Jumping Board to Elephant's Eye

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

in Cape Town, South Africa

Hiking among wildflowers

in the mountains

around Cape Town

Far below him you see Camps Bay houses. He stands on the Jumping Board at Kasteelspoort about 780 metres above the sea.

Jumping Board at Kasteelspoort above Camps Bay

In June we walked at Cape Point. Gifkommetjie loops around a headland (I will return to complete the circuit down to the sea) Gif meaning poison for Euphorbia caput-medusae. Diastella divaricata tiniest protea. Pink pea Amphithalea ericifolia. White Arctotis aspera. Yellow Cullumia setosa with prickly leaves.

Purple vygie Ruschia sarmentosa with a central cone. Portal to another world. Walking to discover fresh flowers each week. Buttery yellow with burgundy spots Zygophyllum spinosum.

Lampranthus bicolor sunny yellow open, terracotta in bud. Golden Serruria villosa. Bokmakierie's tail echoes the colours of that bird, driving past it appears as a bed of reeds, Witsenia maura flowers lost until you look for them.

Gifkommetjie at Cape Point
June flowers

First to Hessea cinnamomea blooming after the November 2017 fire at Cape Point. We trod very carefully, but some hooves were there before us. Nerine relative. We saw Hessea monticola fire lilies in Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Area in May after the March 2009 fire.

Hessea cinnamomea at Cape Point in June

Nursery Ravine above Kirstenbosch.

Nursery Ravine

Signal Hill (with the Noon Gun) above the City centre, forms the flank to Lion's Head. We began with friendly greetings from West Africans going to a worship meeting. Bee on Searsia glauca. Lion's Head with Metalasia densa. Othonna arborescens has succulent leaves. Osteospermum incanum little sister to the bietou bushes in our garden.

Pelargonium lobatum with very large leaves. Table Mountain Pelargonium tabulare with zonal marking. Crassula capensis delicate white and burgundy flowers and low large leaves - Cape snowdrops.

Oxalis with a radiating fan of folded silvery leaves. Purple and white Muraltia heisteria - has vicious leaves!

Yellow stars Pauridia curculigoides. Delicate white flowers for bees Asparagus capensis. Silver leaves and mauve pea flowers Podalyria sericea. We saw one single flower of climbing Tephrosia capensis.

Signal Hill
June flowers

Against a clear blue sky and the Atlantic Ocean the gold-sparkled salmon flowers of Gladiolus watsonius.

Gladiolus watsonius
Signal Hill in June

Our trail was wide enough for two courteous hikers. Two yuppie guys in booming conversation caught up with us at the intersection of three trails.
Wondering if they were going to mow us aside??
Do you know you are not allowed to mountain bike here?
He blusters that is only if we go UP Lion's Head.
No crayons needed to show him - see the sign, no mountain bikes in ANY direction!
You're right, he says.
Turns his bike around, and cycles back down to the road.

No mountain bikes on our hiking trails, thank you!
Yellow Euryops and Table Mountain

Our kind autumn rain lures his hikers across the front of Table Mountain to hunt for waterfalls.

Table Mountain waterfalls

We walked at Maiden Peak in Silvermine. Othonna quinquedentata in a yellow haze. The Silvermine River flows! Veiled in white Searsia tomentosa. Climbing Astephanus triflorus.

White Polyarrhena reflexa. Cullumia setosa in cream. Mustardy buttons Athanasia crithmifolia. Mimetes fimbrifolius elaborate flowers.

Green urn Erica urna-viridis. Palest blue Lobelia pinifolia and Babiana villosula. Pink and burgundy Erica glabella.

Adenandra villosa white petals glowing from the cherry reverse. Wide red Gladiolus priorii. Orange and gold Gladiolus merianellus (was bonaspei)

Maiden Peak Silvermine
June flowers

His group hiked to Elephant's Eye cave. From there is a spectacular view through the Eye. One day I may see it too. Mystical gathering conjuring up the winter rain which has slipped away for the next ten days.

Elephant's Eye cave at Silvermine

I have listed the Hiking posts on a new page.

I invite you to join us at Elephant's Eye on False Bay. Please subscribe as you prefer

via Feedly,

or Bloglovin,

Email with Feedburner,

or Facebook 

Pictures by Diana and Jürg Studer

of Elephant's Eye on False Bay

Teal blue text is my links.

To read comments if you are in email or a Reader,

first click thru to the blog)

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.