Autumn flowers in the Cape mountains in March

by Diana Studer
- gardening for biodiversity
in Cape Town, South Africa

Hiking among wildflowers
in the mountains
around Cape Town

Up Nursery Buttress and down Nursery Ravine. Blue Disa. Protea cynaroides King protea overlooking Kirstenbosch, where he saw the dam is gratefully full!

Blue disa and king protea above Kirstenbosch
Blue disa and king protea above Kirstenbosch

We walked almost down to Smitswinkel Bay bordering Cape Point Nature Reserve. Gnidia oppositifolia a central golden crown. Hibiscus aethiopicus low to the ground. Linum africanum delicate orange lines on yellow petals. Monopsis lutea scattered flowers. Gleichenia coral fern. Erica ericoides dangling dark anthers. Erica parvifolia clusters of pink. Erica hirtiflora two tones of pink. Drimia elata ghostly silver flowers Struthiola ciliata a central eight pointed star. Plecostachys serpyllifolia has pink hearts. Amaryllis belladonna March lily.

Smitswinkel flowers in March

In search of Brunsvigia orientalis and they were spread across the firebreak. Berzelia lanuginosa pink pompoms. Erica cerinthoides fire heath. Tritoniopsis antholyza. Searsia laevigata fruit. Interesting place to live - access is either a steep walk down and up again, or via a boat to the beach. House painted in sage grey to echo the Metalasia muricata. Fynbos shrubs are cloud pruned in meticulous layers by the salt sea breeze. Olea capensis almost circular leaves and attractive clusters of flowers are not what I expect for an olive tree. Kiggelaria africana fruit, in our garden for Acraea caterpillars to feed Cape robins. Osyris compressa tiniest yellow flowers. Leucadendron macowanii endemic here. Leucadendron coniferum

Smitswinkel flowers in March
Smitswinkel flowers in March

Right Face Traverse to India Venster (= window) on Table Mountain with the City hidden below him in the clouds.

Right Face Traverse Table Mountain
Right Face Traverse Table Mountain

Erica mammosa green toned ivory dominated this fynbos ramble at Slangkop above Kommetjie (back to November flowers) In March Metalasia cephalotes tiny pink furry stars. Erica ericoides. Erica pulchella terminal clusters. Erica corifolia. Phylica ericoides white buds to burgundy seeds. Pelargonium myrrifolium. Protea cynaroides amazes when we see it simply growing on the mountainside.

Slangkop flowers in March
Slangkop flowers in March

Salvia lanceolata dusky pink (want!) Leucadendron salignum red leaves on male plant. Serruria villosa golden. Brunsvigia orientalis in a more photogenic setting. Haemanthus sanguineus April Fool. Tylecodon grandiflorus vivid orange flowers (Tylecodon paniculatus in my garden) Tritoniopsis dodii dense spike of slender curled petals. Gnidia juniperifolia

Slangkop flowers in March
Slangkop flowers in March

Traverse of the Gods across the cliffs above Camps Bay and below the cable station. With a view of Lion's Head that I will never see!

Lion's Head
Lion's Head down to Camps Bay

He swam the gap (dassie traverse). There is just room to squeeze thru, swimming with your elbows, and passing your backpack forward to the one ahead first.

Swim the gap Traverse of the Gods above Camps Bay
Swim the gap Traverse of the Gods above Camps Bay

At Little Grootkop (Redhill). Phylica imberbis. Agathosma lanceolata delicious liquorice scent! Senecio triqueter neat cream tuft. Macrostylis villosa. We walk slowly, with many eyes peeled to find the flowers. Haplocarpha lantana woolly leaves. Stadia radiate. Gladiolus brevifolius. Osteospermum polygaloides

Little Grootkop flowers in March
Little Grootkop flowers in March

Tritoniopsis triticea scarlet with purple hearts. Dilatris elegantly gone to seed. Roella triflora indigo heart. Aristea africana. Bulbine cepacea sturdy substantial stalks with a display of flowers and short cylindrical leaves. Only growing in this one particular perfect for them corner.

