March hikes - Elsie's Peak, Slangkop and Trappieskop

 by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

 in Cape Town, South Africa

 

Hiking among wildflowers

in the mountains

around Cape Town

 

My March with Fynbos Ramblers began on Elsie's Peak, where we found two special Erica, sticky E. viscaria and E. pulchella with more flowers in pink. Also two familiar ones, purple tipped E. corifolia and furry red E. cerinthoides.

 

Ericas on Elsie's Peak in March

On my wish list Syncarpha gnaphaloides - grey leaves, cherry red and gold flowers, goes to seed in bronze glory! Walked across to a seedy companion in burgundy and lime gold Thesium viridifolium. Asparagus lignosus has white bark.

In blues Lobelia comosa and Roella ciliata with the Easter Bunny waiting on a cairn where the path divides. j

 

March flowers on Elsie's Peak

From there we look back across False Bay with the sea in dark and light blue bands.

 

Looking over False Bay from Elsie's Peak

On Slangkop we found very few Brunsvigia orientalis, many had their flowers nibbled  off (by buck?) but some had already gone to 'nosy' seed. Staying red for Tylecodon grandiflorus and Haemanthus sanguineus (AKA April Fool)

 

Red flowers at Slangkop in March

Diosma oppositifolia fragrant buchu. Staavia radiata with the tiny mauvy pink flower. Tritoniopsis doddii delicate petals furled out, with a fine dark pattern.

Large carpenter bee Xylocopa in glossy black. Greyish Erica ericoides.

Golden Serruria villosa feeding bees who defended this is MY Bush, find your own!

 

Slangkop flowers in March with a large carpenter bee

From the ridge at Slangkop we look across to Hout Bay. Always with the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Looking across Hout Bay from Slangkop

At Trappieskop fynbos unfolds another layer of complexity. Erica tristis is wind-pollinated. Tiny flowers on gnarled old trees which tower over the path.

 

Erica tristis on Trappieskop in March

From here we look over irrigated green Clovelly golf course, our house off-centre left, to the sea.

 

Trappieskop, Clovelly golf course, Atlantic Ocean

Viscum capensis enfolding its host. Backlit Stoebe cinerea. Blue African skies caught in Salvia africana.

Stand down-wind and be bathed in wafts of honey from Phylica buxifolia. Gentle pink Gladiolus brevifolius. Red stems of Euclea racemosa.

Olive flowers and tiny fruit Olea capensis. Amber berries on Searsia lucida.

 

March with Gladiolus brevifolius on Trappieskop

Listing to port on Kalk Bay Peak. Mission Impossible Man (quoting his hiking companion photographer). The Ungardener has inherited my camera (and will bring me better pictures than his cellphone managed)

 

Mission Impossible Man on Kalk Bay Peak

Our hikes are listed on my page.

 

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Pictures by Diana Studer

of Elephant's Eye on False Bay

 

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