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

Slow Recovery Sunday Flower Walk

Yes, we can't be in a hurry, but it is remarkable how many of the plants are bouncing back, shrugging off the effect of the fire.

But first at the Railway Cottages, nobody is going to dig out the bulbs of this March Flower Amaryllis belladonna, they're right inside a Prickly Pear Opuntia!

Amaryllis belladonna growing inside a Prickly Pear

The Prickly Pear Opuntia has its own beautiful flowers!

Prickly Pear Opuntia flower

Half of this Erica had a lucky escape, this is right at the edge of the fire:

Half of this Erica escaped the fire!

There is lots of this coming up..... we're not sure yet what it is, perhaps Lanaria lanata? The leaves are tough and ribbed and in a vee-shape.

Is this Lanaria lanata?

Pippa is showing how deeply the roots burned!

That's how deep the roots burned!

We probably saw the best of the Fire Lilies Cyrtanthus ventricosa last week, but there are still many particularly on the south and south-east slopes.

Fire Lily Cyrtanthus ventricosa

Some animals escaped the fire, it seems, we followed this tortoise track for about 100 metres, not knowing which end the animal might be!

Tortoise tracks, but which way was it going?

The Wurm flushed out a rabbit at one stage, but it was too fast and agile for her. Luckily neither dog saw this well camouflaged lizard:

Spot the lizard! Luckily the dogs didn't!

We have photographed this magnificent Restio before, the centre is still green.

The inside of this Restio is still green!

This bike trail is unlikely to be used for a while, but the sign survived!

The sign survived, but the path is uninviting.

Just a few seeds to disperse from this King Protea Protea cynaroides flower. There must be thousands of seeds in these enormous spent flowers! As usual in Nature, Fibonacci spirals!

Just a few seeds out of thousands left to disperse

This Fire Lily Cyrtanthus ventricosa was worth going off the path for!

Fire Lily Cyrtanthus ventricosa growing between the rocks

The fire is still smouldering in this area, but look at the Fire Lilies!

There are six Fire Lilies in this photo, and the fire is still smouldering!

In one normally wet area it's already starting to green up!

Regrowth in a flood plain.

:-) A

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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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