First Agapanthus walshii Bud! Sunday Flower walk

First, we went to Piketberg yesterday and a magnificent tree in a garden caught my eye.

Orchid Tree Bauhinia variegata

The pods gave it away as a pea, maybe the leaves also:

Petals and leaf, picked up

Bauhinia possibly B. variegata.

Flower detail

Here a Malachite Sunbird was feeding in it:

Malachite Sunbird feeding

We went on to a farm 30km further north and found this which we think might just be a Wahlenbergia:

Wahlenbergia?

Back to today, here's the first strong looking bud on an Agapanthus walshii:

Agapanthus walshii with the first bud!

This was on one of the plants that seems to have been affected by frost since coming up after the fire. It certainly has made a strong recovery. The best is this is in a recently deforested part where we've never seen them before! There were more buds to be found.

The Sundews Drosera in the road have pushed up stems with many flowers on them, not something I have observed before. It was overcast, so they were closed.

Drosera with multiple flower stem

We found more of these pink Daisies, Senecio hastifolius, also on a south-east facing slope:

Senecio hastifolius

Suddenly the yellow Daisies Euryops are past their prime, I had to look for this one:

Yellow Daisy Euryops

Pat and Dominic think these white flowers are Pseudoselago, but on looking up, could they be Disparago, maybe D. anomala?

Could this be a Pseudoselago or a Disparago?

They are to be seen all over, this one was the most impressive!

This one took the Cake!

We've seen Tar Peas Bolusafra bitumenosa before:

Tar Pea Bolusafra bitumenosa

Flower detail:

Flower detail

Here's something interesting, fleshy long leaves:

Another Orchid?

 and the beginnings of a bud?

Bud detail

Satyr Orchid?

Satyr Orchid?

The seed pods on the Wachendorfias with the flat-growing sickle-shaped leaves are turning orange already:

Wachendorfia with seed pods turning orange

..... while the 'normal' W. paniculata are only just beginning to open, and most are still in tight bud stage.

Wachendorfia paniculata

It's difficult to walk past these Star-grass Ficinia Radiata without thinking they're yellow daisies!

Star-grass Ficinia radiata

What is the actual flower?

Flower detail

Is this another pea?

Another pea?

The stems branch at the pairs of leaves with two opposite lateral weaker stems each carrying a further flower.

This shows how it grows with the leaves and branched stem

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Pink Daisy Sunday Flower Walk

A 'new' Daisy (to us!) was our first of several surprises today!

Is this Senecio hastifolius or does it have too few petals?

Could it be Senecio hastifolius?  From the back:

Flower from the side

.... and the leaf:

Leaf detail

These were on a south-east-facing sandy slope and we found four examples. Then we found one which we thought was a fifth, but it was very different, both in flower and leaf.

Different Daisy!

The petals are split into two-and-a-halfs or threes and the leaves are totally different:

Different leaf!

On the way, at the railway cottage ruins, firewood sawyers have been active and we thought the Ornithogalum saundersiae had been crushed, but it was still there, weighed over by the flowers!

Ornithogalum saundersiae

In the burnt areas the Helichrysums are gradually growing back. This in an unburnt area reminds us of what we would be looking at!

Helichrysums

The Star-grass Ficinia radiata, which we've never seen in this area before are as bright yellow as the Daisies! We found singles, then two on a plant then several, but this one takes the cake!

Star Grass Ficinia radiata

Flower up close:

Flower detail

At last! The Wachendorfia paniculata with the upward-growing leaves are putting up buds, while those which came up soon after the fire with sickle-shaped leaves on the ground, have all finished flowering now.

Wachendorfia paniculata, buds at last!

Here, one has opened:

.... and this one is open!

Soon, this hillside will be covered with these candelabras!

We have been seeing these red clover-leaves in tiny patches, but this made such a splash of red, I had to go and look!

Red Clover leaves

We were pleased to see this burnt Protea cynaroides re-sprouting from the stem. Others we looked at were too.

Protea cynaroides, re-sprouting

The raptors were busy, we saw a group of four, then three Yellow-billed Kites doing aerobatics, then we got up and were able to look down on a pair of Jackal Buzzards. One settled on this distant rocky outcrop, then another landed next to it....

Two Jackal Buzzards

....then one flew off:

One flew off!

There is a lot of this plant, now in full bloom, which we haven't pinned down yet:

What is this? 

Flower detail:

Flower detail

Another surprise was a 'new' Pelargonium with a slightly scented leaf:

Pelargonium with slightly scented leaf

We'll have to wait a week or so for its flowers!

Bud of scented Pelargonium

Whereas the more widespread type, possibly Pelargonium cucullatum are already opening.

