More into Spring Sunday Flower Walk

During the week, while looking for a single yellow Moraea I spotted on a farm last year, I found these other yellow flowers, Orchids? 

Could it be the Cowled Friar Pterygodium catholicum?

Today we tried out a new Trail's End cycle path which has been cut through a forest of aliens. Along the way we have found lilies coming up now that they have sunlight, it will be interesting to see what they are! http://trailsend.bike/ 

It's Wachendorfia time again!

Not sure if this is W. paniculata or not.

A large patch of Geissorhiza?

... and close by, Sparaxis:

Flower detail:

We set off on a different route, between blocks (they are called 'compartments') of recently felled pines, not expecting much, so I snapped this taller Stargrass(?)

Flower detail:

But we were attracted to a splash of pink a short way off the road. A Senecio elegans? :

That wasn't all that was pink there:

A pepper-scented-leaf Pelargonium.

More pink from this low-growing pea-type plant:

Flower detail:

There was also a large area of Trachyandra, absolutely alive with honeybees!

Just at a corner, we had spotted this clump of Agapanthus walshii when the felling was in process. Nice to see it's survived all the vehicle traffic!

But the main colour today was yellow! Huge areas of daisies, making it difficult to find anything else. This Euryops was completely covered in flowers and more buds waiting!

Here is a familiar grass, not sure how to pin it down!

Another shrub we haven't been able to identify yet, growing on the top of a rock, so it probably hasn't been burnt. It has a good crop of berries on it.

I looked down and thought I'd seen a white Pelargonium, but it was a Gladiolus debilis growing up among the leaves.

I remembered around the other side of a rocky outcrop was a Saltera sarcocolla, but didn't remember it was as big as this! This area escaped the fire.

Flower detail:

... and a bud:

We're coming into the Everlasting Helichrysum season, these buds are about to open:

The new year's flowers on what we think is Pseudoselago spuria are out. They get ever longer through the year.

The three long leaves of this Pea-type plant we thought before was Bolusafra bituminosa are not right

There was a suggestion it might be a Rhynchosa, but those leaves don't look right either! Here's the flower. Any ideas?

For some reason the Swallows chose the head of what we call Mammoth Rock to rest on and were making a lot of noise!

The more common Pelargonium in 'our' area are still looking their best. The leaf of this one is hard and dry and makes a paper-type noise when you feel it. Certainly it has no scent!

In a patch which was until recently was thickly infested with Port Jackson, we found this shrub for the first time, and it's in flower:

Could it be Cryptocarya augustifolia of the Stinkwood family? Here's the flower up close:

On the path, (how do they survive?) these Sundews Drosera are pushing up stems and buds already!

At the railway line on the way home we spotted this pink Moraea:

Signs of Spring again!

Yes, the signs of another Spring are definitely here! Near the Railway cottages, our old favourite Geissorhiza aspera:

And along with them, Sparaxis bulbifera:

And in that area, flowering strongly, Sour Fig Carpobrotus edulis:

On the way up the hill we knew to watch on the left hand side at this time of the year for what we think is Trachyandra revoluta:

The tufts of boot-lace type leaves are getting thicker by the year!

In the wetter places, the Sundews, Drosera are to be found, but not putting up flower stalks yet!

Here and there we found Wachendorfia paniculata flowers, but they haven't come into their own yet. On the recently burnt areas near Villiersdorp the ground is carpeted with them!

The Daisy we think is Euryops starts by having one flower per plant for months, then suddenly they come out all over the plant!

Here's a huge flower!

We're never too sure whether these plants which have proliferated strongly since the fire of about 18 months ago, are Teedias or Oftias, until they flower. Pink for Teedia, white for Oftia?

On the subject of Trachyandra, we came across what we think might be another type while I was out with Forester Tommy Eckley on Friday. It must have been here all along, but we've never noticed it! We're having difficulty pinning down which it may be, with tough smooth leaves.

Flower detail:

These Pelargoniums are at their best now!

The leaves are enormous in places!

Another old favourite, the Tar Pea Bolusafra bitumenosa:

Flower detail:

On a rocky outcrop we were looking out for this, Gladiolus debilis:

From there, an unusual view of the Eikenhof Dam, now full, without any pines around it! Our Country Club seems to have the only trees!

What we think is Pseudoselago spuria are out again. The flowers get longer and longer as they continue flowering through the season, then some plants die off, some seem to start flowering again.

Up there, the dogs found a swimming pool!

:-) Andy