I was in the beautiful De Hoop Nature Reserve over the weekend. De Hoop is approximately 34 000 ha in size and one of the largest natural areas managed by CapeNature. It is a favorite destination for hikers, cyclists, bird watchers and … Continue reading
I came across this delicate little flower in a patch of shale fynbos just outside of the village of Greyton. Schizoglossum cordifolium is a slender, single-stemmed perennial that grows to 15 cm and oozes a milky latex if damaged. It is a … Continue reading
Last week started the year with our first group on the Fynbos Trail (www.walkerbaytrails.co.za). Being the middle of summer I really wasn’t expecting much in the way of flowers and was worried that the hikers would be disappointed by the lack of color … Continue reading
Following the good spring rains in the Overberg the green wood orchid (Bonatea speciosa) has been flowering profusely the last few weeks. This magnificent plant was considered by Darwin to be the most ‘profoundly modified’of all orchids. It is characterized by robust, … Continue reading
I mentioned a few weeks back that there had been a fire on Flower Valley in autumn and all sorts of flowering treasures are appearing in the veld on a weekly basis. While guiding a group of hikers on the Fynbos … Continue reading
I was walking the Fynbos Trail on Flower Valley last week and came across these spectacular Gladiolus overbergensis in full flower. This rare Gladiolus is thought to be pollinated by sun birds and is retricted to the range of low mountains … Continue reading
A few weeks ago a small controlled fire on Flower Valley (www.flowervalley.org.za) jumped a fire break and spread up the southern slopes of Grootberg. Fortunately with the aid of two helicopters (and some timeous light rain that started falling in the … Continue reading
Diosma demissa is a rare fynbos member of the Rutaceae (citrus) family that has a very interesting distribution. It grows only on coastal limestone ridges with two populations; one on the coast near Gansbaai and the second some 90km away across the South Atlantic on a short … Continue reading
A few year ago I spent some time with a Scottish visitor to the Cape who was proudly telling me about the two species of pink heather that flowered up on the mountains above his farm. It was May and … Continue reading
I spent the weekend doing some training for the Freedom Challenge (www.freedomchallenge.org.za) mountain bike race across South Africa. This 2300 km adventure through some of the remotest parts of the land requires a fair bit of carrying ones bike as … Continue reading
