Banksias on Brakkloofrant

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

in Cape Town, South Africa

Hiking among wildflowers

in the mountains

around Cape Town

On Signal Hill in October fine grey leaved Leysera gnaphalodes. Moraea gawleri with red spotted nectar guide. Tall Moraea bellendenii.

October on Signal Hill
Leysera and Moraea

Anglican priest Bernie Wrankmore fasted for 67 days at this kramat, protesting the death in detention of Imam Abdullah Haron in 1969.

Tandem paragliders and paraseeds Ursinia anthemoides. Rusty Salvia aurea.

Blue bulbs Geissorhiza aspera and tall Babiana fragrans. Purple lined Wurmbea spicata Colchicum family. Blush pink Watsonia borbonica.

Central white star on Lapeirousia corymbosa. Slope scattered with creamy Ornithogallum thyrsoides. Soft mauve daisy Felicia fruticosa and prickly yellow Berkheya armata.

Delicate twining Cyphia digitata. Black and lemon Pelargonium lobatum (similar to Pelargonium triste but) with each solid leaf the size of my hand. Cream Pelargonium elongatum. Sebaea exacoides at the entrance to the throat - two broad long strokes bookended by two fine short strokes on each petal.

October flowers on Signal Hill
Remembering Bernie Wrankmore

Began our Mule Track walk with this house in Kalk Bay. Next door to the building site - which remains an access road and NO houses. Such a successful green roof, which doesn't obstruct their sea view!

Blue bulbs Geissorhiza aspera and Moraea tripetala. Yellow with rich golden peacock splotch Wachendorfia paniculata.

Yellow daisies Arctotis acaulis and prickly Cullumia setosa. Fingered petals on orange striped Hebenstretia repens and plain Dischisma ciliatum.

Struthiola ciliata is usually pink, yellow or white with green leaves - this plant had deep burgundy leaves. Low Cyphia bulbosa. The mule track with memories of before the coastal road was built around the quicksand at the mouth of Silvermine River. Burgundy veins outside the buds of Bolusafra bituminosa.

Otholobium fruticans with rounded heads of flowers. Caterpillar in glorious Technicolor. Pelargonium triste (with finely divided leaves). Pelargonium cucculatum Peninsula subspecies.

October flowers along the Mule Track in Kalk Bay

Bubbling stream from his Table Mountain hike on the First of October.

Table Mountain stream in October

When we walked down from Brakkloofrant to Glencairn, we stopped to discuss these. I saw radiating stars of leaves and spikes of flowers - Brabejum stellatifolium! No they said, invasive alien, Banksia integrifolia (also protea family). Four nicely grown trees in the firebreak above the houses. Central lower picture with stacks of felled invasive aliens, left to dry and shed their seeds before burning.

Banksia integrifolia blooming in October

What we wanted to see was Satyrium carneum in many pinks, and one white.

Beautiful Syncarpha gnaphaloides with feathery silvery leaves, russet buds, soft lemon flowers!

Satyrium and Syncarpha gnaphaloides in October

Low Protea scolymocephala. Towering over us a forest of Leucadendron coniferum. Berries on Knowltonia vesicatoria (in my garden with beautiful leaves, interesting flowers and berries still to come). Tall Aspalathus carnosa with a reddish standard.

True yellow Linum africanum. Striking brick red and cream flowers Crassula fascicularis. Passerina corymbosa looks pink but is red sepals, long stamens and NO petals. Huge head of Pseudoselago spuria.

Senecio rigidus with sandpapery leaves. Largest Cape lappet moth caterpillar I have seen! Intricately marked Gazania pectinata.

Pelargonium betulinum has small leaves. Pink Watsonia borbonica. Gladiolus carneus dark 'shovels' on lower petals. Unusually tall Ixia dubia reaching up to the light.

October flowers on Brakkloofrant

Fragile fumitory family flowers and inflated oval fruit Cysticapnos vesicaria. Tiny Tetragonia decumbens and minute Exomis microphylla (amaranth family).

Fierce thorns Lycium afrum Solanaceae. We sheltered Under Milkwood (Dylan Thomas in Wales) ours is Sideroxylon inerme. That advancing rain caught us. Lichen each colour has a different name.

Twirled bells Hermannia pinnata. Lush red fruit tortoiseberry Muraltia spinosa. Burnt lime gold for Manulea tomentosa. Toothy leaves Senecio halimifolius.

October flowers ar Kommetjie

Not to be outdone by mere paragliders, the Ungardener on Reserve Peak.

Reserve Peak

We stopped as we drove home from our Cape Point hike to Gifkommetjie to admire Dilatris pillansii with its fishbone remnants of last year's seeds.

An UNusual Helichrysum, retortum has large white flowers.

Dilatris and Helichrysum retortum in October

At Gifkommetjie Syncarpha vestita sparkling perfection which is Cape Snow. Delicate pink wash on opening Arctotis aspera. Yellow daisy Cullumia squarrosa with matching companion blister beetle.

Dishevelled echo of Felicia is Amellus astericoides. Carrot and parsley family Dasispermum hispidum. Flamboyant pairing of deep terracotta flowers with shimmery silver leaves, and inflated red seedpods, Lessertia frutescens.

Just above the crushed shell beach Crassula glomerata. Covered in white Agathosma ciliaris. Teatime - I longed to stay and watch the waves and the pair of African black oystercatchers. Luminous pink Orphium frutescens.

Microdon dubius usually plain yellow, but burgundy margins add oomph. Roepera flexuosa again yellow marked with russet. Searsia laevigata stiff leaves with pointed tips. Blue-headed rock agama.

October flowers at Gifkommetjie

I hike with U3A (listed as False Bay)

His hike with U3A each week (listed as Cape Town)

Our hikes are listed on my page.

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