Sevilla Rock Art Trail

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

in Cape Town, South Africa

We've rushed from Clanwilliam across the Pakhuis Pass on the road to Wuppertal, past the sign for the Sevilla Rock Art Trail, when heading to the Biedouw Valley for spring flowers. In 2014 we walked the Trail. Sadly our drought in 2017 has cancelled the Clanwilliam Flower Show.

This trail is recommended in spring or autumn if you want flowers AND cave paintings. Easy walking, with a little rock scrambling. Summer would be very hot, across the rock outcrop with little shade, and winter would be tricky if the river would be high. That day was perfect with a few wisps of cloud.

Melianthus major at Sevilla Rock Art Trail August 2014

As I planned our False Bay garden I collected memories of chosen plants in their natural setting. At Sevilla we walked thru a Melianthus major forest, the flowers in burgundy and green. Melianthus in our False Bay garden is an echo of that forest, with a seedling. Tall botterboom with huge luminous green leaves Tylecodon paniculatus (Tick). Mustard lime flowers on shrubby Euphorbia mauritanica (Tick). Lobostemon fruticosus with pink and blue changeant flowers is here, but my flowers are disappointing. Crassula umbellata (Tick) grows in shady crevices with FERNS (wish list).

Garden inspiration at Sevilla
near Clanwilliam in the Cederberg
Crassula, Lobostemon,
Tylecodon, Euphorbia

August 2014

First an early lunch at the Travellers Rest restaurant conveniently sited where the trail begins beside the Brandewyn River. Cheese toastie, with good bread and a generous side salad. Back for tea and freshly baked cake after our walk.

Lunch at Traveller's Rest near Clanwilliam
with geese, a banana slug, rock pools

We began our walk with a flock of geese, chattering and grazing on the lush spring greens. A yellow banana slug crossed my path. Just a thin skin of water in rock pools. Gazing down at reflected clouds I lost all sense of scale. I could be looking out of an aeroplane window at great lakes and forests.

The trail is clearly marked with white footprints painted on the rock. When I started hooking on the bushes and we realised we were following eland and springbok tracks, we turned back and found the right path again. I'm grateful that we didn't meet the eland then, 1.6 metres (5 foot) tall at the shoulder. Living among the rocks are dassies, watchful and wary.

Follow the white footprints on Sevilla Rock Art Trail
Springbok above, eland below
A dassie among the rocks 

Along the trail are nine sites with rock art. 'The paintings may be thousands of years old' - and need to be treated with respect from a personal space distance. The rock art is our heritage from the San (Bushmen). A dinosaur. A zebra foal. Two hunters carry home dinner.

Sevilla Rock Art Trail

A child's handprint. Two dancing women.

Sevilla Rock Art Trail

The archer.

The archer on Sevilla Rock Art Trail

Ancient wild olive tree is centuries old.

Ancient wild olive tree at Sevilla in the Cederberg

Gladiolus orchidiflorus delicately lime green and purple. Didelta spinosa, perdebos bright green prickly leaves and yellow daisies. Lapeirousia jacquinii violet and cream petals. Dimorphotheca sinuata Namaqua daisy, buttery gold and a deep purple ringed heart. Ornithogallum suaveolens yellow petals with a green central stripe. Aizoon paniculatum with furry grey leaves. Daisies tiny and white. Ursinia cakelifolia yellow daisy with a black heart and filigree leaves. Silverleaf nightshade, from the Americas, is known as Satan's bush in Afrikaans, ornamental invasive in the Cederberg. Corymbium villosum clusters of white stars. Unexpected ferns tucked in the damp cool shady cracks. Homeria miniata in salmon (also found on the wild edges of Porterville). Pelargonium echinatum deep and deeper purple. Whiteheadia bifolia - what I thought was gone to seed, is the green flower spike!

Spring flowers along the Sevilla Rock Art Trail in August 2014 

The Cape to Namibia Route takes us from Cape Town (and Porterville) to Clanwilliam.

The Cape to Namibia Route

Clanwilliam's flower church (2010) for a landscaped display of named species.
Ramskop wildflower garden (2010 and 2012), for planted horticulture.
Further North to the Namaqua National Park (2008)

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Pictures by Diana and Jürg Studer

of Elephant's Eye on False Bay

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I welcome comments on posts from the last 2 months.

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