“It’s all dried up,” the ranger at the Eravikulum National park replied to my question in broken Malayalam when I asked him where I could find the Neelakurinji which blooms once every 12-years.
Our guide who had been to the park with his guests earlier in May 2019 claimed the blooms were still visible, so the words of that ranger dashed our hopes of seeing the last of the purple flowers that started blooming in Oct 2018.
The carpet of purple flowers that covered the valley was gone as we walked through the trails of the park in the Western Ghats in the state of Kerala.
In place were dried shrubs where the blooms used to be.
The Strobilantes kunthiana will only bloom again in 2030. That gives us about 10-years to plan our next trip. Then again best not to, as we have learnt over the past month – lot can happen in 10-years … 😅
We’ll slowly cross the bridge when we get to it, just like the slow to bloom Neelakurinji.
Below are some beautiful scenes at the Eravikulum National Park and it’s surrounding areas.
Post inspired by discover prompts – Day 16: Slow
#discover-prompts
Maria Dass the World 
I’m sorry you missed it. A carpet of dreamy violet petals would be a breathtaking sight to behold. Why does it take so long to bloom?
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Yes, we were sorely disappointed for not seeing it too ☹️
Think this is one of the perennial plant varieties that matures after a few years. Some bloom after more than a century.
If I’m right it’s a kind of survival mechanism to survive in a particular habitat. Maybe I’ll try to look for a botanist who can give a more detailed answer on this 😊
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