Starting to Move! Sunday Flower Walk

All over there are signs of activity! Not showy at this stage, you have to look carefully. Oh! That is in the veld. At the ruins of the Railway cottages it's another story, with the Narcissus at their very best!

The grasses are flowering, is this Ficinia bulbosa? :

This one's slightly yellow hue caught my eye:

A very short one:

Is this the same, with its reddish colour?

Here again is one of the Wachendorfias which had leaves growing close to the ground, pushing a bud up. The normally growing W. paniculata elsewhere show no signs of flowers yet. So it's still a mystery!

We went looking for the single broad-leafed plant we found sevral weeks ago. We were delighted to find many buds on it. We can't wait to see what it turns out to be!

Also in that area, we found the fleshy-leafed Othonna heterophylla which had been so completely eaten. It has re-grown well and again has buds on it:

So there are two reasons at least to check again next week!

There are many of these broad-leafed Daisies, looking for a name!

After the first flush of growth after the fire, these Fire Asparagus A. lignosus have set green berries and are now pushing out fresh green growth again!

This looks like an Orchid! Dominic has warned us that we'll find them in profusion from now on!

I realise I've been looking in the wrong place for the single Heeria argentea we have found in 'our patch'. What I've been looking at is the remains of a Pelargonium, which is re-growing nicely:

The Heeria is a few metres away, and yes! It's re-sprouting!

The leaves are very pale still:

The Pelargoniums seem to be thriving after the fire!

In the unburned section we found a Searsia in flower, reminding us what the others should look like!

:-) A

Fire Lily Sunday Flower Walk

We were warned by Pat that we'd only have to wait two weeks after the fire for the Fire Lilies Cyrtanthus ventricosa to come up. Well it's only a week and a half and they're out, literally all over!

Fire Lily Cyrtanthus ventricosa

This below is the group next to the cycle path which we've known about for several years. I've moved the path away from them gradually over the years, but now that a stump opposite them has burned away, I've been able to kick away at the upper bank and pack more stones around these on the lower edge to protect them. There was no sign of these this time last week, I looked!

The group of Cyrtanthus ventricosa we've been protecting for years!

But this one is right in the middle of the cycle-path a short distance away!

Lone Cyrtanthus ventricosa in the middle of the cycle track!

Not surprisingly, the other one we have known about and had marked with a ring of stones, has also come up:

This is the other one we knew about and marked with a ring of stones

The fire is not out yet..... fanned by a brisk South-easter.

Fire still burning after a week and a half.

These burning stumps can throw up burning embers in this brisk South-easter and spread into unburned areas. But they are being watched by the tireless Working on Fire staff!

Working on Fire staff still on duty!

Otherwise, the regeneration is spectacularly quick in some cases as with this Restio:

Restio recovering quickly!

Another Restio was interesting, possibly an Elegia persistens. It had partly burned and fallen flat on the ground:

Elegia persistens (?) collapsed but spreading seeds

Yet all around, seed-heads had been blown into the now nutrient-rich holes of burned-out stumps:

Seed in hole from burned stump

... and:

Another....

.... and:

And another!

The Ways of Nature! At about this stage, we were treated to an aerial display of Formation Flying by two raptors, too far away for us to identify, and not looking like our normal Yellow-billed Kites or Jackal Buzzards. I captured a few seconds of their flight on this link: http://youtu.be/GOmIAgvuizs

I went to look at the remains of the Leucospermum oleifolium which we found recently.

Burned-out Leucospermum oleifolium

A bit sad to see, yet the flowers were interesting. There had been many spent flowers lying under the bush which I commented on, those are dispersed or burned, but those still on the bush look as if they will set seeds and disperse them. Comments, please!

But look at the flower!

This is the burned-out Cape Rockwood Heeria argentea we found at the same time. We will be watching it, but this shows it growing in rocks as Dominic said he normally finds them!

Burned out Cape Rockwood Heeria argentea

We walked on beyond the burned area.......

The far edge of the fire

The first unburned beauty we found was a Protea cynaroides, in bud now.

King Protea Protea cynaroides in bud

We crossed a stream, still just flowing at this time of the year completely overgrown with the shrub which Jennetta kindly identified, Water White Alder Brachylaena neriifolia, all in flower. They are said to like river valleys, these do!