Is this Pelargonium cucullatus? 

On the subject of 'hooded', we had hoped that the small plant at the base of a burnt Mimetes cucullatus would be a 'baby', well it certainly looks like it!

Re-seeded Mimetes cucullatus

Close by are several more:

Many more!

Then on the way down, our next surprise, a Moraea which we've never seen before! Just a single example, with many buds waiting to come out behind this first flower!

Moraea lurida? 

It is truly exquisite! Could it be one of the forms of Moraea lurida?

Another view of the flower

We weren't finished with surprises! Near where the film shoot people have denuded the recently burnt veld, we found this with tough strap-like pointed leaves, about to open.

Is this an Aristea? If so, A. bakeri or A. capitata?

Could it be an Aristea capitata? A. bakeri? We will have to go back and check when it opens!

The plant with the fleshy snake-like leaves is pushing up buds (or flowers?) very slowly! These leaves have been eaten off, but the flowers are the most advanced we have found. 

What are these? 

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Mostly Yellow Sunday Flower Walk

Today we were attracted to a flower near the ruins of the Railway cottages. We think it's an Ornithogalum saundersiae, not from these parts, rather Eastern Transvaal, Swaziland and the Natal mountains. We won't hold that against it, it is beautiful! That makes it related to the Chincherinchee. From what we've found in this garden, someone must have been a keen gardener!

Ornithogalum saundersiae (?)

There are lots more flowers to come!

Many buds still to open! 

On the subject of Natal mountains, last week I was in Pietermaritzburg and we visited the Minerva Reserve which is 6 000 feet above sea level, where we saw this, any ideas?

Unknown plant on Minerva Reserve

One thing is for sure, Clivias grow well there!

Clivia in PMB

Back to today's walk, the Waterblommetjies Aponogeton distachyos on the Experimental Farm dam are looking good! We don't remember them being as prolific as this before, they are all around the western bank, up to the houses opposite.

Waterblommetjies Aponogeton distachyos

Suddenly a white Erica is in full bloom! This reminds us that we haven't seen any resurgence of Ericas in the burnt areas, was the fire too hot?

White Erica

Flower detail:

White Erica up close

Not as impressive as before, but there's still a lot of it, Arctotheca... is it A. calendula or A. acaulis as we thought?

Arctotheca, but which one?

We have come across these Geissorhiza aspera before

Satin Flower Geissorhiza aspera

.... and these Sparaxis bulbifera close by. Many more this year than we remember!

Sparaxis bulbifera

And to make a trio in this small area, this is the first Beetle Lily Baeometra uniflora we've found, not fully open yet. It will be mostly yellow when open!

Beetle Lily Baeometra uniflora

The Sour Fig Carpobrotus edulis are in full flower. Here are two buds, one open flower and one spent. They suffered badly in the fire, but we're seeing some small plants growing here and there.

Sour Fig Carpobrotus edulis

There are tiny buds on the Sundews Drosera

Sundews Drosera with buds!

The Oxalis aren't over yet!

After several vehicles had driven over a small area (after the fire) where we first found Trachyandra ciliata last year we were worried about its survival. It seems to have come back with a vengeance!

Trachyandra ciliata

Detail of the delicate flower:

Trachyandra ciliata flower

In the burnt area a few of these bright yellow Stargrass Ficinia radiata stood out. We saw them in the forest (which is being cut down at the moment), but we don't remember them in the open.

Stargrass Ficinia radiata

We thought the Spiloxene capensis might be over by now. No, there are still plenty of these bright yellow flowers which are hard to miss!

Spiloxene capensis

Considering this area was totally burnt in March, it's impressive that these Euryops have re-grown and are flowering so profusely already! There are millions more plants coming up!

Euryops

'Our' single Satyr Orchid is past its best. We haven't found any others like it.

Satyr Orchid

This poor Othonna dentata has been eaten yet again! Maybe that's what's making it keep flowering?

Othonna dentata with eaten leaves and flowers

While this uneaten one has just spent flowers. We found and marked a third in this area. There aren't many that we've found!

Othonna dentata with uneaten leaves but spent flowers!

We're not sure what these are, but these are the first open of many from a sprawling plant!

On the south-east facing slopes, the Moraea ochroleuca are even more impressive than last time we looked!

This one's single leaf must be 1½metres long!

Long leaf on a Moraea ochroleuca!

Very slowly the flowers on this two-leafed plant are developing. Dominic says it might turn into an Orchid, or maybe a Lachenalia.

What will this turn out to be?

On our way home we're always followed by Stone Chats, but at a distance. This one stayed still just long enough for me to snap him at maximum zoom! 

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