Pondoland C.R.E.W. Blog: Cubica Heights (Thursday 9 July, 2020)

Cubica Heights – 9 July 2020

Kate and Graham have now made their move to their new home in Scottburgh and are likely to be only occasional visitors to these outings. The blog scribing job has been taken on by Gail.

It was a glorious winter’s day as only one gets them in July and the wind from the day before which blew relentlessly, had stopped. Our destination was Cubica Heights in the Umtamvuna and before entry we all had to be screened for Covid 19. Alf and I had driven together and his vehicle was warm and toasty, so when we got out of the car and were first to be screened, Alf’s reading came up as 38.7 degrees Celsius. He was horrified and with a little panic, we asked to be re-tested. After standing in the cool shade of the Eucalyptus trees he then passed his test with a "normal" temperature reading and excitedly we were permitted entry and drove across the farm to the gate at Cubica Heights.

We trudged through tall grass and wished that the grasslands would be burnt so that we could see the beautiful flowers come up in the spring with the rains and pressed on to the cliff’s edge where we lingered on hanging rock edges where everything grew. It was just so beautiful to see the mosses, lichen and the orchids growing in crevices on branches. The leaves on the Crassula were wrinkled and dehydrated. Ann dissected a dried Tridacyle bicaudata seed pod and saw the miniscule white pepper-sized seed that was cushioned in fluff within the capsule. Dorothy demonstrated the shadow veins on Erothyroxylum pictum and gave some identification tips when it came to some other species.

Tridactyle bicaudata

Tridactyle bicaudata seed capsule

Erythroxylon pictum fruit

The group meandered around a steep cliff and Mark and I decided to tackle a vertical climb and with laughter and a bit of agility and strength we managed to skip going around as we pulled ourselves up through the rocks. We laughed as if we were kids again.

We came to a rocky area where we could explore and the Haemanthus albifos were awakening, there was Gasteria croucheri, various orchids with old flower stalks and several Crassula species. Alf had a brief encounter with a snake but neither of them was injured during the encounter. Tracy had found a Bont tick which had attached itself into her sock but its life ended there rather abruptly. The threat of Covid was enough without needing tick bite fever. Ann and Tracy found and removed a snare on the forests edge.

On the cliff’s edge we meandered back and looked down into the deep valley that was filled with the most beautiful forest. And on the edge near flat rocks we saw the tiny Erica cubica. The Alberta magna had flowered and was magnificently going over, displaying its red bracts. The Morea stricta had awakened and stood there fragile in the grass. How perfect nature is.

Alberta magna

Agathosma ovata

Cassytha pondoensis

Cotyledon orbiculata

Dierama igneum

Crassula perfoliata var heterotricha

Erica cubica

Halleria lucida

Mark living dangerously

Indigofera rubroglandulosa

Osteospermum moniliferum

Psoralea arborea

This walk had been what our souls had needed and on the homeward journey we checked in briefly to see our dear Maggie (who had just had a hip replacement) and there she was with her smile walking unaided. We look forward to Maggie joining us on our Thursday botanizing excursions.