Mostly Yellow Sunday Flower Walk

Today we were attracted to a flower near the ruins of the Railway cottages. We think it's an Ornithogalum saundersiae, not from these parts, rather Eastern Transvaal, Swaziland and the Natal mountains. We won't hold that against it, it is beautiful! That makes it related to the Chincherinchee. From what we've found in this garden, someone must have been a keen gardener!

Ornithogalum saundersiae (?)

There are lots more flowers to come!

Many buds still to open! 

On the subject of Natal mountains, last week I was in Pietermaritzburg and we visited the Minerva Reserve which is 6 000 feet above sea level, where we saw this, any ideas?

Unknown plant on Minerva Reserve

One thing is for sure, Clivias grow well there!

Clivia in PMB

Back to today's walk, the Waterblommetjies Aponogeton distachyos on the Experimental Farm dam are looking good! We don't remember them being as prolific as this before, they are all around the western bank, up to the houses opposite.

Waterblommetjies Aponogeton distachyos

Suddenly a white Erica is in full bloom! This reminds us that we haven't seen any resurgence of Ericas in the burnt areas, was the fire too hot?

White Erica

Flower detail:

White Erica up close

Not as impressive as before, but there's still a lot of it, Arctotheca... is it A. calendula or A. acaulis as we thought?

Arctotheca, but which one?

We have come across these Geissorhiza aspera before

Satin Flower Geissorhiza aspera

.... and these Sparaxis bulbifera close by. Many more this year than we remember!

Sparaxis bulbifera

And to make a trio in this small area, this is the first Beetle Lily Baeometra uniflora we've found, not fully open yet. It will be mostly yellow when open!

Beetle Lily Baeometra uniflora

The Sour Fig Carpobrotus edulis are in full flower. Here are two buds, one open flower and one spent. They suffered badly in the fire, but we're seeing some small plants growing here and there.

Sour Fig Carpobrotus edulis

There are tiny buds on the Sundews Drosera

Sundews Drosera with buds!

The Oxalis aren't over yet!

After several vehicles had driven over a small area (after the fire) where we first found Trachyandra ciliata last year we were worried about its survival. It seems to have come back with a vengeance!

Trachyandra ciliata

Detail of the delicate flower:

Trachyandra ciliata flower

In the burnt area a few of these bright yellow Stargrass Ficinia radiata stood out. We saw them in the forest (which is being cut down at the moment), but we don't remember them in the open.

Stargrass Ficinia radiata

We thought the Spiloxene capensis might be over by now. No, there are still plenty of these bright yellow flowers which are hard to miss!

Spiloxene capensis

Considering this area was totally burnt in March, it's impressive that these Euryops have re-grown and are flowering so profusely already! There are millions more plants coming up!

Euryops

'Our' single Satyr Orchid is past its best. We haven't found any others like it.

Satyr Orchid

This poor Othonna dentata has been eaten yet again! Maybe that's what's making it keep flowering?

Othonna dentata with eaten leaves and flowers

While this uneaten one has just spent flowers. We found and marked a third in this area. There aren't many that we've found!

Othonna dentata with uneaten leaves but spent flowers!

We're not sure what these are, but these are the first open of many from a sprawling plant!

On the south-east facing slopes, the Moraea ochroleuca are even more impressive than last time we looked!

This one's single leaf must be 1½metres long!

Long leaf on a Moraea ochroleuca!

Very slowly the flowers on this two-leafed plant are developing. Dominic says it might turn into an Orchid, or maybe a Lachenalia.

What will this turn out to be?

On our way home we're always followed by Stone Chats, but at a distance. This one stayed still just long enough for me to snap him at maximum zoom! 

:-) A

De Kelders Saturday Flower Walk

Pippa asked me to accompany her to a field day with her Archaeological Society to De Kelders between Stanford and Gansbaai.

View from De Kelders of Walker Bay

Excavations have shown that humans from the Late and Middle Stone Ages have inhabited these seaside caves. Our guide for the day was Graham Avery who has been involved here since 1969.

Graham Avery giving us a history lesson! 

The caves are inside the Walker Bay Nature Reserve. We paid our entrance fee to Cape Nature who look after the reserve and met up with the others of the Society at the parking area where there are good ablution facilities and the first of a series of illustrated information boards. I was glad I went along, not only for the archaeological enlightenment, but also for the flowers!

It's a good time of year, of course with spring flowers, but the profusion and variety was astounding, very different from what we encounter here! Next to the parking place we found these huge orange-coloured Daisies which might be Arctotis hirsuta.

Arctotis hirsuta?

There was a lot of this in flower which might be Othonna dentata:

Othonna dentata

As I have been taught, I took a photo of the back of the flower:

Othonna dentata flower from underneath

Among one of these we found the parasitic Wolwekos (because it looks like red meat), Cats' Claw or Hyobanche sanguinea:

Hyobanche sanguinea

There were others less far advanced:

Hyobanche sanguinea

In another place a similar, but more sprawling less pointed plant:

Unknown plant

It seemed under every rock was a Bloukop Koggelmander or Blue Headed Agama. They are quite accustomed to human activity, one almost ran over my foot! I wish I could have captured this one doing 'press-ups'!

Bloukop Koggelmander, Blue headed Agama

As someone said, 'Another bloody yellow daisy'!

Unknown Daisy

Possibly the same?

Unknown Daisy

Here were Everlastings, in bud:

Everlasting, closed.

.... and where we had lunch, slightly open:

Opening... 

And after a bit of searching, just a few, fully open:

Fully open!

Here was an Orchid about to open!

Orchid

We've never seen Mesembs hanging down like this before. In flower they must be magnificent!

Hanging mesembs

This looks like (the edible) Dune Spinach, Tetragonia decumbens now in flower:

Tetragonia decumbens

At one stage we were treated to some whale activity, on the right in this picture, gradually working to the right. They are huge!

Whale on the right, a Southern Right?

This plant was growing out on a solid rock:

Unknown plant growing flat on rocks

Detail of the tiny white two-petalled flower:

Flower detail

Sour Figs were in full bloom, these pink ones make a nice change from our yellow Carpobrotus edulis. These are either C. acinaciformis or C. mellei.

Carpobrotus acinaciformis or C. mellei

Here's a Pelargonium we're not familiar with:

Pelargonium

First Pippa found one of these Gladiolus cunonius:

Gladiolus cunonius

Flower detail:

Gladiolus cunonius flower

Later we found many more. Here are some Senecio arenarius, not to be confused with the blue-petalled Felicias which were also in abundance.

Senecio arenarius

These little flowers were growing close to the ground:

Unknown flowers

Some stunning Mesembs were already out:

Mesemb flowers

We found a small patch of Albuca, possibly A. juncifolia

Albuca juncifolia? 

Flower detail:

Albuca juncifolia (?) flower

Here's a Bulbine, probably B.annua:

Bulbine annua

Flower detail:

Bulbine annua flower

... and a Sea Pumpkin Arctotheca populifolia:

Arctotheca populifolia

Flower of Arctotheca populifolia

A splash of orange made Pippa go and look at this Hermannia ternifolia:

Hermannia ternifolia

Flower detail:

Hermannia ternifolia flower

This tiny succulent was growing in the middle of the path!

Tiny succulent

Society members inspecting Duiwelsgat, a blow-hole from when the sea level was a couple of metres higher. We are at least a hundred feet above sea level here! It has been walled in for safety.

Duiwelsgat blow-hole

Finally, here's a cave-man's view of Die Plaat, a 12-mile stretch of unspoiled beach, although we were told the sea level would have been much lower back then!

Die Plaat, framed by the cave entrance