Swimming at Streptocarpus pool (Thursday 27 December 2018)

It was a pretty unanimous decision to walk down the Cascades stream on the Western Heights to have a swim in the pool for our last walk of 2018 and so we drove along the tortuous route and parked just inside the entrance gate of the Western Heights section of the reserve. Walking along the track heading towards the Umtamvuna River, we came across a few Pachycarpus grandiflorus with a single Pachycarpus asperifolius nearby. As we walked into a dip we started seeing the tiny-flowered Polygala capillaris growing among the grass.

Pachycarpus grandiflorus

Polygala capillaris

In adjacent shrubbery in this watercourse we found Cuscuta gerrardii growing as a parasite on Anthospermum sp. We only recently discovered this population of this data-deficient species.

Cuscuta gerrardii

Walking further we found Desmodium dregeanum and Harveya speciosa pushing their flowers out above the grass. In a little bush clump we found several Maesa lanceolata in fruit.

Desmodium dregeanum

Harveya speciosa

Maesa lanceolata

Growing at the side of the stream at the head of the Cascades, there were several Utricularia prehensilis and against a low cliff Erythroxylon pictum showed off its bright red fruit. We made our way through the stream-side shrubbery finding several Hypoxis angustifolia growing out of exposed rock crevices.

Utricularia prehensilis

Erythroxylon pictum

Hypoxis angustifolia

We reached the pool we had been heading for but first checked and found our target species for the day, Emplectanthus dalzellii. Fortunately this was in flower with several axillary pedicels of buds and open flowers. We thus felt we should be rewarded with a swim in the large pool at the end of the cliffs - welcome indeed, as it was a very humid and warm day. The pool is overlooked by many flowering Streptocarpus formosus and the occasional S. porphyrostachys, with fronds of Plectranthus saccatus subsp. pondoensis hanging down  towards the water. Tracy spotted a cluster of frog's eggs in a small fern clinging to cliff above the pool.

Emplectanthus dalzellii

Enjoying the cool waters of Streptocarpus pool

Frog egg cluster in a small fern above the pool

Plectranthus saccatus subsp. pondoensis 

Streptocarpus formosus

Streptocarpus porphyrostachys

We enjoyed a leisurely lunch in the shade above the pool before turning back. A few of us tried a different route through the forest and ended up above the cliffs overlooking the stream where we saw Anne and Dorothy emerging from the forest. Up above the stream we found clusters of Relhania pungens and a single Zaluzianskya angustifolia; the flowers of this latter species open in the late afternoon and evening.

Anne and Dorothy emerging from the forest

Relhania pungens

Zaluzianskya angustifolia

We found a large patch of Helichrysum panduratum and Kate, Gail and Tracy stopped to enjoy the sight. There were several Spermacoce natalensis along our return route, as well as some Thesium angulosum.

Three daisies amongst the Helichrysum panduratum

Spermacoce natalensis

Thesium angulosum

We deviated slightly on the way home to see what had happened to a very large Aspalathus dahlgrenii in an area of private land ravaged by a runaway fire earlier in the year. As expected, the large Aspalathus was no more but fortunately it had been replaced by hundreds of small seedlings.

Participants: Anne S, Debbie K, Dorothy M, Gail B-W, Graham G, Kate G, Tracy T.