The Phoenix Sun

Simply, one of the most beautiful and important botanical gardens in the world. Maintained by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Nearly half of all plant species found in the southern half of Africa exist on one tiny sliver of land surrounding Cape Town. The Cape Floral Kingdom is home to an astonishing 6,200 species of plants found nowhere else on earth, many of them are found in Kirstenbosch. (You can see the photo in a larger format and read about the technical details, here.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, South Africa, 2011

I arrived back in the States yesterday after a 17-hour flight from Johannesburg to learn that the Kirstenbosch Project didn’t raise enough money to qualify for funding. Disappointing? Of course, but not really surprising given the amount still needed when I was last able to get Internet access with just 30 hours left.

First, a large collective shout-out to all 24 donors whose pledges ranged from $5 to $1,250. (Big round of applause). You guys rock.

You should know that the project isn’t over. Later, when my body has had a chance to regroup after the flight and time-zone changes, I’ll begin thinking about alternate ways to reach the goal – producing a catalog of prints from Kirstenbosch. The Gardens remain vitally important centers of plant biodiversity. Outside of South Africans, most of us don’t realize their ecological significance and their beauty. The need to spread the word about Kirstenbosch remains, and I intend to do what I can to achieve that end.

Once again, thank you, all, for pledging your support. And thanks to Kickstarter for the opportunity to get arts projects funded. It didn’t happen this time, but so many wonderful projects have become realities because of Kickstarter. I plan on continuing to support Kickstarter ventures and I urge you to do the same.

One of the most important gardens at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is the “Garden of Extinction.” All of the plants in it are endemic to South Africa — that is, they’re found only in this country — and most are threatened or endangered.

“If we lose them from South Africa,” says Roleen Ellman, “we lose them from the world.”

Ellman is the assistant director of education at Kirstenbosch, and she was kind enough to give me a wonderful half-hour introductory tour of a small section of these sprawling gardens.

I spent a couple of hours photographing in the garden today, my first visit. Walking around even a small area it’s quickly obvious what a gem this place is. It’s certainly a national treasure, but, as Ellman points out, it’s a world treasure — unique and irreplaceable. Most of the images I take here will need processing before they’re ready for display, but I wanted to post the one above, ASAP. It’s a tiny, inconspicuous plant, and it probably doesn’t exist outside of this garden. Because of habitat destruction, it is considered extinct in the wild.

Looking at it, I wondered if what I felt was similar to what the people who had a chance to see Martha — the last passenger pigeon, kept for years in a zoo — felt. Sad but lucky. Or lucky, but sad.

It reminds me to thank the backers of this project for your support. I wish I had more time here — I’ll only be able to photograph a small fraction of the unique plants found at Kirstenbosch. Still, it’s a wonderful opportunity to spread the word about one of the world’s most important gardens.I’m grateful for your support and for your belief in this project.

More backers are still needed to complete the project and publish a color catalog of Kistenbosch. If you’d like to join, your help would be greatly appreciated. For more on the project, including a video explaining the GigaPan technology I’ll be using in the gardens and a way to donate, please click this line.