Missing vultures at Western Heights

Having seen groups of Cape Vultures on recent visits to the Western Heights and other areas in the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, we managed to persuade Andy Ruffle to accompany us to our trip to the Western Heights to give him the opportunity to examine the cliffs and determine if there was any nesting activity. On this occasion we had another sizeable group with us, including Mark and a new addition, Colin Taylor.

We set off in three vehicles with Andy in his two wheel drive vehicle being sandwiched between two all-wheel drive vehicles to pull him out of trouble if necessary. This proved not to be necessary as the roads were dry albeit "lumpy". We reached the Western Heights and drove to the edge of the cliffs to see whether any vultures were visible - Mr Murphy must have sneaked on board one of the vehicles as there was not a single vulture in sight and nor were there any signs of nesting activity. We left Andy there in the vain hope that the birds might appear given time but we were to see none at all during our walk. Andy soon abandoned his post in disgust.

We decided to walk from where we had left the vehicles and wandered as the whim took us. One of the first notable plants we came across was Syncolostemon ramulosus (Vulnerable). There were many slender shrubs of this species poking their lax spikes of pink flowers out above the grass. Another tall species waving everywhere in the breeze was Senecio discodregeanus. Low down amongst the grass we saw Wahlenbergia huttonii and the flowers on the Endangered endemic Helichrysum pannosum were just starting to open.  

 

Syncolostemon ramulosus

Syncolostemon ramulosus

 

Senecio discodregeanus

Wahlenbergia huttonii

Helichrysum pannosum

Walking further we reached a wetter area where we saw Pimpinella caffra and many yellow-flowered Moraea spathulata. On rock sheets we saw a few Ornithogalum juncifolium, a few clumps of Rhipsalis baccifera with some pink ripe fruits and we noted that the Caputia medley-woodii were starting to flower. Also on the rocks, the Crassula obovata var obovata continued to flower.

Pimpinella caffra

Moraea spathulata

Ornithogalum juncifolium

Rhipsalis baccifera

Caputia medley-woodii

Crassula obovata var obovata

In the wetland we found a few Habenaria woodii and several Disa polygonoides. While most of the Dissotis canescens had finished flowering, the fruit capsules looked interesting - almost poppy-like.

Scanning the wetland

Dissotis canescens fruit capsules

After having our lunch in the shade of some riverine forest, we returned to the vehicles and drove down to Iron Crown to look at the view. Here we found that the Erica cerinthoides were just starting to flower.

Erica cerinthoides

Participants: Anne S, Colin T, Elaine L, Gail B-W, Graham G, Kate G, Mark G, Phakamani M, Tracy T.

Verifying a Kokstad Nerine population

While we have known for some time of what might be the only extant population of Nerine bowdenii subsp. bowdenii near Ngeli, we heard earlier this year during a CREW outing at Mount Currie Nature Reserve of another nearby population of Nerine near Kokstad and so we made arrangements to go there during the flowering period of the Nerine at Ngeli to investigate whether these might be the same Rare subspecies of Nerine bowdenii.

On the way up Kokstad we took the time to stop off along the route to check the status of the Nerine at Ngeli. The roadside sub-population of the more common N. appendiculata was doing well despite signs of work to be completed on a roadside cable through the wetland there. As we headed to the location of the N. bowdenii population, mist descended on us making it difficult to find our way on a poorly-defined track. Here too the Nerine bowdenii subsp. bowdenii plants were doing well with their pink inflorescences poking out over the shrubbery. On the way back we stopped to take some photographs of a magnificent display of Hebenstretia oatesii and Leonotis leonurus, even though they were a little hidden by the low cloud.

Nerine appendiculata

Nerine bowdenii subsp. bowdenii

Hebenstreetia oatesii 

Leonotis leonurus

Hebenstretia and Leonotis emerging from the mist.

The next morning we set off on a road constructed by the farmer up to a small weir - time and nature have had an impact with grass and pioneer plants growing chest high in some places in the track, concealing boulders, small and large, that have rolled down into the track making progress very slow. The track zig-zags steeply up the foothills of Nolangeni mountain with several hairpin bends on the corners until a gate is reached leading into the Eastern Cape and around onto the south-east facing slope where the Nerine were reported to be.

 

Our destination - near the top of the peak in the middle right

We were in luck - informed by our records of the flowering times of the Nerine at Ngeli we had timed our visit perfectly. Spread out before us on a wooded south-east facing slope was a great display of pink Nerine.  We scaled the slope and could immediately see from the glabrous pedicel and lack of appendage that these were not N. appendiculata. However these plants were much more robust than those seen the day before at Ngeli, at a first glance seeming to more closely resemble the Nerine bowdenii subsp. wellsii which occur near the Sentinel in the northern Drakensberg. However, Nerine experts have now confirmed that these are indeed Nerine bowdenii ssp bowdenii.

Nerine bowdenii subsp. bowdenii

Showing the dense nature of this sub-population of Nerine bowdenii

We made an estimate of the extent of this sub-population - there were between 2000 and 2500 plants visible but it looked like there were more dormant bulbs at the base of many clumps. Although there are signs of some high-altitude Invasive Alien Species on this slope, the numbers are currently low and the sub-population of Nerine and the surrounding vegetation seem to be in good condition.

Other plants we saw flowering in the area were a rather late flowering Brownleea parviflora, a healthy population of an impressively large-flowered pink Hesperantha grandiflora, an interesting Cineraria, Crassula dependens, Glumicalyx goseloides, a pink Heliophila, Printzia pyrifolia and a few Zaluzianskya microsiphon.

