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.
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Cyrtanthus contractus - Fire Lily
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| Dierama igneum |
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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.
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Mark catching Strychnos spinosa (Spiny Monkey-orange) seed balls
that Gail found lying beneath the tree and played ball. |
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| Maggie, Dorothy, Alf and Mark |
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| Mark leaving his scarf around a plant to be inspected. |
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| Maggie |
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| Commelina africana var. krebsiana |
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| Diospyros lycioides |
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| Drosera natalensis |
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| Eulophia clitellifera |
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| Gnidia woodii |
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| 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.
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| Cyrtanthus brachyscyphus |
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| Polygala myrtifolia |
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| Anne admiring the Boophone distica seed head. |
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| Boophone disticha |
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| 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
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| Berkheya insignis |
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Berkheya insignis
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| Gladiolus longicollis |
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Tritonia gladiolaris
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| Eulophia hians |
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| Acrolophia cochlearis |
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| Acrolophia cochlearis |
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| Orthochilus foliosa |
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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.
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| Acalypha peduncularis |
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Thesium natalensis
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Ocimum obovatum glowed in perfect mounds
and Boophone disticha had set seed. Merwilla plumbea waved their beautiful blue heads against the sky.
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| Ocimum obovatum |
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| Merwilla plumbea |
Ledebouria revoluta bloomed with heavy mauve heads
which to appreciate one has to be on bended knees.
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| Ledebouria revoluta |
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| 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.
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| Hearts popped with happiness seeing beautiful Kniphofia. |
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| Tracy admiring the Kniphofia |
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| Butterflies skipped from flower to flower sipping nectar |
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| Kniphofia coddiana |
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| Kniphofia coddiana |
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| Graderia scabra - Pink Ground Bells |
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| 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.
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| Afroaster hispidus |
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| Callilepis laureola |
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| Convolvulus natalensis |
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| Crabbea hirsuta |
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| Cycnium adonense |
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| Eriosema kraussianum |
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| Gerbera ambigua |
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| Gerbera ambigua seed head |
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| Hilliardiella elaeagnoides |
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| Hilliardiella hirsuta |
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| Berkheya umbellata |
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| Rafnia elliptica |
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| Oxygonum dregeanum |
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| Pelargonium luridum |
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| Raphionacme galpinii |
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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
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