strip of desert between the saltwater creek known as Khor Al Ami and the Arabian Gulf, with private beach houses skirting both the creek and the beach facing the open sea. Currently, the entire area is covered with masses of wildflowers, the most prominent of them being the white desert daisy known in Latin as Anthemis deserti.
A week ago, there were only a few isolated clusters of white daisies blooming so it was surprising to see vast carpets of them this weekend. Daisies are the largest family of wildflowers in Kuwait and deserti’s relatives are also present at Zor. Small, bright golden daisies called Nuwair (Senecio glaucus) grow alongside the larger Murrar (Leontodon laciniatus) and Hudhan (Picris babylonica), both of which have lemonyellow crenulated petals.
Many other types of desert plants are blooming in profusion and this explosion of wildflowers is what’s known as a super bloom. In deserts all over the world, when climatic conditions are just right, this striking natural phenomenon takes place.
In order for a super bloom to occur there must be sufficient warmth from the sun and a lack of drying winds. A rainstorm of at least a half-inch or more is also needed in order to wash the protective coating off the wildflower seeds and allow them to sprout.
Kuwait’s climate is similar to Death Valley in California’s Mojave Desert, where a super bloom is also currently taking place and where desert wildflowers have the same pattern of growth.
The website of the California National Park Service explains that “most of the showy desert wildflowers are annuals, also referred to as ephemerals because they are short-lived. Oddly enough, this limited lifespan ensures survival… Rather than struggle to stay alive during the desert’s most extreme conditions, annual wildflowers lie dormant as seeds. When enough rain finally does fall, the seeds quickly sprout, grow, bloom and go back to seed again before the dryness and heat returns.”
The website states that by blooming en masse during years of favorable conditions, wildflowers can attract large numbers of pollinators such as butterflies, moths, bees, and birds. This was evident in Zor, where black and orange Monarch butterflies and white moths touched with dots of blue were fluttering among the blooms. Small migrating birds and black-crested nightingales, known locally as the Basra Bulbul, were flitting among the prickly branches of bushes that were also in bloom.
I was able to identify many of the wildflowers I saw by using a book by Linda Shuaib called “Wildflowers of Kuwait.” Simsim Al Bar (Salvia lanigera) is wild sesame. It has tiny purple blossoms arranged vertically, one on top of the other, on soft fuzzy stems that grow as a bush.
An eye-catching plant that contrasts vividly against the sandy soil in which it thrives is the Hummaidh (Rumex vesicarius). It looks like its adorned with rows of bright pinkish-red blossoms, but in her book, Shuaib explains that these are actually brightly-colored membranes that develop to protect the fruit of the plant.
Broomrapes (Orobanche cernua) are also dramatic-looking plants. They push their way up through the soil, dislodging clumps of earth in demonstrations of flower-power. Tall and slender, they have white flowers tipped with purple. Broomrapes like to grow in clusters and are actually parasites hosted by neighboring bushes.
Other wildflowers are more low profile and are only noticed if you stop to examine a patch of ground. It’s then that you might see Kahil (Arnebia decumbens) or Msaika (Haplophyllum tuberculatum). Both have tiny yellow blossoms that grow close to the ground, with those of Kahil shaped like bells and Msaika resembling stars.
In Dame Violet Dickson’s book, “The Wildflowers of Kuwait and Bahrain” published in 1955, the author noted that the Kahil plant is well-known to the bedouins, especially the ladies. “The red coloring of the root is used by Badawin ladies as rouge… It comes off by just rubbing it on the face when freshly pulled up,” she wrote.
Msaika was also a useful plant for the bedouins as it was employed to treat scorpion stings. Its tiny dark green leaves spread out on the ground like a lacy net.
Just coming into bloom are the Arfaj bushes (Rhanterium eppaposum). Like many other desert shrubs, Arfaj has entirely bare branches throughout the long, hot summer, giving it the appearance of a withered bunch of dead sticks. But in the wake of winter rains its small, slim leaves appear, followed by round golden blossoms.
