Wachendorfia Sunday Flower Walk

The Wachendorfias are beginning to come out, but strangely it seems at this stage that it's only the ones with the first leaves growing close to the ground after the fire. Those growing 'normally' seem to be far behind.

Wachendorfia paniculata flower

Curved leaves growing close to the ground

We hurried up to the plant we've been watching develop, but it seems we must wait a bit longer!

What is this?

The buds are getting longer and peeling away from the stem from the bottom up... what will it turn out to be?

Flower detail, we can't wait for it to open!

More of these short grasses........

Short grass with purple flowers

A berry (and thorns!) on Asparagus lignosus:

Berry on Asparagus lignosus

After getting excited last week about all the buds on the Othonna heterophylla, guess what? It's been eaten again!

Othonna heterophylla, eaten again!

There was even a partly open bud lying next to it on the ground. There are still tightly closed buds.

Closed bud of Othonna heterophylla

Here's another we remember; a white five-petalled flower from the top, but the closed bud and the back of the petal is mauve. The stem twines. Common names Baroe (khoi) and Klimop (Afrikaans) Cyphia volubilis. 

Baroe, Klimop Cyphia volubilis

This is the growing tip of a Liparia splendens we know, now re-growing nicely. I suspect there's a lot of growing to do before we get any flowers.

Liparia splendens, growing tip

At the base of a Mimetes cucullatus which was badly burned is this, looking ever more like a 'baby' with red tips to the hairy leaves.

Baby Mimetes cucullatus? 

More exciting is what looks like a whole lot more, less than a metre away! This is not all.

If so, are these more?

This looks like re-growing Pseudoselago serrata which was quite prolific all over the area we are montitoring.

Pseudoselago serrata

There is a lot of this, growing where we remember China Flower Adenandra uniflora. What could it be?

What is this where the Adenandras were growing? 

Now the dam is full again on the experimental far, the Waterblommetjies Aponogeton distachyos have come back and there are already buds on it.

Waterblommetjies Aponogeton distachyos

:-)

---

Starting to Move! Sunday Flower Walk

All over there are signs of activity! Not showy at this stage, you have to look carefully. Oh! That is in the veld. At the ruins of the Railway cottages it's another story, with the Narcissus at their very best!

The grasses are flowering, is this Ficinia bulbosa? :

This one's slightly yellow hue caught my eye:

A very short one:

Is this the same, with its reddish colour?

Here again is one of the Wachendorfias which had leaves growing close to the ground, pushing a bud up. The normally growing W. paniculata elsewhere show no signs of flowers yet. So it's still a mystery!

We went looking for the single broad-leafed plant we found sevral weeks ago. We were delighted to find many buds on it. We can't wait to see what it turns out to be!

Also in that area, we found the fleshy-leafed Othonna heterophylla which had been so completely eaten. It has re-grown well and again has buds on it:

So there are two reasons at least to check again next week!

There are many of these broad-leafed Daisies, looking for a name!

After the first flush of growth after the fire, these Fire Asparagus A. lignosus have set green berries and are now pushing out fresh green growth again!

This looks like an Orchid! Dominic has warned us that we'll find them in profusion from now on!

I realise I've been looking in the wrong place for the single Heeria argentea we have found in 'our patch'. What I've been looking at is the remains of a Pelargonium, which is re-growing nicely:

The Heeria is a few metres away, and yes! It's re-sprouting!

The leaves are very pale still:

The Pelargoniums seem to be thriving after the fire!

In the unburned section we found a Searsia in flower, reminding us what the others should look like!

:-) A

First Wachendorfia Sunday Flower Walk

We spotted the first Wachendorfia paniculata today, and at the same time solved the conundrum of what the low-growing curled pleated leaves are; just that, presumably affected by the fire!

The first Wachendorfia paniculata spotted since the fire!

This is also the first non-green colour we have seen in the burned veld for a long time. I suspect it won't be long before there will be a riot of colour, judging from how they are growing in places!

Lots more to come!

We're still unsure what had caused damage to many of the new growth, sometimes older leaves which have come up since the fire. These are Agapanthus walshii. Was it frost? The leaves all look as if they have been blown from the north-west. Is it because there's little other vegetation to protect these first re-sprouters?

Agapanthus walshii, is it frost damage?

We keep thinking the Buchu Agathosma crenulata can't possibly have more flowers, yet every time it looks more covered in these delicate blooms:

Buchu Agathosma crenulata flower, the plant is covered in them!

Some of the Brunias are covered in the white baubles which are made up of many florets.

Brunia in flower

Since the fire, many of the sandstone rocks are flaking off like this:

Sandstone flaking off since the fire

The Fire Asparagus A.lignosus are less obvious, but they're still to be found, with new light-coloured growth: 

Fire Asparagus A. lignosus with new growth

The Searsias are making a strong come-back. There seem to be several different types, but all with leaves in threes.

One of the Searsias, growing nicely

Three leaves:

Leaf detail

We went to the place we remember many China Flower Adenandra uniflora growing, and we're confused by what are growing prolifically there.

What are these where the China Flower Adenandra uniflora were? 

Here's one up close. The leaves are evenly distributed around the stem at every node in threes or fours. What can they be?

Leaf detail

We went up to where the Pagoda flower Mimetes cucullatus was burned, to inspect the tiny plant growing near its base. The leaves are hairy and each has a single red tip.

Is this a baby Mimetes cucullatus?

Could it be a baby, and could these, about a metre away be more? We'll be back to observe soon!

Are these more?

We know what to expect when we hear a hoarse squeak, over and over from the shky! Spur Winged geese!

Four Spur Winged Geese

Last week's efforts at the culvert seem to be paying off, it's flowing clear! We haven't had heavy rain since. I suspect it will have a tendency to silt up.

The culvert is working!

:-) A

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