Different people have different hobbies and favorite pastime activities. Some enjoy tinkering with gadgets or do crafts while others have more fun as they commune with nature, making a garden or exploring the forest and other nature destinations.
In Bukittinggi, a city in Sumatra, Indonesia, one guy enjoys exploring the forest and taking photos of the beautiful plants and flowers he sees there.
A nature lover, Joni Hartono dedicates his Facebook page to sharing various photos of the many rare and beautiful flowers and plants he sees in the forest. He recently went viral for sharing interesting time-lapse photos of a Rafflesia plant.
A rare plant found in many places in Asia, the Rafflesia is a strange one in that it does not actually have the parts of a regular flower. It does not have leaves or stems or even roots! It’s just a flower – and a rather giant one at that! Most Rafflesia flowers bloom at more than 100 cm (39 inches) in diameter!
Even the smallest Rafflesias (R. baletei) only show off the flowers that often measure at least 12 cm (5 inches). Considered a parasitic species, the flower does not only look strange and alien-like, it also gives off a rotten smell that makes it an undesirable part of anyone’s garden.
This is the reason why not too many people are excited about the idea of cultivating Rafflesia in their gardens! But Hartono is lucky because the forest is within his reach and he could easily visit the Rafflesia flowers without them making his garden stink.
In his post, Hartono shared impressive photos of the Rafflesia as it bloomed from a rather alien-looking sac-like material into a beautiful, albeit stinky, flower.
