Diverting Water Sunday Flower Walk

On the path past the Railway cottages there are little splashes of yellow from Romuleas, R. flava?

Romulea flava?

...and pink/mauve ones, R. cruciata? They have loooong thin leaves!

Romulea cruciata?

Also next to the path we can count on seeing Sour Fig Carpobrotus edulis, which are also slowly growing back in the burned area, if you look hard.

Sour Fig Carpobrotus edulis

We have been watching the main access road wash away year after year, all because a culvert is blocked, which should allow the water to follow its natural course. Instead, it is diverted by the road and goes straight down the hill, taking everything with it. I have been trying to dig it out both ends these last couple of weeks, but today I took some drain rods from the workshop.

Clearing out the culvert

I had made a temporary furrow across the road while I worked, but this shows the last of the water flowing along it, the rest is going through the culvert. When we came back that way to retrieve the rods, it looked a lot better!

Culvert flowing clear! 

The water is now flooding out over the block beyond as it would have before the road was built, instead of down the hill, like this:

This is the damage the water from the blocked culvert has been doing to the road

From there to the sorry sight of where the 4x4 route went straight up the sandy hillside in the burnt area the first Sunday. Oh dear! Despite our best efforts to divert the water. I have suggested that the 4x4 participants come up here with sand bags and fill them with washed-away sand and pack them in the ruts, as part of their contribution to the Environment. I'm waiting... come on Isuzu and Westvaal Stellenbosch!

The only hope here is sand-bags!

Perhaps I should mention at this stage that Brian du Toit passed away this last Monday, just two weeks after showing me the right way to make a water diversion on this track. This issue is dedicated to him.

Late Brian du Toit showing me the Right Way to divert water!

Following his example, I serviced those we'd made, where they had silted up.

Following his example!

We're still intrigued to find out what this fleshy-leaved plant is in that area. For the moment we're referring to it as the Frenchman's moustache!

Unknown plant with fleshy leaves

Another intriguing plant which we have observed growing like this, might well be a Wachendorfia affected by the fire. There are now more upright leaves growing from the roots.

Is this (and all the others) simply a Wachendorfia paniculata affected by the fire?

We're concerned at the condition of this Agapanthus walshii. Others are looking healthy not far away.

Agapanthus walshii not looking healthy

This magnificent Leucadendron just missed being burned.

Leucadendron which escaped the fire

We call this Elephant Rock!

'Elephant Rock'

Last week I didn't get a good shot of the serrated leaves of this re-growing shrub. The wilted new growth still has us guessing:

Serrated leaves and wilted new growth on unknown shrub

We found this caterpillar on a Lanaria lanata. Not sure if it's responsible for the wilting of that leaf, or if it's wishing it had chosen a green one?

Caterpillar on Lanaria lanata

The Pelargoniums are really coming back with a vengeance, looking very healthy!

Healthy looking Pelargoniums!

This Brunia also escaped the fire:

A Brunia which escaped the fire, in full bloom

:-) A

It takes more than a fire...... Sunday Flower Walk

It's now two and a half weeks since the fire, and the Agapanthus walshi are pushing up already!

Agapanthus walshii coming up!

This was where we found the 20+ flowers recently. There are more in this vicinity breaking through the burned sand:

More Agapanthus walshii!

From a distance the area looks grey but as you come closer, the green patches are more noticeable. Pat confirmed that the tough vee-shaped green leaves coming up are Lanaria lanata, but if there were any doubts, this dispels them; the remains of the flowers are intact:

Lanaria lanata, still with the remains of flowers

The length of the green above the ground is already between 6 and 8 inches on average:

More Lanaria lanata, it's about the most prolific plant showing now.

.... and the base of the shrub on the left is shooting! Here is a Palmiet, shrugging off the effects of the fire:

Palmiet

There are still a few Fire Lilies Cyrtanthus ventricosa to be seen, some showing a leaf or two:

Fire Lilies Cyrtanthus ventricosa with leaves

Here is the cone of a Leucadendron of some kind, no doubt Nature has made it spread its seeds after the fire .....

Leucadendron

...... in the same way as this Protea cynaroides, which has just two seeds left to scatter!

Protea cynaroides with two seeds to go!

This plant was astonishing, it is already about two feet tall:

Unknown plant already two feet tall

....... and it's about to flower!

Detail of buds

This grass or Restio is making a remarkable recovery and there was lots of it.

Grass or Restio? 

It seems that termites have survived, there was plenty of evidence of white sand being deposited out of holes like this:

Termite activity

Here is 'our' Erica which we think is E. plukenetii, burned but still recognisable. We'll be watching it closely!

Erica plukenetii(?) burned

This is the stem of the Heeria argentea we found recently. It is tucked well in under the rock, which may well have saved it.

Stem of Heeria argentea under a big rock

..... and surely this Leucadendron has been through more than one fire?

Stem of a Leucadendron, not yesterday's child!

