Part 2:
We expected the Dilatris pillansii to be all over, but we were happy to see some of those we had found before, still in flower:
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Dilatris pillansii |
But some have changed to a brownish colour:
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Dilatris pillansii spent flower |
The Star Grass Ficinia radiata has lost nothing in the last few weeks in looks!
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Star Grass Ficinia radiata |
Pippa spotted another splash of pink growing through a felled pine:
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Gladiolus under felled pine |
It's right next to the cycle path, so we decided to leave the tree as it is.
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Flower detail |
The Purple Powder Puffs Pseudoselago serrata are about to come out! We've been watching the plants all over, growing healthily, so we'll soon have impressive splashes of purple in the veld!
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Pseudoselago serrata bud |
The Wachendorfia paniculata aren't over yet!
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Mass of Wachendorfia paniculata |
If every pod has three seeds (there may be more?) then there are a lot of seeds from one plant!
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Single Wachendorfia paniculata |
We're monitoring the endangered Agapanthus walshii plants we have found, particularly those which we know which have flowered in the past. We were pleased to find buds, one on this plant:
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Agapanthus walshii with bud |
.... and two on this one!
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Agapanthus walshii with buds |
Right across the road from the Aggies, I spotted a splash of mauve. I thought it might be an Erica, but something looked wrong.
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Lobelia jasionoides |
The flowers, and on closer inspection, the leaves were all wrong!
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Lobelia jasionoides flower and leaves |
Lobelia jasionoides, which we have found up there before, but never a dense stand like this!
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Lobelia jasionoides flower detail |
I stopped to photograph the Campylostachys cernua which is growing right in the middle of the road, to see if there was any sign of a flower, but I think we have to wait until January or February!
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Campylostachys cernua |
Near it, also on the middelmannetjie, I spotted a splash of blue, thinking it was a Roella:
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Unknown plant with open and spent flower |
One flower, one spent. Narrow hairy leaves, close to the stem. Flower, close up:
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Flower detail inside |
What can it be?
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Flower from the side |
We always check the place where we found our very first Therianthus. The following year there were hundreds. Here the first one has pushed up a bud again!
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Therianthus bud (right) |
By this time, walking back on the road, we thought we'd had a 'good haul' for the day, but at the same moment both of us spotted more Dilatris pillansii on the other side of the road! I counted 11 separate plants and many were still in full bloom!
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More Dilatris pillansii! |
There are still many yellow daisies out, the ones we think are Euryops, but sometimes a splash of yellow looks out of place amongst them. This one made me walk off the road:
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Unknown pea-type |
A pea-type, growing close to the ground with roundish almost succulent leaves.
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Flower and leaf detail |
But that wasn't the end of it! A short way further, another pea, also yellow, but a totally different plant!
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A different pea-type! |
Flower detail. Which of the many Fabacaea are they?
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Flower detail |
What continues to astonish us is that until recently, this area had been completely covered by Pines for the last 100 years. Nobody has re-planted any of this!
While we were up there a train came past. This week I'll attend a meeting which will be one of the steps required to hopefully reinstate a passenger service on the line!
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Grain train, one day passengers again? |
:-) A
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Right part 2, off I go, does any one read my comments, does any one else look at Andy's beautiful photos, I just hope so, or folk do not know what they are missing.
ReplyDeleteThe two pea type flowers are I suppose quite normal in colour and structure much like so many other types in the family, never the less still intriguing as is the spent Dilatrus, Again a the Gladioli/us is beautiful and the Lobelia jasioniodes almost amazing, different is the strange little blue flower in the road, what a find. Pines for a 100 years cut them down and the new growth of flowers, here in the UK land that has been land for up to 200 years without any plant growth what so ever will turn to Buddleia or Birch plants within months, just this happens is natural phenomena, Going off the theme again, my apologies. Great stuff Andy.