DAY 146 (29 AUGUST) – Wandering jew (Tradescantia pallida ‘purpurea’) (Jerez)
My first encounter with this dramatic plant – bordering the pool at an expensive hotel in Jerez. It’s native to the Gulf Coast of Mexico and does not tolerate cold conditions or shade. It was a baking day here as it basked beside a whitewashed wall, so a happy plant. (Apparently you can’t describe a plant as ‘happy’ in Spain – they don’t go in for our tendency to humanise at all).
I’ve become a bit obsessed with the bird-like shape at the top of the left hand picture. It even seems to have two eyes peeping out across its very long beak. It reminds me of a cartoon bird from a film. Could it be Zazu from The Lion King?
