Paradise Lost Sunday Flower Walk!

Fynbos needs fire, but when it comes, it's such a disappointment! On Tuesday morning, it is reported, children who should have been at school (!) at a swimming place lit a fire and it got out of control, leading to huge losses of plantation trees and danger to properties in the area. 

The whole valley had to turn out with bakkie-sakkies on Wednesday afternoon to assist Working on Fire with three Hueys and a Pawnee water-bomber 'plane, Cape Pine and Cape Nature prevent the fire from spreading into Applegarth and the Experimental Farm. I was involved with a tractor and spray machine from 6 pm till 2 am on Tuesday night, watching a back-burn. During the night the wind came up in our direction and the fire jumped the road, so I was helping again from midday to 12 pm on Wednesday, by which time the fire was under control.

At one stage the helicopters were doing 2-minute circuits, from dump to dump, which can be seen in these two you-tubes: http://youtu.be/ChNVF7c7m5c and http://youtu.be/qLvjQGhZkog, dropping 2½ tonnes of water at a time.

The result is devastating:

Looking South towards our farm

We live dead centre, behind the closest orchard. The unburned band is only about 300 metres wide. The unburned part includes the Agathosma betulina we have been watching, with its 'babies' all around:

This Buchu Agathosma betulina and its 'babies' are in the unburned band

But it seems to have just included the pink Gladiolus carneus which we luckily collected seeds from.

Looking Eastwards, to the left of the top picture, one can see how the fire swept through the plantation towards Applegarth and the Experimental Farm. The Country Club is on the left hand edge of the picture:

Fire through the plantation

At one stage on Wednesday the Experimental Farm was seriously threatened:

This is how close the fire got to the Experimental Farm orchards

Further around to the North, there is a fire-truck and Cape Pine staff are still attending to flare-ups on the 'left flank' of the fire:

Northwards

Pippa worked out where to look for this, the Agapanthus walshii with the five flowers on it. We had only last week slipped a stocking over one of them to catch a few seeds.

One of our earliest Agapanthus walshii spots had five flowers

We found another, which bravely held on to its flower, but all the seeds are 'cooked':

Pippa found one with a flower still but the seeds were 'cooked'

This is the magnificent Mimetes cucullatus we have been watching on the top of the hill:

Mimetes cucullatus

But Nature is already reacting, look at this Protea cynaroides:

This Protea cynaroides has distributed all of its seeds

All its seeds have been dispersed! Here are a few still to be released from a flower close by:

There are still some seeds on this one to disperse

Pat has told us that we can wait as little as two weeks for the Fire Lilies Cyrtanthus ventricosa to come up, especially as we had a light shower on Wednesday night. So I went to look at where we have marked the two we have found; the firrst with a ring of stones:

Our ring of stones around a Fire Lily Cyrtanthus ventricosa

And lower down the ones on the cycle track:

We know there's a Fire Lily Cyrtanthus ventricosa here on the cycle track

I used the opportunity to shift the cycle track further away from them and pack more rocks around them:

I moved the cycle track away to the right a bit

We were aware of raptors taking advantage of the lack of cover, here a Yellow-billed Kite hovered over us:

Yellow-billed Kite taking advantage of the lack of cover!

On the subject of birds, during the fire on Wednesday afternoon I spotted this bird flying bewildered and agitated in the smoke looking for all the world like a Night-Jar:

Nightjar (?) in the smoke on Wednesday

So we'll be watching and monitoring the return of the Fynbos; Paradise Regained, as Milton reminded us!

At home, the March Lily Amaryllis belladonna flowered a full two weeks early:

Pippa painting the March Lilies Amaryllis belladonna in the garden

:-) A

Pink Erica Sunday Flower Walk

A strong South-easter was blowing, meaning we had to hold on to the plants to take photos!

Yes, looking through today's photos, it's the pink Ericas which stand out. Erica pulchella; they are all over!

Erica pulchella

We went back to the area where we found the three Erica obliqua plants, to find them still floweing beautifully, after discovering them five weeks ago.

Erica obliqua

This one was easy to walk past assuming it was yet another E. pulchella, but it isn't. The flowers are arranged in tufts along the stalk, wedding-cake style. We found another one later:

Unknown pink Erica

Flower detail:

Flower detail

Here is a tall one we have not noticed before, standing at about 1 metre with woody stems.

Unknown tall light-pink Erica

Up close, the flowers are just pink:

Flower detail

And in another area, we found this one, not noticed before:

Another unknown pink Erica

Flower detail:

Flower detail

What else caught our eyes? The Lobelia tomentosa are all over the place, in bright violet patches. These are growing in front of Cape Snow, Syncarpha vestita:

Lobelia tomentosa and Cape Snow Syncarpha vestita

We know this Mountain Dahlia Liparia splendens is bound to have a flower, there are lots of buds on it.