I have taken this photo many times of the Mountain Dahlia Liparia splendens with the Eikenhof Dam and Country Club in the distance. I hope this magnificent specimen survives.

Burned Mountain Dahlia Liparia splendens, a familiar view.

The Pelargoniums are recovering quickly too:

Pelargonium, bouncing bask!

Here's another Agapanthus walshii; you see we know where to look for them!

Another Agapanthus walshii.

.... and this looks like a Wachendorfia paniculata:

Wachendorfia paniculata

We found this, not sure what it is, but it wouldn't stand still in the fresh Northwester, which we hope might bring some rain. We've just had two light showers since the fire.

Unknown plant/bulb?

... even with Pippa holding the stem!

Flower detail, out of focus:-(

Back in the unburned section, the Buchu Agathosma betulina is flowering nicely, and we noticed another 'baby' under it. I'm so glad it didn't burn!

Buchu Agathosma betulina with flowers

I didn't have a memory card in the camera so these were all taken with my phone :-) A

Dilatris Sunday Flower Walk

We've been watching for Dilatris pillansii up in the place we call 'the Gulley' for years. They seem to flower quickly and they're all over before we get back there next time. Today I happened on two plants in a completely different place, one in full bloom!

Dilatris pillansii

These weren't fully open, but one of them on the second plant was!

Dilatris pillansii flower

Closer.....

Flower detail of Dilatris pillansii

Without the flowers, we forget which plants are D. pillansii, so we noted the leaf carefully. Flat, pointed and about four lines, not ribs, just visible:

Leaf detail of Dilatris pillansii

I had been wandering well off the track while Pippa sketched the red-tipped leaves of a Leucadendron:

Leucadendron with red-tipped leaves

Very close to the Dilatris, Pippa spotted a Stargrass Ficinia radiata, which we last saw in the forest and haven't noticed in the open before:

Stargrass Ficinia radiata

Again in this immediate vicinity, we found tufts of grass (?) with flowers (again!), and we're still not sure whether the flowers belong to the grass, or just use them as a host. There were no similar flowers in any other plants close by:

Unknown grass (?) with flowers

Most of these flowers were partly closed, but we found one flower fully open:

Detail of open flower

Four pointed petals behind, four more rounded ones in front......? So that was three 'finds' within a few square metres!

But I'm ahead of myself, on the way past the Railway cottage ruins, the unpleasant smell of the Helichrysum foetidum is quite strong!

Helichrysum foetidum

It really smells as if something's dead :-( But the flowers are pretty!

Helichrysum foetidum flowers

There are still many flowers out on the Sundews Drosera trinervia (?) and more buds to come behind!

Sundew Drosera trinervia (?)

Watch out, insects!

'Forest' of Sundews Drosera trinervia (?)

Just beginning to open, Sentry in a Box Albuca canadensis:

Albuca canadensis

Flower detail:

Albuca canadensis flower

The seed pods of the Wachendorfia paniculata lower down, which flowered early, are changing colour to their characteristic orange 'turbans':

Wachendorfia paniculata seed pods turning orange

Yesterday, on the way home from the Villiersdorp Agri & Arts Festival, I just had to pull the old truck off the road and take a photo of a whole hillside covered in Wachendorfias! As can be seen, there has been a fire here recently.

Wachendorfia paniculata covering a hillside on Viljoens Pass

This Orchid was worth stopping for:

Orchid spp.

And a magnificent Wachendorfia with a lot of flowering still to do!

Magnificent Wachendorfia paniculata

Here are the white flowers which have got us guessing. The close bunches of flowers from last week have opened up as their stalks have lengthened, so the florets are further apart.

Unknown plant, possibly Pseudoselago ascendens (?)

Flower detail:

Flower detail

Leaf detail:

Leaf detail

And another plant which seems further advanced, showing the stalks and leaves drying up. Dominic has suggested it may be Pseudoselago ascendens 'as a good guess' - also called Selago incisa.

Plant in advanced stage

We'll be watching them as they dry further, to see if they then look like this picture from Missouri Botanical Herbarium, which gives both names:

Specimen with both possible names in Missouri

The Pelargoniums are looking really good in full bloom:

Pelargonium flower

Pelargoniums on hillside

On the way home we stopped for these Sparaxis bulbifera, which are finished on the other side of the railway line. The backs of the petals are distinctive.

Sparaxis bulbifera

More on Yesterday's Show in Villiersdorp: There really was a lot going on, especially with the Arts combined with a Commercial Show. In one of the halls was a display of wild flowers which are in bloom at the moment, all identified by local Maureen Cumming. I was delighted to find an example of the little pink ball-type flower we have found recently and suspected as being a   Helichrysum:

Specimen at Villiersdorp identified as Anaxeton asperum

The leaves are the same as 'ours':

Leaf detail of specimen

The identification was Anaxeton asperum, which is indeed a Helichrysum. There must have been more than 100 flowers on display, this was only a part!

Part of the wild flower display at Villiersdorp Agri & Arts Festival

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