By the MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team
The tribal patterns of blooming flowers at the Dafongdafu Plain Forest Park in Hualien County are in full display. From now until just before the Lunar New Year’s Lantern Festival is the perfect time to visit. The Hualien Forest District Office has specially created festive floral displays for New Year’s Day 2014 and the Spring Festival, planting over 300,000 seedlings of more than 20 varieties of seasonal flowers, including marigolds, sweet violets, African impatiens, begonias, dianthus, lobelia, salvia, lavender, and rosemary. With natural-shaped tribal patterns and lines, these vibrant seasonal blooms create a lively and energetic themed flower sea.
It is currently the season to admire the "maple-scented" trees, where leaves turning from green to yellow or red decorate the ground like a romantic path from a fairy tale. (Image source / Provided by the official website of the Hualien Forest District Office)
The Dafongdafu Plain Forest Park is located in Guangfu Township, situated in the Huatung Valley, flanked by the Central Mountain Range and the Coastal Mountain Range. Between the two mountain ranges, the views are expansive. The park has planted nearly 20 common tree species that intertwine to form a vast sea of trees. A 13-kilometer cycling trail winds through the forest paths of the north and south loop roads, lined with neatly arranged trees. The diverse and rich forest composition includes species such as Taiwan beech, Michelia compressa, camphor trees, glossycalyx lacquer trees, maple-scented trees, large-leaved nanmu, Chinese pepper trees, cyclobalanopsis glauca, Chinese tallow trees, and Formosan koelreuteria. Especially now during the "maple-scented" viewing season, leaves transitioning from green to yellow or red blanket the trails. Cycling under the winter sun, occasionally hearing the crisp sound of tires crushing fallen leaves, the serene forest echoes with gentle rustles. You might even spot the rare and precious Mikado pheasant, making the natural wild experience truly delightful.
Colorful flowers depict patterns of flowing clouds and rising suns, showcasing the charm of the Huatung Valley. (Image source / Provided by the official website of the Hualien Forest District Office)
Wu Kun-ming, Director of the Hualien Forest District Office, stated that from New Year’s Day 2014 to the Lunar New Year period, an 11-hectare tribal pattern flower sea has been planned, making it the most dazzling and largest single-area scenic flower sea in the Huatung Valley. The canvas of the earth uses shrubs to outline a rainbow against tribal patterns of Amis warriors and beauties, paired with flowers to depict flowing clouds and rising suns, fully expressing the essence of the Huatung Valley. A large area is planted with rapeseed flowers, presenting a vast sense of openness. The graceful and bright yellow-orange rapeseed flowers reflect the distant mountains, showcasing the enchanting beauty of the Huatung Valley.
● Extended Reading:
Holiday Spring Travel in Taiwan: 4 Great Itineraries to Celebrate the New Year
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