A steamy day at Rennie's Beach

Thursday was the first really humid day we have had this summer and we adjusted our walking pace to suit the conditions. This grassland is part of the Red Desert Nature Reserve but is separated from the main section by the R61 highway. It is however quite a special part of the reserve as, being in close proximity to the sea, it seems to have the right conditions for some unusual species to thrive.

While not unusual, Eriosema dregei does well here and there were still a few shrubs with flowers.

Eriosema dregei

Close to where we started waking were a few Heliophila subulata and a single Crotalaria obscura. 

Heliophila subulata

Crotalaria obscura

Orchids were doing well as there were several patches of Satyrium sphaerocarpum and a single but striking Disa polygonoides, and less obvious in the ankle height grass, some Habenaria dives.

We found an Adenia gummifera in flower in the small amount of dune scrub next to the beach where we stopped for lunch. Close to the beach Carpobrotus dimidiatus was sprawled on the dunes and was flowering.

Carpobrotus dimidiatus

Crossing a rock outcrop we came across a particularly robust Euphorbia flanaganii and as we walked back to our vehicles we found a Dichilis strictus.

Euphorbia flanaganii

Dichilis strictus

Participants: Anne S, Dorothy M, Graham G, Kate G, Maggie A, Uschi T.