Between the Rains Sunday Flower Walk

With 90mm in the gauge from two days last week and 40 more promised starting this evening, it seemed sensible to have our walk on Sunday morning. As it was, it wasn't fun battling into the North-wester, but at least the sun was out. From 'our' hillside, we could watch the clouds flying past the Kogelberg to our South-west at an alarming rate!

But before leaving home, I was treated to a Lesser (?) Double-collared Sunbird working through the Wilde Dagga Leonotis leonurus (at the full extent of the zoom of my little camera!):

Lesser Double-collared Sunbird on Leonotis leonurus

Lesser Double-collared Sunbird on Leonotis leonurus

We paid a visit to what we now think is an Erica coccinea in its greeny yellow form:

Erica coccinea

For some reason we decided to carry on across country from it, directly into the oncoming wind. We have found two more on a line directly to the South-east of this one, so maybe we'd get lucky and find something on the opposite side? We weren't disappointed! A beautiful specimen, simply covered in flowers!

Erica coccinea

Erica coccinea

On the way, we found another Erica, unfortunately past its best; tall, but definitely not the same:

Erica spp (longifolia?)

The flowers must have been red and the longer leaves grow evenly along the stem, rather than in tufts like the E. coccinea. Also the flowers have nothing protruding from them, anthers, or whatever. Possibly an E. longifolia?

Close by stands is this magnificent Restio:

Possibly Restio paniculatus (previously Calopsis paniculata)

Nothing would stand still in the wind, here's detail of the flowers.

Restio (paniculatus?)flower

The pink Ericas aren't finished yet!

Erica spp

Here's more of what we think is Brabejum stellatifolium, but here are two different plants, or is it M & F?

Brabejum stellatifoluim? 

There are no flowers on the bush on the left, the leaves are bigger and perhaps paler.

Those with flowers, not looking anything like what is shown for the Wild Almond, and the leaves are not serrated enough:

Flower detail

... and those without:

Leaf detail of non-flowering bush

So what are they? Those growing best have their feet in running streams, like this one!

Exactly 20 metres away (so we know where to find them in future!) we found this tuft of what looks suspiciously like Agapanthus walshii! We haven't found them here before.....

Agapanthus (walshii?)

and a stone's throw away, a lot more!

Agapanthus (walshii?)

They look well established, they're in full sun, and we'll be watching them! There was no sign of any spent flowers or dried stems. Again in line with the wind, yet another:

Agapanthus (walshii?)

They might look like 'ordinary' A. africanus, but they are much smaller, and we've got to know the 'look' of them!

More Restios, here looking like two different kinds:

Male and Female of Hypodiscus aristatus

Here are the intricate flowers of the one on the left:

Male Hypodiscus aristatus

There are still plenty of fungi around. The clip of the dog lead gives an idea of how small these are. Possibly Sulphur Tufts Hypholoma fasciculare?

Sulphur Tufts Hypholoma fasciculare? 

More Restios:

Female Elegia persistens

Flower detail:

Flower detail of Female Elegia persistens

And another! This one almost looked as though it had been cut off at some time.

Male Elegia persistens 

Pippa sat down and noticed several of these plants around her, not looking like anything we've noticed before. The leaves are in pairs and alternate, what I call North, South, East, West.

Unknown fynbos plant

By luck, there were a few flowers:

Flower detail of above plant

... and some looking as if they might flower:

Growth-tips of above plant

What are they? We were sent feedback on a plant we saw two weeks ago, via Anina Lee, kindly supplied by Lee Burman, both of Hermanus BotSoc, of this:

Campylostachys cernua spotted two weeks ago

From Anina: Lee Burman from Hermanus BotSoc suggests it looks like Campylostachys cernua (Stilbaceae). It certainly looks like this image below from the web. Unfortunately we didn't notice it flowering, probably from the middle of January onwards. But both pictures show the leaves, not N, S, E, W, as the plant noticed today, but about six to the circle, looking end on.

Campylostachys cernua from the web

Many thanks for that feedback, Lee and Anina!

Just to show the pink Ericas haven't finished, could these still be E. pulchella with the dark-coloured bracts?

Erica (pulchella?)

Here and there Oxalis add a splash of colour to the veld, either in mauve:

Oxalis

..... or in yellow. These only opened past noon!

Oxalis

And now it's raining! And the forecast now says 43mm! Keep warm and dry! :-) A

First Winter Sunday Flower Walk

Yes! Winter is here! We watched the rain forecast all weekend before deciding to risk walking at our normal time of Sunday afternoon. And we stayed dry!

Before we were off the farm we noticed our tenant has planted a Psoralea pinnata, which is flowering well out of its 'normal' time. We saw another 'in the wild' and it certainly wasn't flowering!

Psoralea pinnata in Steen's garden

There are still many mushrooms and other fungi to be found. Whether this is a particularly good year for them, or whether we're just more observant, remains to be seen!

Unknown fungus

These brackets were growing on the full length of a fallen and rotten apple tree stem next door:

Unknown Bracket Fungus

A brightly coloured Russula sardonia:

Russula sardonia

Wouldn't eat this one in a hurry! We were actually looking for the bright red warty ones we had seen in this area before.

Unknown Fungus

Next to the railway line we came across two large patches of these Chasmanthe (aethiopica?):

Chasmanthe (aethiopica?)

... and , keeping it in the family, Arum lilies Zantedeschia aethiopica:

Arum Lilies Zantedeschia aethiopica

Could this be where the expression 'Up a Gum Tree' comes from? I wouldn't like to have to try and climb down!

Bluegum Eucalyptus spp

We decided to walk diagonally across an area which was cleared of large pines about five years ago and again of re-growth recently, to see what's coming up away from the roads. We were very pleased to find another two examples of what we now think is the pale version of Erica coccinea, on a rough North-west / South-east line (our prevailing winds) to the one we have been watching for weeks now, each about 30 metres apart.

Erica coccinea

Both had been damaged by the tree clearing, but will no doubt survive. I collected a few of the many spent flowers which had spread on the ground below one during the damage.

Erica coccinea

We were surprised to find a Tritoniopsis still flowering in this area: 

Tritoniopsis (lata?)

We're noticing more and more of what we think is Wild Almond Brabejum stellatifolium:

Brabejum stellatifolium?

Although, looking at the flower, we're now not sure!

Flower detail of above plant

On the Slangbos, Stoebe plumosa or Seriphium plumosum, the tufts of white on some of the flowers (or buds?) are quite noticeable at the moment:

Flower detail on Seriphium plumosum

The first bud of a Helichrysum in 'our' area?

Helichrysum spp bud

A magnificent Wachendorfia paniculata plant, all we now need is a flower!

Wachendorfia paniculata

There are still pink Ericas around, this one stands out with the white of a Helichrysum behind:

Erica spp

The wind was blowing this Saltera sarcocolla around so much I had to hold it to take a photo!

Saltera sarcocolla

In the week, Gay mentioned how impressive the mosses are in her garden now. I said we would look out for them.

Moss

Walking back through the forest, we found plenty more fungi, Slippery Jack:

Slippery Jack Suillus luteus

Not sure yet what this one is, with rain caught in its cup:

Unknown fungus

This was on a pine stump:

Fungus on pine stump

Close by, on another:

Fungus on pine stump

And another!

Fungus on pine stump

All this within a couple of kilometres walking from our back door! :-) A