Flirting Malachite Sunday Flower Walk

The Malachite Sunbird pair were actually performing here at home during the week, making a lot of noise, or he was, and much flashing of wings. Not sure whether madam on the left was impressed or not, but they looked good in the Klipdagga Leonotis nepetifolia.

Male Malachite Sunbird showing off to the female on the left

Also in the week I came across several cream-coloured Sugarbush Proteas Protea repens, this one complete with bug.

Sugarbush Protea repens

On the same farm a delightful red Pelargonium:

Pelargonium

And.....?

Unknown flower

It was good that there was some colour about because today in the burned hills there was just green, and ever more of it! In this case, Wachendorfia paniculata and Lanaria lanata:

Wachendorfia paniculata and Lanaria lanata

The strange thing about the Fire Asparagus Asparagus lignosus is that many of them have come up out of burned stands of what look like just that, yet we've never noticed the plant before! This one has set fat green berries.

Berries on Fire Asparagus Asparagus lignosus

I walked to the top of a hill where I know there was a Pagoda flower Mimetes cucullatus.

Burned Pagoda Mimetes cucullatus

I was interested to inspect the spent and burned flowers to see whether there were seeds, seeing as this doesn't appear to be a re-sprouter. This is what the old flower looks like up close:

Close-up of burned flower

... and yes, breaking away a little part of it, yielded a healthy looking seed, which I planted under it.

.... and a seed!

Not far away there is a burned Leucospermum oleifolium, which we had only just discovered before the fire.

Burned Leucospermum oleifolium

There are many spent flowers on it and I broke one open and found it completely packed with little seeds:

... and seeds! 

Back to the re-sprouters, this looks like a Rhus / Searsia:

Rhus / Searsia

The leaves are veined and in threes. We folded a leaf back to see if it would leave a white line.... it snapped!

Leaf detail

We walked down what we call 'the gully' where we knew there were two Agapanthus walshii before the fire. Up till today we had not found them. They are there! One:

Agapanthus walshii which we couldn't find before

... and the other!

The other one we were looking for!

This was also where we found the Oxalis polyphylla with the strange needle-like leaves. They weren't easy to find because the flowers are spent but we did find one, we think!

Oxalis polyphylla

The spent flower up close:

Spent Oxalis polyphylla flower

I thought this was yet another part-burned stump but it was hollow. It is or was an ant-hill!

Burned ant-hill

This looked funny, a Daisy right in the middle of a re-growing Restio!

Daisy in Restio!

The scraggly Pelargoniums seem to have benefited from the fire:

Pelargoniums coming up nicely after the fire

Ever hopeful that the Heeria argentea will re-sprout, but these are all also Pelargoniums.

Heeria argentea, no sign of re-sprouting

This is one of two Liparia splendens we found re-sprouting nicely:

Liparia splendens re-sprouting nicely!

Can this be the first Arum Lily Zantedeschia aethiopica we have seen?

Arum Lily Zantedeschia aethiopica

We will just have to be patient for the other colours... they will come!

:-) A

Just Oxalis for Colour Sunday Flower Walk

There's lots of green in the burned area, especially if you look against the sun, but for the rest, there are Oxalis in yellow (luteola?) in plenty:

Oxalis luteola

..... and pink:

Pink Oxalis

Pippa has a sore leg so we walked a reasonable distance and when we found something interesting, she sat down and drew it while I fossicked around.

Pippa drawing, with company!

We have seen this before, but not with its visitor!

Caterpillar and plant we're watching!

I had just seen another:

Another caterpillar

On the way up, we found that the Gladiolus carneus (?) leaves have been chomped off, yet again!

Gladiolus carneus, eaten off again!

We've had over 40mm of rain in a day in this last week so it was interesting to see the erosion we've been expecting:

Erosion from 40+mm rain in a day

More erosion

I had difficulty finding the Daisy we found in flower last week, mainly because it had also been chewed off. I placed photos of it on iSpot and the consensus is that it's Othonna heterophylla.

Othonna heterophylla

I was particularly interested to check the underside of the leaves, which are glossy. The leaves themselves are quite fleshy.

Underside of leaf

I found one more a short distance away with two buds on.

Bud on another plant close by

The leaves are not as toothed as on the other plant, but apparently leaf shape on this species is very variable.

Leaf detail on the other plant

I found another unfamiliar Daisy; one flower has gone to seed already.

Unfamiliar Daisy buds and spent flower

Only now reviewing the photo, I notice the Ladybird!

Whole plant and Ladybird

Here's another of the little plants we haven't tracked down yet, with the ribbed leaves. This was in a completely different location.

What is this?

.... and as usual, plenty of these with the Wachendorfia-type leaves.....

One day we'll get a flower and we'll have the answer!

..... but growing very differently compared with those we know well, W. paniculata:

We know what flower to expect from this! 

During the week Pippa has found come interesting fungi on the farm. I put a picture of this Earth Star on iSpot and the experts are happy it's Geastrum pectinatum:

Earth Star Geastrum pectinatum

..... but there have been no comments on this one yet:

Unknown Fungus

This morning there was a persistent peep-peep from the top of the lightning-struck pine:

Who is this? 

Any ideas?

:-) A

Blustery Northwester Sunday Flower Walk

There was a blustery Northwester today, making life quite unpleasant on the hills!

We've got so used to Oxalis being the only source of colour, imagine how excited we were to find this!

A Daisy, but which one?

A Daisy, but which? The leaves have been chewed off in places but those on the sand show the full shape.

The whole plant, showing the leaves

We retraced our steps from last week and found the plant we had marked with a ring of stones. What looked like a stalk  last week is in fact a third leaf. The others have grown longer in the meantime. Dominic has warned us that we will need an Orchid guide book this late winter!

What we found last week, the central 'stalk' is a third leaf

Once our eyes were tuned to this plant, we found more in that area.

We are still baffled by this plant which Pat says is not a Wachendorfia, despite its pleated leaves.

Pleated leaves, beautiful shapes, and not a Wachendorfia?

What is very noticeable is how hairy the leaves are.

The leaves are very hairy

We're watching this plant develop...... but what is it?

What is this?

The Fire Asparagus Asparagus lignosus have set many berries, green turning to deep red.

Berries on Fire Asparagus Asparagus lignosus

We're not sure what this will turn into.

What is this?

If all these Agapanthus walshii flower, right next to the road, it will be an impressive sight!

Many Agapanthus walshii!

Another unknown, growing at the base of a large rock.

What is this?

Is this a Rhus / Searsia? Pat said we should fold a leaf and then let go.

Folding a leaf on a suspected Searsia

..... If it leaves a white line, then it's diagnostic to one particular Searsia. This one did not!

No white line left after folding

Here are the sterile culms growing at the base of a burned Restio, which Anina told us to expect. The Swollen Restio Beetles Pseudorupilia seem to have disappeared.

Sterile culms growing at the base of a burned Restio

Just one Tritoniopsis lata made a welcome break to the grey and green.

Tritoniopsis lata flower

The Boy checking a new cycle track sign for smells!

New sign for cycle/hiking trail

The first bud on a Lanaria lanata! There will be hundreds soon!

First Lanaria lanata bud observed

That's it from us for this week!

Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes (s)he star'd at the Pacific...

:-) A