Private farm in Port Edward/Umtumvuna

It was Thursday and with the humour of the elements it brought with it brutal north-easterly winds. We ventured forth into a privately owned prime land to see the flowers that had come up after the burn. On one side it had not been burnt and we decided that we were not even going to attempt to navigate through waist high grass with nothing to see. Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side and full of beautiful wild flowers! The differentiation between the two areas was like night and day.

The wind literally both whistled and howled and one could have mistaken us for birds as our jackets flapped and hats flew off our heads which became like tumble-weeds with us giving chase to retrieve them. One had to do what one loved to expose oneself into the elements of this day.

Gritted and wind burnt and rather shaken by the elements to say the least it was quite a challenge to photograph flowers. The wind buffed against me and shook the camera and our eyes filled like sand pits than only got excrete the next day. Our pigment of our skin changed colour because of the earth blown onto it as the land on one had being owned by another was being ploughed up and the indigenous plants being given to the lucrative Macadamia nut trees. Our hearts sunk when seeing bulbs upturned and plants eliminated from this earth.

Our note-books leaves where turned involuntarily and the handwriting was a shaken if if looking at the book a little later on on when one had forgot the weather was a little worrying. We were left bashed about with brutal winds that left us withered and totally parched and some of us ill...

Cyrtanthus contractus

Our journey:  Anne had to bring the car to a sudden halt as Gail shouted "Stop the car!" on the motorway, which lead us running up  a steep hill side near Port Edward after an area was burnt. We were like children in our excitement seeing the  Cyrthanthus contractus which were absolutely beautiful, so vibrant in their colour and standing out against the charred earth. Breath-taking would be a good word as they did stop us in our tracks.

Tracy bountifully removing a large broken branch off the road that had snapped off in the wind so that our vehicles could gain access into the area we were botanizing.

"Spook-huis", Anne is that you peeking out of the door?

Maggie, Dorothy and Anne being blown away.

Acalypha punctata var. punctata

Merwilla plumbea, perhaps the show-stopper of the day.

Mark observing an Albuca setosa flower.

Ocimum obovatum

C.R.E.W. getting down and dirty.  When with plants one has to become one, one with all.

Eulophia hians 

Graderia scabra

Afroaster hispidus

Argyrolobium harveyanum

Helichrysum alloides 

Senecio bupleuroides

Berkheya setifera - Buffalo-tongue Thistle
When observing the leaf one can clearly understand why it fall's under "Thistle".

Drimia cf echinostachya 

Drimia cf echinostachya

A good indication of how strong the wind was gusting. 

 Tracy admiring the Boophone disticha, thank goodness it has a strong foundation and deeply anchored for it would have been blown away.

Boophone disticha blowing in a north-easterly direction.

Interesting information about the Boophone disticha:

Boophone disticha is a bulbous plant.  It is widely known for its poisonous and medicinal properties. It is of considerable ethnobotanical interest in traditional medicine because of its hallucinogenic alkaloids and it has great potential as an ornamental due to its fan-shaped foliage and large umbel of bright pink to deep red flowers. 

C.R.E.W. wind swept and botanising.

Ledebouria revoluta  

Clutia species

  

Dipcadi marlothii - Dronkui

The common names are quite amusing for the Dipcadi's.

Dipcadi marlothii - Drunk Daintybells

Dipcardi viride - Dainty Green-bells

   

Freesia laxa, showing two different variations with their petals.

Freesia laxa

  

Indigofera rubroglandulosa 

Oxalis cf smithiana

Hewittia malabarica 

Gomphocarpus physocarpus 

Hilliardiella hirsuta - Quilted-leaved Vernonia

Hypoxis hermerocallidea

Hypoxis rigidula

  

Tritonia gladiolaris

The agile Maggie Abbott.

Maggie and Dorothy clambering down a rocky terrain.  

Kniphofia linearifolia - Common Marsh Poker

Kniphofia coddiana

Schizoglossum atropurpureum ssp virens

  

Triglochin milnei

Ruellia cordata - Veld Violet

Mark's lunch spot, hiding from the wind and soaking in the warmth of the sun.

Dorothy and Maggie sheltering from the wind.

Pecis octavia - Guady Commodore

I was able to creep up on this butterfly, the wind was so noisy that it did not notice I was right above him.  What's interesting is that it produces two different forms according to the season.  It the summer it's dark brown and the colour of the earth, it's bands are broken with red and blue.  Their larvea feeds on Solenostemon, Plastosema, Radbosia, Plecatrnthus, Pycnostachus and Coleus.

What an awesome group this is to botanise with. Hugely humbled. We had fun and we did what we loved doing best.

Mark Gettliffe, Alf Hayter, Dorothy Mcintyre, Anne Skelton, Gail Bowers-Winters,
 Tracy Taylor & Maggie Abbott

A special thanks to all those who made this blog possible with their knowledge of identication of the plants and for the beautiful day shared which made it possible.  

Identifications of plants may stand to be corrected as I am still a student in learning. - GBW

“Butterflies are self propelled flowers.”

― Robert A. Heinlein

Grasslands near Port Edward

20 August 2020

Site 1.  Port Edward.  Pending sale in a wetland area. 

