“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” ~Matthew 6:28, 29
For me, the highlight of our trip to Alishan was seeing all the beautiful flowers in bloom. Alishan is famous for the cherry trees that bloom in early spring. We were too late to enjoy the cherry blossoms, but nature’s beauty was certainly still on full display.
A lacy snowflake and a cluster of bold trumpets.
Lilac colored bell flowers (supposedly poisonous)….
…and calla lilies were blooming everywhere we looked.
We saw stalls selling fresh mountain produce like dragon’s whiskers (pictured above) and wasabi. Wasabi requires pristine conditions to grow, and Alishan is one of the few places it can grow in Taiwan. We saw plenty of it for sale and are still kicking ourselves for missing the opportunity to buy some.
Who takes pictures of dandelions? I do. Because this was the first dandelion I’ve ever seen in Taiwan and I thought it was special. In the mountains of Taiwan, as the elevation rises the climate changes from tropical to temperate and even alpine. The summit sees the very occasional snowfall in winter. This means that at the top of Alishan we are treated with seeing familiar plants and trees that grow in Vermont and Virginia. This is probably another reason why we have such a great love for Alishan.
What’s even better than dandelions? Clover flowers! They smell oh-so-sweet. What’s even better than clover flowers? Clover flowers on steroids! Check out the size of those leaves, and the blossoms were a good inch in diameter.
And now, for a little of the strange and wonderful: tropical flowers we saw on our walk the second day after coming down the mountain.
Zany red caterpillar flowers.
Bananas!
We call this a “parrot flower” because it looks like…well…a parrot.
White orchids and pink orchids are the commonest of houseplants in Taiwan. I like this one because it is some kind of fun mixture of the two.
I have been asked to order a silk arrangement for a retirement party at work. This has been challenging. Why? The arrangement must have calla lilies. Calla lilies are expensive and have to be pre-ordered. I found irony in your remark that calla lilies are blooming everywhere.