Red Desert flowers and college students visit (Thursday 2 August 2018)

The Trustees of the Red Desert Nature Reserve received a request from the Gamalakhe TVET College to include a visit to the Reserve as part of an educational field trip for tourism students. We therefore arranged to walk at the Red Desert reserve prior to meeting the students. On the way to the reserve we came across a rather unusual Erythrina lysistemon.

From the parking area we headed eastwards, having first looked briefly at the western side of the path where we found Berkheya insignis, B. umbellata, Callilepis laureola and Senecio bupleuroides. There were also two grasses with purple-coloured heads - Elionurus muticus and Sporobolis sp.

A pale orange Erythrina lysistemon

Berkheya umbellata

Berkheya insignis

Callilepis laureola

Elionurus muticus

Senecio bupleuroides

Sporobolis sp.

Kohautia amatymbica

Heading towards a wetland area we came across a small cluster of Eulophia clitellifera. Extending some distance above the wetland were several heads of Kniphofia rooperii. We passed through an area overrun by naturalised Grevillea banksii and emerged on another part of the grassland where there were many Gladiolus inandensis and a few creamy-yellow Tritonia gladiolaris.

Eulophia clitellifera

Searching the grassland

Kniphofia rooperii

We crossed over the brow of a hill before descending into another wetland. Here we saw some scattered Cyrtanthus brachyscyphus and large numbers of Gerbera ambigua. There were also some Gerbera natalensis. Nestled around the grass roots were many of the beautiful small Ledebouria cooperii and growing next to the stream were clusters of Kyllinga alba.

Gerbera natalensis

Heading down to the wetland

Gerbera ambigua

Kyllinga alba

Ledebouria cooperii

Back on the hillside we found Scabiosa columbaria and Othonna natalensis. Here we came across the first of several Boophone disticia with their clusters of deep pink flowers.

Senecio variabilis were a common feature for most of the walk. 

Scabiosa columbaria

Othonna natalensis

Senecio variabilis

Cyrtanthus brachyscyphus

Boophone disticia

When we crossed over into another wetland we started seeing more and more Wurmbea kraussii - this was probably the best display of this species we have seen to date. On one north-west facing slope were new buds of Lasiosiphon kraussianus.

Lasiosiphon kraussianus

Wurmbea kraussii

We arrived back at the parking area not long before a busload of the Gamalakhe college students arrived. They were first told about the Reserve and how it had been established as a stewardship project between the landowners -- Ray Nkonyeni Municipality and the Williams family -- and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. The reserve was created to preserve the floral biodiversity in this small remnant of endangered coastal grassland as well as the cultural history of a stone-age settlement. After explaining this to the students we took a short walk through the grassland where we pointed out some of the plants with traditional and cultural uses. We then arrived at the Red Desert area and discussed how this was the site where many stone-age implements had been found. After this the students left for their next destination and we headed home.

Talking to the students about the Red Desert

Participants: Colin T, Dennis S, Dorothy M, Gail B-W, Graham G, Kate G, Maggie A, Tracy T.