Tanzania’s rainy season brings about a sensational transformation with an explosion of leaves, seed germination, and grasses. Tanzania has given me a newfound interest and respect for a variety of grasses and their veracious life cycle. Where I am from grasses are mostly landscaped and planted for their aesthetic but the wild grasses here are robust and wildly varied. Grasses here might grow 2m (6.5 ft) tall or be only a few centimeters. The size and orientation of the seeds give grasses unique dimensions akin to the silhouettes of trees: some have seeds hanging from the top like a palm tree, others are densely packed like a fir.
The thing I ultimately appreciate the most about the grass is the cycle. In the dry season you might see some thin, dry, brown grass in patches or see stubbled patches where herbivores grazed. By the end of the dry season most of the grass is either burned, eaten, or trampled. Dried grass fields are dusty and uninviting. But when those first rains hit, the rapid germination is incredible. Suddenly dry bits of brown earth explode into green as blades of grass compete to proliferate. These grasses are bright green and continue to grow quickly while also attracting various insects like mantises and grasshoppers. The grasses flower and put out their seeds while gradually drying up. Late rains can restart this cycle and the grass growth can be a barometer for predicted rainfall.
Fresh grass in the rainy season.
Dried grass.
Although the grasses are beautiful and interesting, they can be a pain. The first thing is that they obscure visibility. When you have 2.5m (7.5 ft) long grass, visibility is poor if you're keeping an eye out fr elephants and buffalo. And feeling vulnerable while walking, or even driving, is less than ideal. The second thing is that I have allergies and if I’ve done even a half decent job of explaining how prevalent and prolific grass is here, then you can put 2+2 and imagine how I feel about that. Otherwise don’t be surprised if someone comes back from a trip to Tanzania and exclaims that yes the lions are wonderful BUT, have you seen the different types of grass?!
Can't see much over this grass.
Trail blazing roads can lead to an incredible amount of grass seed accumulating. This photo was taken after the video below.
There is a nice area of village land nearby that is unique in our area. Located at the foothills of a small range, the area is unique in that it marks the area where the dominant habitat changes from miombo woodland to acacia/commmiphora. It's nice to have a literal change of scenery and because miombo wodlands have poorer soil there is less vegetation and undergrowth making it easier to walk around. It's also nice to be up in the hills as the vast majority of our landscape is flat and thus you don't often get nice views.
There was evidence that indicated daily movement of elephants and we ran into some impala and kudu. We also found a carcass of a giraffe that had been licked clean by lions and hyenas. It was a really nice cool day and the added elevation made the temperature enjoyable and thus extended the hours of our walk!