Little Grootkop flowers in March
Little Grootkop flowers in March

Cape of Good Hope ostrich gazing at the active Cape Point light house (tourists are routed to the old lighthouse which is often shrouded in cloud) as he walked above Diaz beach.

Ostrich at Cape of Good Hope
Ostrich at Cape of Good Hope

Hiking with U3A both for the company (safety in numbers) and to discover more nature in our mountains.

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Pictures by Diana and Jürg Studer

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Thanks for comments that add value. Maybe start a new thread of discussion? BTW your comment won't appear until I've read it. No Google account? Just use Anonymous, but do leave a link to your own blog. I would return the visit, if I could...

I welcome comments on posts from the last 2 months.

Comments

  1. It lightens my heart to see such wonderful plants thriving and blooming despite the miserable period of drought you've suffered through. As usual, most of the plants you've highlighted are unknown to me, although, believe it or not, I have Salvia lanceolata in my garden! I noticed just this morning that it's produced its first couple of blooms of the season.

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    1. I love to see our plants cherished in your garden.

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  2. Wow, that rock face view with the mist is incredible! As is the bay view--simply stunning! You have so many beautiful autumn blooms in your area. :)

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    1. He missed the city view - but there'll be another chance.

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  3. What an amazing wealth of plants! So enjoyed your post! A filled dam is a wonderful thing. Hope you are going to get plentiful rain.

    I am trying Erica parvifolia...we'll see how it does here.

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    1. Ashamed to admit I can't keep Erica alive. Even my cerinthoides has shuffled off.
      And yes! It rains!

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  4. Such a riot of colour - quenching my grey and tired eyes. Thank you.
    Didn't so much like the hiking photo - too steep, too dangerous, too terrifying for the double vision sufferer! Eeek. But also, I'm jealous :)
    Now I have to add Smitswinkel Bay to my travel wish list which is already bursting with too many wants and needs, haha.

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    1. I find even the photos disconcerting. My preferred route is the jeep tracks which the firefighters use - so I can watch flowers instead of feet.

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  5. Hi your place seems to be filled with all riot of colors...that mountainous range is thrilling to observe and that ostrich view is spectacular capture.

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  6. Oh Diana, your autumn is soooo fantastic. Rich on flowers like my spring. Every single visit on your blog is a short and exotic holiday for me. As you know: I love this continent.
    All my best and big big hugs
    Elisabeth

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  7. Many of your Autumn flowers are similar to the flowers here .. Beautiful... And what a scene from Lion's Head to Camps Bay... It would make my mother homesick to see it.

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    1. Most of my life was spent enfolded in those mountains.

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  8. Fantastic scenery and array of botanicals. Thank you for sharing!--Terri, tssoutherngarden.com

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  9. I agree your Autumn is outstanding. While I am at it, I just came across (Elephants Child) Your current post absolutely overwhelmed me. I hummed and hawed over the massive amount of comments. I ended up totally wordless and had to leave. For some reason reminiscent of Blotanical.

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    1. Elephants Child is a blog? Or the Kipling

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    2. Yes I did realise it was a blog of yours. The massive amount of interest brought me back to the blotanical days. Something I always thought you could have taken over.

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    3. Oh! Thank you for the compliment. Stuart put a huge amount of work (and some money) into Blotanical. That needs techie and coding skills that are beyond me. Blogs have changed yet again, and more of the familiar faces have drifted to Instagram and Facebook.

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    4. Off to get more acquainted with Elephants Child. By the way, when you leave a comment were you aware that your link takes us to an early false bay post of 2015.

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  10. Beautiful flowers, beautiful views. I like the way you arrange the pictures by colour.

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    1. My way of making a picture heavy post load more quickly.

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  11. I love walking with you, Diana, vicariously. Amazing plants and mountains. P. x

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  12. Oh, Diana, I need to take a break. I had come across a comment on The Diary of a suburban gardeners current post. It was from Elephants Child. I immediately assumed,Diana has started a new blog. This is the link. https://myjustsostory.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thank you. I will join you in exploring a new blog!

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    2. Actually Elephant's Child is a friend of mine from Down Under and I love her blog....

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    3. Your wildflowers are always a delight I look forward too....and to see the hiking needed to find them makes me appreciate them even more!

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