It was day where one preferred to stay at home and do other things as the weather was most unpleasant to say the least. A few day days before the floors were wet with humidity and it was hot. We hadn’t had a winter and now it was this time of year. August winds pressed pause and December was upon us and the winds still howled. Lightening had stuck and the heavens definitely sounded like there was a relocation. Farmlands in the Umtamvuna were left for days without power. One set out with phone’s only being charged in the car and battery packs flashed “Change”.
Xysmalobium involucratum Hongersnoodbossie APOCYNACEAE |
Asclepias albens Cartwheels APOCYNACEAE |
Bracing the all the elements of the day for the love of plants. |
Uschi focused and passionate about plants. This is a great teacher. |
Maggie out there and soldiering on. |
Dorothy had suggested we botanize at Rennie’s. In the winds a forest would be more protected but out we went in slow pace as the area where we botanizing in was near the ocean and can be unsafe. The grass rolled. Birds battled to fly. We battled to walk forward. Today all plants got the name “inclanta” which means “inclined to lean” The wind made everything including us and plants lean to one side. How one was going to take a sharp image was going to be interesting. Perhaps it would be an abstract art day in the flowers.
The Hugh Nicholson's Thursday Group. |
In the swamp area Watsonia pillansii flowered in mass. We were at the end as some were going to seed. The colour was a coral orange. Just beautiful as were stems that were about to burst into magic.
Watsonia pillansii IRIDACEAE South African endemic |
Intermingled in the Watsonia pillansii were Eulophia angolensis. They like children hadn’t reached their full height but were flowering and still reaching for the sun. On the outskirts of this wetland an abundant mass of Satyrium sphaerocarpum flowered. We’d never seen such a mass of these orchids flowering everywhere.
Satyrium sphaerocarpum ORCHIDACEAE |
Walking amongst the Satyrium sphaerocarpum |
Eulophia angolensis |
Acrolophia cochlearis |
Alf amongst the field of Watsonia pillansii |
Eriosema dregei FABACEAE Vulnerable A2c; B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(iii) South African endemic |
Uschi looking behind the leaf for bumps. |
Delosperma carterae Bumpy Sheepfig AIZOACEAE South African endemic |
Selago tarachodes SCROPHULARIACEAE South African endemic |
Aspilia natalensis Wild Creeping Sunflower ASTERACEAE |
Bottoms up. Heads down. What's this? |
Convolvulus natalensis CONVOLVULACEAE |