Usually just a dusty, arid sea of brown or white sand next to the ocean, every so often, a fantastic phenomenon takes place: beautiful, intricate flowers burst out of the Earth, and the desert becomes a botanical garden.

Rain here is rare, but this year it rained, around six times, giving life to dormant flowers and making 2011 one of those infrequent years in which a part of Chile transforms.

There are hundreds of species and little is known about them; what may bloom one year could then go unseen for years and years to come. It’s somewhat mystical really.

You just have to imagine the landscape as it is the majority of the time, completely different, no green to be seen. And now, for around three fleeting months, the vistas are lush and life is present.