Almost all Blue Sunday Flower Walk

We've moved away from the yellows, and much of what we saw today was in various shades of blue, starting with the Roella ciliata:

They seem to be taller than the ones we remember from two years ago, before the big fire in this area. 

We always see Lobelias, those with the bright blue large flowers we think is L. tomentosa:

Although most are past their best, there are still Agapanthus walshii in flower:

This one below had us excited, was it the elusive white one? No, but a very pale blue:

It was pleasing to check that this one had been logged, finding my present position exactly the same as one marked 'AW Lower Rocky Ridge'. 

The deep blue of the Purple Powder Puff Pseudoselago serrata, after an impressive season, is nearly over.

There were even still a few flowers on occasional Psoralea pinnata:

Pinks, oranges and reds seemed to be the other colour of the day. Although many of these Watsonia schlechteri have gone to seed, there are still many in bud, so we'll be seeing them for a while yet.

Before the fire, we pinpointed what we thought were Erica obliqua. We have searched that location carefully since without success. About 100 metres away we have found a strong population, perhaps 20 plants so far, of what we hope is the same:

Welcome back!

Also pleasing to see in that vicinity, another old favourite (the Ericas seem to have recovered the slowest!) Erica pulchella:

We specially went back to look at a Protea-type which we've been watching for weeks now. Only one tiny flower opened in the middle of December, and we found it today, actually loose from the plant, but held in place by branches of new growth. We left it there, to mature fully and disperse seeds. 

There are about eight plants in a small area. The closest we get to identifying it from the books is Leucospermum bolusii, but if it is, it's way out of its area, supposed to be the slopes above Gordon's Bay. The tips of the new growth are pinkish:

What can it be?

It's nice to see the Brachylaena neriifolia in flower again! The shrubs have a lot of growing to do to reach the size of some of those which were burnt!

It's always nice to go home past the Prickly Pear Opuntia in the garden of the ruins of the Railway Foreman's house:

:-) Andy

A Year Later Sunday Flower Walk

It's exactly a year since the fire swept through the patch of fynbos we've been monitoring for several years. In places it was particularly 'hot' because of the amount of pine trash lying around after the trees were harvested. On reflection the re-growth has been very different from, say the areas which were burnt just a month ago at the other end of the valley. There, the shrubs are re-sprouting already, ours like the Brachylaena neriifolia seem to be taking a long time.

Those which have most noticeably benefitted by the fire, apart from the Pelargoniums with their enormous leaves, are the Lobelias! We used to get excited about Lobelia jasionoides. Now there are areas carpeted with them!

Lobelia jasionoides

The old faithful blue ones which never seemed to stop flowering seem to have more flowers and the blue seems deeper! L. coronopifolia?

Lobelia coronopifolia (?)

Then the Roellas which had become quite scarce have come back with enormous flowers!

Roella

These look like Psoralea pinnata, although the shrub they're growing on is so much smaller than we're used to. These have grown to about a metre since the fire.

Psoralea pinnata

The Purple Powder-puffs Pseudoselago serrata are really over. Here was about the last bloom we found:

Pseudoselago serrata

What is this, with its Datura-type pods?

Unknown!

We remember where the Leucospermum oleifolium was growing. It had been badly damaged by the tree felling, then burnt. Gardening tips say one must just leave them to grow, so it was with pleasure but not much surprise that we found no less than 14 plants growing up in that immediate area! There are three in a row:

Leucospermum oleifolium

In that immediate area we knew we should also find Liparia splendens. These, too have re-established themselves strongly and are about to flower:

Liparia splendens

I mentioned the Pelargoniums, the leaves are great, the flowers few.

Pelargonium

On the way home, in the gravel road where we always find the Sundews Drosera, their place has been taken by these, not sure what they are!

Unknown

We couldn't go past the dam on the Experimental farm without looking at the Nymphaea nouchali!

Nymphaea nouchali

Some are almost high and dry!

Nymphaea nouchali

:-) 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