Pink Daisy Sunday Flower Walk

A 'new' Daisy (to us!) was our first of several surprises today!

Is this Senecio hastifolius or does it have too few petals?

Could it be Senecio hastifolius?  From the back:

Flower from the side

.... and the leaf:

Leaf detail

These were on a south-east-facing sandy slope and we found four examples. Then we found one which we thought was a fifth, but it was very different, both in flower and leaf.

Different Daisy!

The petals are split into two-and-a-halfs or threes and the leaves are totally different:

Different leaf!

On the way, at the railway cottage ruins, firewood sawyers have been active and we thought the Ornithogalum saundersiae had been crushed, but it was still there, weighed over by the flowers!

Ornithogalum saundersiae

In the burnt areas the Helichrysums are gradually growing back. This in an unburnt area reminds us of what we would be looking at!

Helichrysums

The Star-grass Ficinia radiata, which we've never seen in this area before are as bright yellow as the Daisies! We found singles, then two on a plant then several, but this one takes the cake!

Star Grass Ficinia radiata

Flower up close:

Flower detail

At last! The Wachendorfia paniculata with the upward-growing leaves are putting up buds, while those which came up soon after the fire with sickle-shaped leaves on the ground, have all finished flowering now.

Wachendorfia paniculata, buds at last!

Here, one has opened:

.... and this one is open!

Soon, this hillside will be covered with these candelabras!

We have been seeing these red clover-leaves in tiny patches, but this made such a splash of red, I had to go and look!

Red Clover leaves

We were pleased to see this burnt Protea cynaroides re-sprouting from the stem. Others we looked at were too.

Protea cynaroides, re-sprouting

The raptors were busy, we saw a group of four, then three Yellow-billed Kites doing aerobatics, then we got up and were able to look down on a pair of Jackal Buzzards. One settled on this distant rocky outcrop, then another landed next to it....

Two Jackal Buzzards

....then one flew off:

One flew off!

There is a lot of this plant, now in full bloom, which we haven't pinned down yet:

What is this? 

Flower detail:

Flower detail

Another surprise was a 'new' Pelargonium with a slightly scented leaf:

Pelargonium with slightly scented leaf

We'll have to wait a week or so for its flowers!

Bud of scented Pelargonium

Whereas the more widespread type, possibly Pelargonium cucullatum are already opening.

Is this Pelargonium cucullatus? 

On the subject of 'hooded', we had hoped that the small plant at the base of a burnt Mimetes cucullatus would be a 'baby', well it certainly looks like it!

Re-seeded Mimetes cucullatus

Close by are several more:

Many more!

Then on the way down, our next surprise, a Moraea which we've never seen before! Just a single example, with many buds waiting to come out behind this first flower!

Moraea lurida? 

It is truly exquisite! Could it be one of the forms of Moraea lurida?

Another view of the flower

We weren't finished with surprises! Near where the film shoot people have denuded the recently burnt veld, we found this with tough strap-like pointed leaves, about to open.

Is this an Aristea? If so, A. bakeri or A. capitata?

Could it be an Aristea capitata? A. bakeri? We will have to go back and check when it opens!

The plant with the fleshy snake-like leaves is pushing up buds (or flowers?) very slowly! These leaves have been eaten off, but the flowers are the most advanced we have found. 

What are these? 

:-) A

Wachendorfia Sunday Flower Walk

The Wachendorfias are beginning to come out, but strangely it seems at this stage that it's only the ones with the first leaves growing close to the ground after the fire. Those growing 'normally' seem to be far behind.

Wachendorfia paniculata flower

Curved leaves growing close to the ground

We hurried up to the plant we've been watching develop, but it seems we must wait a bit longer!

What is this?

The buds are getting longer and peeling away from the stem from the bottom up... what will it turn out to be?

Flower detail, we can't wait for it to open!

More of these short grasses........

Short grass with purple flowers

A berry (and thorns!) on Asparagus lignosus:

Berry on Asparagus lignosus

After getting excited last week about all the buds on the Othonna heterophylla, guess what? It's been eaten again!

Othonna heterophylla, eaten again!

There was even a partly open bud lying next to it on the ground. There are still tightly closed buds.

Closed bud of Othonna heterophylla

Here's another we remember; a white five-petalled flower from the top, but the closed bud and the back of the petal is mauve. The stem twines. Common names Baroe (khoi) and Klimop (Afrikaans) Cyphia volubilis. 

Baroe, Klimop Cyphia volubilis

This is the growing tip of a Liparia splendens we know, now re-growing nicely. I suspect there's a lot of growing to do before we get any flowers.

Liparia splendens, growing tip

At the base of a Mimetes cucullatus which was badly burned is this, looking ever more like a 'baby' with red tips to the hairy leaves.

Baby Mimetes cucullatus? 

More exciting is what looks like a whole lot more, less than a metre away! This is not all.

If so, are these more?

This looks like re-growing Pseudoselago serrata which was quite prolific all over the area we are montitoring.

Pseudoselago serrata

There is a lot of this, growing where we remember China Flower Adenandra uniflora. What could it be?

What is this where the Adenandras were growing? 

Now the dam is full again on the experimental far, the Waterblommetjies Aponogeton distachyos have come back and there are already buds on it.

Waterblommetjies Aponogeton distachyos

:-)

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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