Sunday 29 September 2013

Short Flower Walk

 
It's yellow Daisy time! We ignore these all year, although they do seem to flower sporadically throughout. But now, they're stunning!
Euryops abrotanifolius
Now we know why we've never noticed pink Helichrysums among the white ones before, they're only pink in their bud form. Once open they're white!
...with a pink and later black centre:
Syncarpha ...
Those black centres in the white Ericas again:
Veined rock with red clovers:
This yellowish bush has a cluster of pea-type flowers:
.... and grows up with stalks out of the ground:
We've been watching this ground-hugging plant for a while:
White flowers have appeared at the tips:
Oftia africana
The Wachendorfia paniculata are well in flower now, here is a bud:
.... and this one's nearly fully open:
We're still working on tracking these down:
The Sour Figs Carpobrotus edulis are looking good, too. Bud:
Carpobrotus edulis
Opening:
And fully open, complete with monkey beetle:
From these pictures, it can be seen how the little beetles interact with the flowers!
That was Saturday, today we went further, to check on 'our' leucospermum, now looking likea pincushion at last!
We were told that this was a L. oleifolium. It does now look like one! The pair next to this one is still closed:
Leucospernum oleifolium
The other plants we wanted to check on were what we think might be small Nivenias. A few weeks ago, we noticed tufty ends to stalks which differed from the spent flowers still on from last year, and thought we'd missed the flowering. Not so it seems!
Look what's coming out of the tufts! This is what a typical plant looks like, all made up of sets of fans of leaves. The tufts can be seen as well as some spent flowers from last year:
In that vicinity was the single little plant we found last time, much the same as before, still defying identification:
:-) Andy











Sunday 15 September 2013

Blustery flower walk

Hello all,
It didn't actually rain on us but it threatened to! This morning we had a cloudburst here!
..... just as Pippa took the dogs for a walk around the farm!
I read just now about Ericas: The ericas (Ericaceae), the largest genus of flowering plants in South Africa, are more delicate, repaying close examination of their almost infinite variety of colour and form. One or other of these species will be found in bloom at almost any time of the year. Read more:http://www.southafrica.info/about/animals/flora.htm#.UjXhJNKLBiw#ixzz2ez2tLRVm 
Today was no exception, these are on the bank of the dam of the Experimental Farm next door:
And later, ones which we had described as 'white' are actually black and white:
We found the pink Everlastings again we can't believe we simply missed them up to now:
and the curly bracts or petals.......
An update on 'our' Protea / Pincushion / Leucospermum oleifolia (?), looking redder by the week!
Leucospernum oleifolia
And eventually, despite the windy conditions, I managed to 'freeze' the Thymelaecea which we haven't pinned down yet:
Thymelaecea
A Saltera sarcocolla stood out, but it was the number of buds that caught my eye:
Saltera sarcocolla buds
A 'new' one, an Iris type, we think. The bud:
...and the whole plant. The stems of the flowers are twisted:
How's this for everybody working together?
100% Pure Country! And another 'new' one!
Growing on its own, next to the road, with a wild Lobelia in the background, just to show they're still in flower!
Detail of the growing tip:
The Worm got a smell on this Brunia, which is doing its best to swamp a pine!
And this magnificent stand of Restio shows how they thrive in this climate and sandy soil!
In one area, there are many of these which we think might be Nivenias. There are some spent flowers on them, but perhaps some new buds, or have we missed, in a few weeks, this year's flowering?
And there was more! For interest, on the whole walk, we saw just three other people, all friends of ours!
A:


Sunday 8 September 2013

Wet Sunday flower walk

Hello all,
After a gloriously warm Saturday (we thought it was too good to be true for this time of the year!) we woke to drizzle today. Those of us who sprayed oil on our apple trees early this week have had several warm days to follow that up, which is what they need!
Is the monkey-beetle holding a petal over it to hide from the rain?
At last! Flowers from the Wachendorfia are coming out!
Wachendorfia panicula
This was the most advanced of three in a cluster. The pleated leaves are very clear here:
Wachendorfia panicula
This is a new one to us, on a grey-green-leafed plant close to the ground:
People who don't know this area can see what we call soil here!
The recent heavy rains have caused serious erosion on the road.
The everlastings either aren't open yet, or gave today a miss!
Syncarpha vestita - Cape snow
But close by we were delighted to find a pink one, last seen in this vicinity several years ago!
This is quite different from the Pink Helichrysum we've been watching elsewhere for a year or more:
Phaenocoma prolifera - False everlasting
Here is a pink clover, growing flat against the ground!
Also along the cycle path, this lily-family plant which we'll try and identify when the flower comes out:
This tiny flower was growing at the end of a long stem at the base of a pine:
This Leucadendron was looking stunning from a long way off!
You can actually count the Fibonacci sequence in the flower below:
Leucadendron
We haven't been to see 'our' protea for three weeks now, so we were keen to see how it has developed. Ebraime Hull at Harold Porter says it's a Leucospermum oleifolium (making it a Pincushion), stunted by lack of sunshine. It has opened slightly and perhaps become redder.
Leucospernum oleifolium
Leucospernum oleifolium
Saltera sarcocolla:
Saltera sarcocolla
This Thymelacea which we haven't pinned down yet, is still in flower:
An interesting Restio flower (pity about the rain on the lens!):
Joy! At one of our favourite resting places which we call the Outspan, all the pines have been cleared to give a clear northward view!
And exposed a magnificent Protea cynaroides (king) which we hadn't ever seen before!
Protea cynariodes
Near it, this bush with pink and white flowers growing in profusion:
An impressive Brunia on the way home:
And some pink flowers on this ground-hugging sprawly plant:
Early apple blossoms in the Experimental block next door:
Malus domestica
Not good weather for pollination!
The Country Club, now under new self-management, looked ghostly in the misty rain:
Now back to the books to identify the new ones! :-) A