Thursdays are renowned for the heavens pouring rain down onto the earth or the relentless winds that leave one turned inside out but this Thursday it was different, the sea stopped churning out white horses and bands of huge waves rolled in magnificently.  The blossoms could gently open and flowers bloom and not be beaten by the elements that bring change.

Cyrtanthus contractus - Fire Lily

Dierama igneum 

Hebenstretia dura

Lasiosiphon kraussianus - Lesser Yellow Head

Senecio chrysocoma 

Xyris capensis - Common Xyris

We met in Port Edward and having to do a “bio-opsy” that was part of a due diligence for a potential pending sale and the other sold we went to investigate what was flowering.  

Hearts all felt that developers should go elsewhere and leave natural areas alone.  We are not called C.R.E.W. (Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wild Flowers) for nothing.

Joyfully we met and full heartedly we ventured out into a wetland area which was predominately choked in Pteridium aquilinum (Bracken).  Where man has set his foot one finds alien invasives invading the territory of indigenous veld and fauna.   The Schinus terebinthifolia (Brazillian Pepper tree),  Nephrolepsis cordifolia (Sword ferns), Ageratum, (Ageratum houstonianum), Pteridium aquilinum (Bracken), Pine trees, Cascuta campestris (Common dodder) Pennisetum purpureum ( Napier grass) and the Bramble bush all were prevalent.

Mark catching Strychnos spinosa (Spiny Monkey-orange) seed balls
that Gail found lying beneath the tree and played ball. 

Maggie, Dorothy, Alf and Mark

Mark leaving his scarf around a plant to be inspected.

Maggie

Tracy taking a closer look at the Agathosma ovata seed heads.

Agathosma ovata seed head

Agathosma ovata - Basterboegoe

Commelina africana var. krebsiana 

Diospyros lycioides

Drosera natalensis

Eulophia clitellifera 

Gnidia woodii 

Hypoxis colchicifolia

Thankfully it wasn’t peak summer and as the sun rose we congregated and then departed to inspect our second piece of land that was in close proximity.

Site 2.  Port Edward hillside.

We didn’t expect to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and one’s heart erupted like a dandelion that dispersed its seeds of magic into the air. With infectious spirit and enthusiasm we drifted uphill and were pulled in every which way.  One simply didn’t know what flower to look at next as we felt as if we were children in a sweet shop and in heaven.  The grassland had been burnt and the earth exploded into colour. 

Cyrtanthus brachyscyphus 

Polygala myrtifolia

Anne admiring the Boophone distica seed head.

Boophone disticha

Buyi and Maggie

The flowers were abundant but sadly man’s evidence of having been present was obvious in the lack of conscience for the environment were evident in the piles of cigarette stompies and broken beer bottles that lay under the Strelizia nicolai trees.  Some trees had been brutally panga-ed from their base for convenience in getting to their seed.  There doesn't seem to be a mind set for thinking about sustainability, the future or its impact on the environment.   One’s bile builds up seeing how vehicles have driven in and regurgitated their plastic waste onto this pristine environment. 

The veld was alive in colour and the Berkheya insignis  were as beautiful as the shining sun in its cambium yellow.  The Gladiolus longicollis  and Tritonia gladiolaris were so delicate in their hues. Eulophia hians

Berkheya insignis 

Berkheya insignis 

Gladiolus longicollis 

Tritonia gladiolaris

Eulophia hians

Acrolophia cochlearis 

Acrolophia cochlearis

Orthochilus foliosa 

Acalypha peduncularis could almost pass as juicy red strawberries and I have never seen Thesium natalensis so voluptuous and looking like white candy-floss on sticks pure and pom-pomish. 

Acalypha peduncularis 

Thesium natalensis

Ocimum obovatum glowed in perfect mounds and Boophone disticha had set seed.  Merwilla plumbea waved their beautiful blue heads against the sky.

Ocimum obovatum 

Merwilla plumbea

Ledebouria revoluta bloomed with heavy mauve heads which to appreciate one has to be on bended knees.  

Ledebouria revoluta

Ledebouria revoluta

Kniphofia coddiana stole the show and left one breathless. We simply sunk into the earth and decided that this was a good place to have lunch and contentedly and peacefully we did watching  butterflies skip from flower to flower.   

Hearts popped with happiness seeing beautiful Kniphofia.

Tracy admiring the Kniphofia

Butterflies skipped from flower to flower sipping nectar

Kniphofia coddiana 

Kniphofia coddiana

Graderia scabra - Pink Ground Bells 

Lasiosiphon kraussianus - Lesser Yellow Head 

The heart like an empty reservoir was filled, today was food for the soul and quite euphoric.  All was good and we left jolly hearted, in sync and full of love for each other and the environment.  

Afroaster hispidus

Callilepis laureola

Convolvulus natalensis

Crabbea hirsuta

Cycnium adonense

Eriosema kraussianum

Gerbera ambigua

Gerbera ambigua seed head

Senecio bupleuroides

Hilliardiella elaeagnoides

Hilliardiella hirsuta

Berkheya umbellata

Rafnia elliptica 

Oxygonum dregeanum 

Pelargonium luridum 

Raphionacme galpinii 

Anne Skelton, Mark Gettliff, Alf Hayter, Dorothy Mcintyre, Buyi,
Tracy Taylor and Gail Bowers-Winters

Special thanks to all who made this blog and day possible.

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly our whole life would change.”  – Buddha