Water White Alder Brachylaena neriifolia growing happily in a ravine

On the other side, we were treated to a completely different mix of Ericas from our normal stamping ground, yet we were only 500 metres beyond!

Unknown Erica

Flower detail:

Flower detail

Another:

Another unknown Erica

The flower looks like Erica pulchella, but the rest of the plant doesn't!

Its flowers

This one with round urn-shaped flowers:

Another 'new' Erica

Closer up:

Flower detail

This one has longer flowers:

Another unknown pink Erica with longer flowers

Flower detail:

Flower detail

On the way back, we recognised the burned out pink 'Helichrysum' Phaenocoma prolifera, even like this, it's impressive. Even burned, it's beautiful!

Burned out Phaenocoma prolifera

We walk back through the Experimental Farm. Not sure what Experiments they are doing besides perhaps seeing how many Codling Moths can live in one apple, but it's grossly unfair that this can be found on a Government Institution, next to a commercial orchard!

Codling Moth on Golden Delicious on Experimental Farm

Back at home, the March Lilies are looking splendid! There are more coming up!

March Lilies Amaryllis belladonna

:-) A

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Pink Erica Sunday Flower Walk

A strong South-easter was blowing, meaning we had to hold on to the plants to take photos!

Yes, looking through today's photos, it's the pink Ericas which stand out. Erica pulchella; they are all over!

Erica pulchella

We went back to the area where we found the three Erica obliqua plants, to find them still floweing beautifully, after discovering them five weeks ago.

Erica obliqua

This one was easy to walk past assuming it was yet another E. pulchella, but it isn't. The flowers are arranged in tufts along the stalk, wedding-cake style. We found another one later:

Unknown pink Erica

Flower detail:

Flower detail

Here is a tall one we have not noticed before, standing at about 1 metre with woody stems.

Unknown tall light-pink Erica

Up close, the flowers are just pink:

Flower detail

And in another area, we found this one, not noticed before:

Another unknown pink Erica

Flower detail:

Flower detail

What else caught our eyes? The Lobelia tomentosa are all over the place, in bright violet patches. These are growing in front of Cape Snow, Syncarpha vestita:

Lobelia tomentosa and Cape Snow Syncarpha vestita

We know this Mountain Dahlia Liparia splendens is bound to have a flower, there are lots of buds on it.

Mountain Dahlia Liparia splendens

Campylostachys cernua, a big bush with quite a few flowers still out:

Campylostachys cernua flower

Interesting spent flowers from the Therianthus, showing the clockwise helix:

Therianthus spent flower

At last! Thanks to Jennetta, we have a name for this shrub, Brachylaena neriifolia or Waterwitels in Afrikaans. It helps to know what the words mean, the Greek means 'short jacket' and the Latin, 'with leaves like an Oleander'. Now we know! It's interesting that we have found the Butterspoon Cunonia capensis or Rooiels in the same area.

Waterwitels Brachylaena neriifolia

Jennetta and Dominic both confirmed that what we suspected to be a Rhus-type shrub last week is Rockwood Heeria argentea. It belongs to the same family as the Rhus and Searsias. Dominic said he finds it in very rocky places, this is no exception. In the wind the backs of the leaves had a silvery look.

Rockwood Heeria argentea

I couldn't resist another look at the large (for us, at least) Leucospermum oleifolium we found last week. The sun was catching the pink new growth at the tips.

Leucospermum oleifolium

Look closely on the ground at the base and the spent and fallen flowers form a mat. What/who will distribute them?

Spent and fallen flowers of Leucospermum oleifolium

Now I've worked out how to photograph Five-toothed Baboon-cabbage Othonna quinquedentata.... against the sky!

Five-toothed Baboon Cabbage Othonna quinquedentata

Here is a flower on the Buchu Agathosma betulina. It's very difficult to pick out the detail.

Buchu Agathosma betulina

There seems to be consensus that this tall Erica is E. plukenetii subsp breviflora. We've been watching it for years and it's the only one we've found in 'our patch'.

Erica plukenetii breviflora

Another little yellow pea!

Unknown small yellow pea-type

We kept seeing this, a little plant about 200mm tall, any ideas?

Unknown small white flower

Something's happening on this Brunia..... last year's flowers can be seen behind.

Brunia in bud

Finally, we're into this time of the year!

Golden Delicious

It's looking good!

:-) A