January hikes to Elsie's Peak, Jonkersdam Trail, Rooihoogte at Cape Point, Steenberg Ridge

 

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

 in Cape Town, South Africa

 

Hiking among wildflowers

in the mountains

around Cape Town

 

This January was a month of fires, smoke, and burn scars. Starting at Elsie's Peak where we revelled in blue flowers. Beetle with yellow epaulettes on Aristea glauca. Agapanthus africanus are Christmas flowers. Lobelia coronopifolia deep blue with white and a rosette of leaves below. Lobelia pubescens white with just a hint of blue (narrow toothy leaves)

 

Blue flowers on Elsie's Peak in January

Wind sweeping up from Cape Point nearly knocked us off the ridge. This Teedia lucida is an old friend, battling the summer heat, but climbing up in a shady crevice. Sparkling yellow stars Gnidia juniperifolia. Pair of pods Podalyria biflora. Watsonia tabularis favours rock outcrops, but this one, was next to the path. Spread umbrella of flowers says Apiaceae Nanobubon strictum. Crassula coccinea flashes red!

 

Red ish flowers on Elsie's Peak in January

From Elsie's Peak we could see fresh burn scars from 2 fires. The further one sweeping along the ridge above Simon's Town till firefighters cut it off at the gate to Cape Point.

 

Elsie's Peak to January burn scars

For Jonkersdam trail our target was Gladiolus jonquilodorus. Together we found  flowers, then more buds.

 

Gladiolus jonquilodorus Jonkersdam in January

I like small mysteries. What are these weird leaves? Psoralea imbricata (imbricate leaves are arranged like tiles on a roof). Someone even found us the ridiculously tiny dark purple flowers.

 

Psoralea imbricata Jonkersdam in January

Again wind blew us home! Left innocent wisps of cloud, but right a sinister cloud of smoke rising behind the previous burn scar! Yet another fire over the mountain from Boyes Drive to Ou Kaapse Weg. We watched the smoke unfurl.

 

Jonkersdam in January, clouds and the next fire

To Rooihoogte at Cape Point in search of marshmallows. The only moss I can ID is these cushions of apple moss. Our marshmallows Stoebe rosea. A Nother pink erica, but I have the new Erica book now (so less excuse) Erica laeta (marshy flats, flowers in dense fours, needle sepals, pink urn with narrow mouth, common name 'cheerful' ). Rolled back leaf margins for Phylica, broad leaves are buxifolia. The devil has a tiny deep purple eye Monopsis debilis. Who walks across my path? Larva of a ground beetle

 

Rooihoogte in January with marshmallows

We see this on every walk. Makes my heart sing. Hermas villosa

 

Hermas villosa in January at Rooihoogte

Up to the trig beacon at 275 M for tea. From where we had a reality check view for the other end of that Simon's Town fire - which crossed the Peninsula from sea to sea. Gentle breeze, but still got hot as we walked down.

 

Rooihoogte trig beacon
Simon's Town burn scar from January

Steenberg Ridge where I saw my eight hundredth species for the Cape Peninsula - a predatory robber fly waiting for lunch to land. Up close plain red Tritoniopsis triticea shows bright yellow stamens and a dark lip. Yesterday, today and tomorrow on Watsonia tabularis spike. Cannot resist our local Agapanthus africanus (for our mediterranean summer dry climate - not the Agapanthus praecox cultivars, popular in our gardens and needing summer irrigation). Berkheya barbata bud with spines and don't mess with me attitude. Yellow Aspalathus incurva.

 

January flowers on Steenberg Ridge, 
with robber fly

False Bay was covered in smoke - all the fires from Tulbagh to Pringle Bay. Blooming hot, then we got a grateful gentle breeze. First kind wisps of cloud rolling in from the left dropped the temperature. Lovely and cool back down near Silvermine dam. Joyful woofs from swimming dogs!

 

Silvermine with kind clouds

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