Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Chile's Atacama desert: World's driest place in bloom after surprise rain

Chile's Atacama desert: World's
driest place in bloom after
 surprise rain
People take pictures of the flowers in the Atacama Desert, Chile, 22 August 2017.
After intense and unexpected rain fell in the north of Chile,
 parts of the usually arid Atacama desert have turned into a
carpet of flowers.
The "desierto florido" (flowering desert) phenomenon usually occurs
 every five to seven years when rains cause buried seeds to germinate
 and flower.
But this bloom comes just two years after a a particularly colourful flowering
 in 2015.

More than 200 species of plant have been found to grow in the area.
The spectacle draws visitors and botanists from Chile and further afield.
Tourism officials said they hoped more flowers would bloom in the coming
 weeks as different species germinate at different times.
View of flowers in the Atacama Desert, Chile, on 17 August 2017
A handout photo made available by RallyZone shows Chilean Pablo Quintanilla participating in the third stage of the Atacama Rally, between Taltal and Mejillones, Chile, 16 August 2017.

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