Mountain Dahlia Liparia splendens

Campylostachys cernua, a big bush with quite a few flowers still out:

Campylostachys cernua flower

Interesting spent flowers from the Therianthus, showing the clockwise helix:

Therianthus spent flower

At last! Thanks to Jennetta, we have a name for this shrub, Brachylaena neriifolia or Waterwitels in Afrikaans. It helps to know what the words mean, the Greek means 'short jacket' and the Latin, 'with leaves like an Oleander'. Now we know! It's interesting that we have found the Butterspoon Cunonia capensis or Rooiels in the same area.

Waterwitels Brachylaena neriifolia

Jennetta and Dominic both confirmed that what we suspected to be a Rhus-type shrub last week is Rockwood Heeria argentea. It belongs to the same family as the Rhus and Searsias. Dominic said he finds it in very rocky places, this is no exception. In the wind the backs of the leaves had a silvery look.

Rockwood Heeria argentea

I couldn't resist another look at the large (for us, at least) Leucospermum oleifolium we found last week. The sun was catching the pink new growth at the tips.

Leucospermum oleifolium

Look closely on the ground at the base and the spent and fallen flowers form a mat. What/who will distribute them?

Spent and fallen flowers of Leucospermum oleifolium

Now I've worked out how to photograph Five-toothed Baboon-cabbage Othonna quinquedentata.... against the sky!

Five-toothed Baboon Cabbage Othonna quinquedentata

Here is a flower on the Buchu Agathosma betulina. It's very difficult to pick out the detail.

Buchu Agathosma betulina

There seems to be consensus that this tall Erica is E. plukenetii subsp breviflora. We've been watching it for years and it's the only one we've found in 'our patch'.

Erica plukenetii breviflora

Another little yellow pea!

Unknown small yellow pea-type

We kept seeing this, a little plant about 200mm tall, any ideas?

Unknown small white flower

Something's happening on this Brunia..... last year's flowers can be seen behind.

Brunia in bud

Finally, we're into this time of the year!

Golden Delicious

It's looking good!

:-) A

Leucospermum oleifolium Sunday Flower Walk

There's that dragonfly again! He just can't seem to open the flower!

                                       Dragonfly on Nymphaea nouchali

That's better! Nymphaea nouchali.

Nymphaea nouchali

High and dry! A Willow with roots exposed, showing how far the dam level has dropped.

Willow roots

These Lobelia tomentosa (?) seem to flower throughout the year, but they are particularly striking now!

Lobelia tomentosa

Whatever these shrubs / trees are, they are in full flower now:

Unknown shrub/tree

Flower detail:

Flower detail

Patches of pale yellow in the veld come from these which I think is Stoebe plumosa, Seriphium plumosum or slangbos, not popular with cattle farmers!

Stoebe plumosa/Seriphium plumosum

Another look at the tall Erica, watching the flowers develop:

Unknown Erica

It's the only one quite like this that we've found, and it seems to be different from the 'popular' ones.

Unknown Erica, whole plant

... for instance this Erica longifolia, growing not far away:

Erica longifolia

From this Erica, I went one way to look at this shrub:

Unknown shrub, Rhus/Searsia? 

Leaf and flower (bud?) detail, could it be a Rhus, Searsia? 

Detail of leaf and flower/bud

But Pippa called me over to look at what she'd found!

Leucospermum oleifolium

Overberg pincushion, Leucospermum oleifolium. We have been watching a weak specimen next to the cycle track for years, but this one puts it to shame!

Flower, spent flower and growth

Flower detail:

Flower detail

The last of this year's Pelargoniums?

Pelargonium

And the last of the Watsonia schlechteri?

Watsonia schlechteri

We haven't pinned this Daisy down yet, with its distinctive spent flowers:

Unknown Daisy

Underside of the flower:

Flower detail

These Ericas give the whole veld a mauve hue in places:

Mauve Ericas

Pagoda Flower, Mimetes cucullatus:

Mimetes cucullatus

It was a great joy to see these flowering together! After the clearing of the forest several months ago, these were completely smothered in cut branches which we pulled off. Liparia splendens and Agapanthus walshii:

Liparia splendens and Agapanthus walshii

:-)

Liparia splendens flower

Nearly home and we found the Many Umbrellas Heath Erica multumbellifera in full flower!

Erica multumbellifera

... and this pea-type, could it be Aspalathus psoraleodes?

Unknown Pea-type

:-) A