 

Brownleea parviflora

Hesperantha grandiflora

Crassula dependens

Cineraria sp.

Glumicalyx goseloides

Heliophila sp.

Printzia pyrifolia

Zaluzianskya microsiphon

We persevered along the track, passing a very lazy nightadder, eventually arriving at the weir where we stopped for lunch. At the weir we saw Limosella longiflora growing in a seep, and rounded clumps of Helichrysum sutherlandii growing just above a large dolerite outcrop. Here we also saw some Protea subvestita with old seed heads.

Nightadder

Limosella longiflora

Helichrysum sutherlandii

Lunch time at the weir at 1830 m (Photo Jeanette Rennie)

After lunch we climbed a short distance to inspect the wetland higher up, which is the source of the water feeding the weir. And then we tackled the bumpy journey back down the track homewards.

The wetland which is the source of the water at the weir

A big word of thanks first to Margie Shaw for mentioning to presence of these Nerines and especially to Mike Rennie for organising access to the site and having the fortitude to press on driving along the rough track where many others - myself included - might have considered turning back. 

Participants: Graham G, Jeanette R, Kate G, Kim R, Mike R.

A large group to Manilkara Meander (Thursday 19 April 2018)

Anne, with a semi-healed leg, returned for this walk along with Sally Booker who joined us for the second time. As Anne would not be able to walk far we decided to visit Manilkara Meander so she could leave when her leg had had enough. This suited several others who also wanted to leave early.

When we arrived and parked we immediately noticed a robust bugweed, Solanum mauritianum and as this was too big to uproot, Anne took out a bush knife and Phakamani made short work of cutting it off at the roots. He then also dealt with a fairly large clump of Lantana camara. Both of these invasive aliens will need to be herbicided to prevent regrowth but at least they have been prevented from seeding this season.

Also in this clump we found a small cluster of Priva cordifolia in flower.

Phakamani hacking at a clump of Lantana camara 

Priva cordifolia

We walked across to the forest edge. Here we noticed for the first time a medium sized Atalaya natalensis. We have previously only seen this species in the nearby Smedmore forest so it was good to see another locality, albeit in the same contiguous forest patch. Under the Atalaya was Pilogyne scabra creeper with its minute white flowers and a short distance away we found Erythroxylum pictum flowering. Another find amongst the plants growing on what appeared to be an old termite mound was a cluster of male Stangeria eriopus. This developed into a discussion as we found out from Phakamani about the amaPondo cultural use of this plant which is planted around cattle kraals to promote fertility in the herd.

Pilogyne scabra

Erythroxylum pictum

Deeper into the forest was a small Eugenia erythrophylla putting out some new leaves - these red coloured and softly hairy leaves are a useful character to identify the species, as are the rolled-under leaf margins. Some metres away was another Eugenia erythrophylla out in the open and also sporting new leaves. On the forest edge there were Cryptocarya wyliei in fruit.

Eugenia erythrophylla

Eugenia erythrophylla

Cryptocarya wyliei

A bit further along the edge we saw small Homalium rufescens putting out sprays of white flowers. On the rock plates below were splashes of colour from Crassula sarmentosa and Crassula obovata and amongst these was Commelina erecta.

Homalium rufescens

Crassula sarmentosa var sarmentosa

Crassula obovata var obovata

Commelina erecta

While some of us made our way into the forest edge, others stayed outside only to be terrorised by a puffadder. Also hiding in the grass here was a very well-camouflaged Red tailed moth. Inside the forest we found Plectranthus madagascariensis with tall flower spikes and a small shrub with greeny-yellow flowers that we identified as Maytenus acuminata. At the edge of this piece of forest was Colpoon compressum with flowers and fruits.

Leaf-like Red tailed moth

Plectranthus madagascariensis

Maytenus acuminata

Colpoon compressum

At this stage Anne turned back taking several members of the party with her as they also needed to get back for other commitments. The rest of us pressed on. A yellow-flowered Acridocarpus natalitius caught the eye and we saw Buchnera dura peeking out over the grass. There was a Thunbergia dregeana climbing into a shrub and the Loxostylis alata had a profuse show of their red bract-covered fruits.

Acridocarpus natalitius

Buchnera dura

Loxostylis alata fruits

Thunbergia dregeana

We stopped for lunch in a sheltered spot, noting a cluster of Liparis remota with fruits in the leaf litter at the edge of the forest. Moving on brought us to a dry water course where we found Euclea natalensis in fruit growing below Strychnos gerrardii that also had small fruits scattered along the branches. At the edge of a rock outcrop Diopspyros scabrida was starting to flower and nearby we found Grewia pondoensis with a single flower open.

Euclea natalensis

Diospyros scabrida

Grewia pondoensis

Strychnos gerrardii fruit

Deeper into the forest below the Strychnos was Hyperacanthus amoenus  with several young fruits. Out on the grassland we found Gladiolus inandensis, distinguished from the very similar Gladiolus wilsonii by having leaves that are oval in cross section.

Hyperacanthus amoenus fruit

Gladiolus inandensis

At the next bush clump we found Lauridia tetragona bearing reddish-orange fruits, Psydrax obovata with green fruit clusters and Robsonodendron eucleiforme with pale green fruits and many axillary flower buds. By this stage we had reached a view point down into the Umtamvuna River gorge and we were back at the vehicle.

Lauridia tetragona

Psydrax obovata

Robsonodendron eucleiforme

Umtamvuna River gorge

Participants: Anne S, Dorothy M, Elaine L, Gail B-W, Graham G, Kate G, Maggie A, Phakamani M, Sally B, Tracy T.