Pondoland C.R.E.W. Blog: CREW Workshop 2016: Tugela Gorge Field Trip

Tuesday, 1 March 2016

CREW Workshop 2016: Tugela Gorge Field Trip

A 07h00 start from the Backpackers Lodge saw us arrive at the parking area below Tendele Camp in Royal Natal National Park at about 07h30 on a damp and misty morning.

Dew drops on a flowering Stephania abyssinica

The conditions ensured that the path up to Tugela Gorge was muddy and slippery. This made the walk more onerous and resulted in some minor casualties, causing some of our team to drop out early. The balance however pressed on with the intention of getting to the observation deck before turning back and botanising on the return trip - a difficult thing to do when there were many interesting flowers posing along the sides of the trail.

We had lunch at a spot overlooking a narrow channel where the river is constrained but which provided a niche for Gladiolus microcarpus on the cliff faces.

The lunch spot

Tugela gorge with Tugela Falls hidden in the background

Gladiolus microcarpus

On the forest floor and growing on rocks in the shade we found several orchid species, amongst which were the following:

Holothrix orthoceras

Huttonaea pulchra

Pterygodium hastatum

We found Anisodontea julii in the grassland alongside the path and Lotononis lotonioides was a common sight amongst the tall grasses. There were also patches of Otholobium caffrum with terminal clusters of purple-tinged flowers.

Anisodontea julii

Lotononis lotonioides

Otholobium caffrum

Lower down we found a single Papaver aculeata and one Gloriosa modesta

Papaver aculeatum

Gloriosa modesta

The afternoon sun had started drying out the muddy path, brought out the Moraea inclinata flowers and started bruising the older flowers on a Harveya speciosa. We saw Pelargonium dispar and the mountain endemic Scabiosa drakensbergensis.