May in mountains and flowers

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

 in Cape Town, South Africa

 

Hiking among wildflowers

in the mountains

around Cape Town

 

I have never yet walked up, and down, Table Mountain - but the Ungardener's group tackles many different routes. This time Nursery Ravine looking across the Cape Flats to mountains ranging across the foot of Africa.

 

Looking across the Cape Flats from Nursery Ravine

We did a circle at Silvermine. Ficinia deusta Cyperaceae. Erica ericoides gone to glowing seed. Pink fireworks Erica abietina atrorosea. Diosma oppositifolia. Ermine buds open to shiny pink stars Trichocephalus stipularis. Chocolate and burgundy grace a dead Leucadendron.

 

Silvermine flowers in May

At Chapman's Peak we hiked further than before, to the saddle, winning this view of a flat calm Hout Bay.

 

Hout Bay from Chapman's Peak Saddle

We found a new Erica articularis with slender columns. Brunia lanuginosa buds and flowers. Rewarding path looking back to Constantiaberg (where he hiked the day before) Bearded Protea lepidocarpodendron. New and one of only 6 observations on iNaturalist Muraltia orbicularis. Weirdly fasciated bud Erica cerinthoides.

 

May flowers Chapman's Peak Saddle

Looping to Noordhoek Fire Lookout with a rolling green view.

 

from Noordhoek

Protea coronata echoing a Granny Smith apple, green and shiny. Male sugarbird, with his long tail, eats protea nectar.

 

Protea coronata with a sugarbird in May

Red Gladiolus priorii. New white bells Erica physodes. Erica coccinea with short crisp leaves and dangling antlers. Strawberries and cream Anaxeton arborescens (North of the Fish Hoek Gap, south would be A. laeve) buds backed by creamy Erica lutea. Tight buds of Capelio tabularis. Diosma hirsuta with its spiky four chambered fruit.

 

May flowers from Noordhoek Fire Lookout

From our tea stop up on Elsies Peak we watched pairs of raptors performing aerial acrobatics against a 'moonlit' sea!

 

From Elsies Peak where we watched raptors

White Macrostylis villosa. Creamy Cassine peragua - Celastraceae. Searsia rosmarinifolia has the obligatory trifoliate leaves, but very fine. Beside the path a sand toad. Roepera spinosa bud, back and face.

 

May flowers on Elsies Peak with sand toad

Erica nudiflora soft pink with dark antlers. Warm pink bells Erica viscaria. Erica coccinea in yellow (not the usual red). Proteas, tiny Diastella divaricata and florist's favourite Protea repens. Fruiting Olea capensis proving its name.

 

Ericas and proteas on Elsies Peak in May

Not immaculate Gladiolus maculatus displays its spots. Last of Tritoniopsis dodii. Oxalis polyphylla with its bulb exposed.

 

Gladiolus maculatus in May

Wondering what comes next. Last week we were rained off. Next week LOTS of rain! Tonight we get new third wave lockdown rules. No gatherings?

 

I hope my email subscribers have turned either to a reader or my Facebook blog page - as I will lose them in July.

 

June is my 12 year blogaversary. First post and first decade.

 

Our hikes are listed on my page.

 

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Pictures by Diana and Jürg Studer

of Elephant's Eye on False Bay

 

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