“From the first moment I spotted it from far off along the shoreline, it invited me to approach and admire its beauty; a profusion of exquisite purple flowers spilling over the rugged cliff.” – Ed Lehming

For this image, I posted a high-resolution photo, so I hope it does not cause me problems. There is just so much detail that I wanted to be able to share it fully, without resolution loss or compression.

As my quote says, when I saw this amazing purple cascade, I just had to get closer and soak it all in. So many times, I’ll spot something like this only to realize it’s totally out of reach, like those California beach flowers, always clinging to some rocky cliff or across a water expanse. But here, I could get right up to it and savor all the little details.

The plant itself is Drosanthemum floribundum, also known as Rodondo Creeper or locally, “Magic Carpet”. The names all seem quite fitting for a plant that flows like a purple river over the sandstone bluffs, only in this one location on Moonstone Beach. The plant is native to the Eastern Cape of South Africa, but has been naturalized in several locations including Portugal, Australia, and Pacific Grove (just outside of Monterey) in California, about 2 hours north of this location. One cannot help but wonder if someone intentionally transplanted it here, given the striking similarity of the environment. Regardless, it thrives here, covering about 10 square meters of ground.

I was so impressed by the flowers that I overlooked certain peculiarities in the stone, specifically the unusual green patches, which resemble a type of copper oxide seeping out of the rock. I also failed to observe the numerous spider webs that appear so abundant now that I have the opportunity to examine the image more closely. Nevertheless, it was a delight to spend time admiring this exceptional and beautiful plant, and even more satisfying that I was able to capture a photograph that truly showcases its details.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @70mm
1/1600 sec, f/2.8, ISO 400