A vlei (say “flay”) is the term used in South Africa to describe a seasonal wetland. The equivalent term in Zimbabwe is a “dambo”. These wetlands are characterized by standing or slow-flowing water and are fringed with reedbeds and other emergent wetland vegetation. Sometimes the entire wetland is covered by reeds. They fill with water during the wet season; the water evaporates or sinks into the ground during the dry season. The dry season is in summer in the winter rainfall region and in winter in the summer rainfall region. At the end of the dry season, the vlei can be anywhere between a marshy depressions and sun-baked mud. Vleis occur mainly in high rainfall regions in the eastern half and along the southern coastal plain of southern Africa. They are extremely productive ecosystems. They are most attractive to birds while water levels are slowly decreasing.
