May and June Fynbos Rambles

  

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

 in Cape Town, South Africa

Hiking among wildflowers

in the mountains

around Cape Town

 

May Fynbos Rambles

 

Up to Elsie's Peak for after the fire flowers. Looking across to slopes turning green after December fire above St James. Asparagus capensis blooms for bees 6 weeks after a fire. Grass with spiky flowers, and Colpoon compressum resprouting.

 

Elsie's Peak in May after fire

White pompoms are Brunia noduliflora. Haemanthus sanguineus berries for 'once were tortoises here'. Erica similis has Y anthers. Nose fly on Protea repens. Olea capensis laden with fruit. Yellow lobelia is Monopsis lutea

 

Elsie's Peak - May flowers

Slangkop above Kommetjie. Microdon capitatus fruit - endangered - this is the only surviving population on the Peninsula. Morella quercifolia leaves like oak, as the name says. Oxalis luteola. Bulbine praemorsa has thick fleshy channelled leaves, with a Thomisus spider waiting for lunch to be delivered. Dancing daisy Othonna quinquedentata.

 

Slangkop in May with Bulbine

Orange bunches twirled up the stem is Manulea rubra. Cynanchum africanum (milkweed family) - dark twirly petals, tall narrow white crown or corona. A little kind winter sunshine with Antarctica behind us to the South. White feathers for Ficinia deusta. Muraltia spinosa in pink, and a white one too.

 

Slangkop in May with Cynanchum

Silvermine longer circuit around Maiden Peak, then dip down to the river and wind up again. Astephanus triflorus (another milkweed). Lampranthus bicolor fruit opening with drizzle. Tetraria thermalis scattered across the hillside in large clumps. Gomphocarpus cancellatus (third milkweed) - mother and baby plants this year. Oxalis eckloniana has a long floral tube, leaves are red below. Metalasia densa with deep pink bracts.

 

Pink flowers at Silvermine in May

Gladiolus x 2, priorii - red flashes across the landscape, and spotty maculatus. Slime mould. Leucadendron salignum female cones with lime gold and ivory bracts lighting up the slopes Yellow daisy, trident leaves Athanasia trifurcata.

 

Yellow flowers at Silvermine in May

 June Fynbos Rambles

 

Spitskop in Silvermine. Shower as we drove up then the weather held for us. A longer circuit along the jeep track up over the ridge to junction for tea. Then up the valley, squidge across the river and wind our way back up and down. Selection of Gladiolus maculatus with burgundy-brown-purple spots and stripes on buttery yellow.

 

Gladiolus maculatus at Spitskop in June

Black beard and dark bracts for Protea lepidocarpodendron. Boggy bit near and across the river - with a landmark of swamp daisy Osmitopsis we found Mimetes hirtus, and Leucadendron spissifolium with shiny red cones. Podalyria sericea (have added this beauty to my garden). Tiny crystalwort towards the bubbling stream edge.

 

Proteas at Spitskop in June

Cape Point Red Track with my favourite wide open views across the plain - mountains and sea we have 'everywhere' but our flat plains are concrete jungle. Again drizzle on windscreen - then sunny and not too cold all morning. Scuttle back to vote in our local by-election (after we just had the national election!)

 

Red Track at Cape Point

Serruria villosa. We were looking for mielie heath - another boggy plant and we found a few - yellow flowers sparkling in the sun like a glossy corncob - Erica patersonii. But first to admire Gladiolus merianellus glowing and backlit by the sun. Red fruiting Penaea mucronata. Pelargonium myrrhifolium growing with determination IN the jeep track. Bronze and ivory - both daisies!

 

Red Track flowers in June

Silvermine to Blackburn Ravine. For that view, unexpected as it opens with the last few steps on the trail, enjoyed with a new member A. Erica abietina constantiana (that little bit different to atrorosea). Watsonia borbonica a graceful echo of a ballet dancer. Erica parviflora is furry like hirtiflora, but the flowers are narrower tubes. Moon peeking over the ridge. Little ivory and red fruiting mystery is Erica glabella. Gnidia pinifolia.

 

June flowers to Blackburn Ravine

My hikes are listed on my Hiking page.

 

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