Arfaj is the national plant of Kuwait and once covered vast tracts of Kuwait’s desert. It played a vital role in the lives of the bedouins as not only did it provide excellent foodstuff for camels, sheep, and goats, it also served as efficient firewood, producing a very intense flame. Enormous piles of Arfaj used to be loaded onto camels and taken to be sold in the souk. Up until the advent of oil it served as the country’s main source of fuel.
It was, however, the development of the oil industry that indirectly led to the Arfaj’s decline. In her book on wildflowers, Dame Violet Dickson wrote, “Since the oil company opened up the Burgan Oilfield, the country has been denuded of Arfaj by workmen for firewood; a veritable dust bowl has been formed.”
Man continues to threaten the existence of Kuwait’s desert flora and fauna with widescale abuse: pollution and the dumping of garbage and building rubble in the desert; camping in large areas over long periods of time; and driving across the land in buggies, dirt bikes, cars, and trucks. Shoots and seeds are destroyed and in some areas the land is compacted to such a degree that it can’t absorb rainwater and nothing can grow.
In Zor, despite serious challenges to Kuwait’s fragile ecosystem, the desert has once again managed to produce a super bloom. However, many plants varieties that used to flourish here can no longer be found. In many spots the existing plants are growing among piles of garbage, broken glass, tiles, and concrete blocks and other building debris.
With the lush greenery temporarily disguising these destructive eyesores one can more easily enjoy a walk through the Zor peninsula, with its small sand dunes and limestone outcrops. As the afternoon shadows grow long and the air deliciously cool, delicate Campions (Silene Arabica) uncurl their snow-white petals. These flowers open at dusk and remain fully open until morning in order to attract night-flying insects. Other wildflowers are closing their petals as the nightingales sing their evensong.
With rising temperatures and scorching sandstorms on the horizon, the days of these beautiful blossoms are numbered. As the California National Park Service website explains, “Dry, moving air dehydrates exposed surfaces of all living things, including human beings. Desert plants often have waxy, hairy or spiny leaves to baffle the wind and retain precious moisture. Humans carry and drink water as needed, but the wildflowers grow and bloom only until they dry out (or late spring heat arrives), leaving seeds scattered on the desert floor to produce the next generation.”
It may be several years before plentiful rains produce another super bloom, but for a limited time we can still enjoy the sweet-scented air and the spectacle of an explosion of desert wildflowers.
KUWAIT CITY, March 23: Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kuwait, HE Malik Muhammad Farooq, affirmed keenness to open broad and new horizons for cooperation between the two countries in various fields, in conjunction with the passage of 60 years of diplomatic relations, which falls this year, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
This came in a speech delivered by the Pakistani envoy during the celebrations the day before yesterday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, on the occasion of the 83rd anniversary of Pakistan’s independence, in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Oil, Dr. Badr Al-Mullah, Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs, Ambassador Samih Hayat, a group of sheikhs, ambassadors, and a crowd of dignitaries.
He pointed out that Pakistan and Kuwait enjoy deep brotherly relations that spanned a century, indicating that the contacts and commercial ties between the peoples of the two countries, and we have strong Kuwaiti investments in Pakistan through the Kuwait Investment Authority and the Kuwait Oil Company, and we are keen to increase them.
He went on to say, “The skilled Pakistani workforce has contributed to the development and construction of Kuwait for several decades. Kuwait has also generously helped Pakistan during various challenges such as earthquakes and floods, pointing out that the Pakistani forces played an important role in de-mining operations on the strategic Boubiyan Island in the early 1990s.”
In his remarks on the sidelines of the ceremony, Farooq told reporters, “After the success of the trade delegation’s visit on the 7th and 8th of last month, we will soon witness an exhibition of Pakistani products that are exported to European countries and the Gulf region, in cooperation between the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federal Chamber of Commerce of Pakistan.” It is responsible for all the chambers of commerce in Pakistan, and there are very many of them.”
Regarding the arrival of the new medical batch after the arrival of 188 doctors, nurses and technicians in the 18th batch, Farouk confirmed that “work is underway for the arrival of the 19th batch of these doctors and nurses to work in the government sector, after the end of the blessed month of Ramadan,” pointing out that he is in talks with the sector to bring similar medical units to work in private hospitals.