May hikes to Simonsberg, Slangkop and Steenberg Ridge in Silvermine

  

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

 in Cape Town, South Africa

 

Hiking among wildflowers

in the mountains

around Cape Town

 

Fynbos Rambles hissing along in May. We begin at Simonsberg above Simon's Town. That hike ended with a loop to Froggy Pond to admire Orbea variegata. Carrion flower elaborately patterned in burgundy and fawn.

 

Orbea variegata at Froggy Pond in May

First we wound slowly up the mountain to see what we could find. Always daisies, and always some yellow ones! Metalasia densa in pink and cream. Rough leaves for renosterbos Myrovernix scaber. Then the yellow ... Athanasia trifurcata (for the leaves). Bracts and flower Senecio burchellii. More bracts on Senecio pinifolius.

 

Simonsberg daisies in May

Rolled leaf margins but no flowers yet - look for the tiny black stipules at the base of the leaves - Trichocephalus stipularis. Tiny wind pollinated flowers Erica hispidula. Pelargonium myrrifolium delicate flowers and finely divided leaves. Little Aspalathus ericifolia grows on granite.

 

May flowers at Simonsberg 

Back to Slangkop to see what emerges with rain after the fire. Daisies purple with no ray florets and glaucous green Othonna digitata. With distinctive seeds, and green reverse to yellow again Osteospermum dentatum.

 

Two Slangkop daisies in May

Ficinia deusta (which means burnt down!) Sprawling Cissampelos capensis. Butter yellow Bulbine praemorsa has a few chunky succulent leaves.

 

Bulbine at Slangkop in May

We turned back early as the cold front chased us home. Trying not to disturb this dikkop who was also sheltering from the weather.

 

Dikkop sheltering from the cold front

Cold front coming from the Atlantic to the left. When flowers open on Trichocephalus stipularis no need to zoom in on her stipules. Muraltia spinosa - leaf tips are hooked (Polygalaceae pretending to be peas but lacking the keel). That dusky pink was a striking signature plant in a Constantia garden Salvia lanceolata.

 

Cool pinks at Slangkop in May

Steenberg Ridge. Collecting not flowers for my life list at iNaturalist (where I have passed 500 species for the Cape Peninsula). Ferns with finer leaves coral fern Gleichenia polypodioides and broader leaves Blechnum capensis. Pixie cup lichen Cladonia, some cups carefully filled with a drop of rain. Red toadskin lichen Lasallia rubiginosa.

 

Fern and lichen at Steenberg Ridge

Hello yellow daisy Senecio pubigerus. Fynbos pinwheel snail. Gnidia tomentosa layered in white and yellow. Gladiolus priorii scarlet with a golden heart. Diospyros glabra red fruit. Vivid pink Indigofera filiformis

 

May flowers on Steenberg Ridge
with fynbos pinwheel snail

May's rain was okay, but 2 winter storms have sorted June. Kirstenbosch got its average June rain all in the first storm! Timed to douse 2 fires among reeds at Rietvlei in Table View, and at Lourensford including Helderberg Nature Reserve.

 

From the City Nature Challenge at iNaturalist I won a botanical art print of Gladiolus monticola (seen above Simon's Town in April 2016 - but we were not high enough to reach monticola that day)

 

Gladiolus monticola brevifolius
April 2016 in Simon's Town

Our hikes are listed on my page.

 

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