Pondoland C.R.E.W. Blog: Rennies - Looking for orchids

The day began with bird song and as one adjusts to the twilight as to not miss the magnificent sunrise that comes in the changing season. It is a new day, it’s a new dawn and it’s Thursday!

Orchids are the motivation for the area explored and with gumboots and raincoats packed as weather app’s forecasted ominous weather one woke to the blazing sun and humidity not taking it all too seriously as it's often proven wrong. Ankle gumboots were replaced by long ones and if it rained it rained and the day would be embraced despite the bi-polar weather conditions.

We tentatively parked forewarned of owners that objected to vehicles blocking their view of the grassland and ocean. Who wouldn’t be!

It was so lovely to have Mark join our group and he quickly made friends with the “enemy” and his motivation for joining us was that he wouldn’t speak more than 5000 words. We watched him speak to the landowner lip-reading his mouth hoping he wouldn’t give it all to a complete stranger and there was a lot to catch up with in his absence.

One’s tolerance for wind is quite low when trying to capture the detail in flowers and with a macro lens Gail was appreciative of Alf who offered to still the flower from movement and when asked what he could do to help, she replied, “Breathe in.” In her head she invisaged a giant that looked like the B.F.G. who breathed in all the air and as if he was filling a helium balloon and then to stand their with big round cheeks and to hold the breath and then gently breath out after the photo of the flower was taken.

The hue of the day was pink. Pink in the Watsonia’s and Giant Candelabra’s flowered in mass, delicate Polygala’s hid in the grass and Sphenostylis marginata couldn’t have looked more girly. Dolichos’s magenta's colour was equally as impressive as the Brunsvigia grandiflora that was mentioned.

One simply can’t be unhappy in nature. One’s tank is filled up and everything is restored. If one could leave one’s cell phone off as is the rule it truly is the most wonderful day and not have disruptions and to simply focus on botany leaving the "normal" world behind. Thursday is dedicated to the study of flowers and trees.

The group was a little divided but all the space was good. Each observing and taking it all in with pools of knowledge which was shared with everyone when regrouping.

It was a shorter day in the end than usual as the sky darkened and before we ended up eating soggy sandwhiches we found a place to have lunch and hoped that someone had not been murdered there for one felt unnerved with the crosses around seen around. Even though the area looked void of people it was not safe and cars were often broken into, broken bit’s of electronics could be seen strewn and things dismantled.

Strelitzia seed pickers walked with full bags carried on their heads and Strelitzia nicolai head’s lay on rocks with their seeds removed for export trade. We tried to look for the Euphorbia flanaganii hoping that it hadn’t been discovered and poached.

In the end we did find orchids standing delicately in white, disrobed of leaves. Its name Eulophia schnelliae. On I-Nat the orchid’s name changes to Eulophia macowanii. Sometimes pretending not to see a flower would be a little easier… It’s a species without a recognised name that Benny Bytebier is currently describing. As far as the Euphorbia flanaganii is concerned there is some debate about the name and while Sanbi Red List seems to recognise it but others wish to retain Ephorbia flanaganii, E. franksii and E. woodii as discrete species.

A spit of rain and then a downpour and we made our way heading back the vehicles sopping wet. Plastic rain coats looked like Glad-Wrap that spun round wrapping Dorothy up as if in a Tornado. Gumboots filled with water and when one took them off one was surprised that neither fish nor tad-pole flopped out. Gail had left her rain coat purposely in the car as it had lightened the rucksack load and so,by the time she got to the car the amount of water that she rung out of her socks and clothes their was enough water to fill up a up a reservoir. She disrobed and put her dry raincoat on and dryly drove back with Anne. Cool, refreshed and happy.

A wonderful day shared with friends who made the difference in life doing what they loved doing best.