Our destination was Hazel Ridge in the Umtumvuna
which meant gaining access through a privately owned farm getting access codes
and this time round it was smooth running.
Debbie joined us on her road bike so th e rest of uscould manage to get there in
one vehicle. We navigated our way through Macadamia nut trees and then fought
with the gate eventually prying it open in the process exposing a Rain-spider who marked it as its territory. Fortunately, a path had been cut with the
tractor which allowed the vehicle into the area we wanted to botanise which
saved a good hour or so on foot. The
terrain is steep and getting to points is challenging as there are a lot of
rocks. Considering that we have women in
their 80’s they make one bow one’s head as there aren’t many who would do what
they do. Where there’s passion no
terrain no matter the gradient can stop them.
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A steep climb down as we headed for Hazel Ridge.
 | Polygala hottentotta
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 | Watsonia pillansii
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 | Watsonia pillansii
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 | Aristida junciformis - Steekgras
 | Chloris picnothrix
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Delosperma caespitosum
 | Delosperma caespitosum
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 | Wahlenbergia huttonii
 | Wahlenbergia huttonii
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A savage fire during lock-down had burnt the koppie at Hazel Ridge and this once little pristine area was now been engulfed by alien
invasives. Having Honorary officers with
us thery always see a good cause in trying to eradicate them even on our botanising
days and sometimes these plants can be so deeply rooted into the rock crevices
that it can make anyone faint. Blood is
part of our Thursdays. It’s part of the
terrain but today was a bloody day and wet wipes were no longer white.
Along the cliff edge the scent of the Gymnosporia
glaucophylla wafted up sweetly.
This scent does change to “unpleasant”.
The shrub easily 3 metres grew amongst rocks and was covered in white
flowers with blue-green leaves. It was quite
breath taking.
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Gymnosporia glaucophylla
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Gymnosporia glaucophylla
 | Gymnosporia glaucophylla
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There is a lot of poaching in the reserve sadly
and rumour has it that another 20 hunting puppies have been brought in and we
did see a beautiful hunting dog on the main road when going down. The sounds of these dogs in the reserve are
heard and so are their tracks. It makes
one sad for there really is not much game and the little that there still is, is always at
risk of been killed. Gail came across a
mound of porcupine quills on a rock. We
thought that it could have been the victim of poaching as all its quills were
lying there. Gail picked up a handful
and just like in playing pick-up sticks one shot down, bounced up back from the
rock and straight into the middle of her palm where a spring of fresh blood
flowed. Into an artery it went and to
try pry out the quill was not so simple.
It was a bit like a bow and arrow been shot. What an amazing self defence shield to have
if one can survive. The pain had left
her finger tips white and tingly that night and had numbed her arm right up to
her elbow. She soldiered on.
The Aloe arborescens were all in bud and
bursting to awaken. The Ochna arborea
were spectacularly beautiful in a show of yellow flowers. Cineraria albicans put on their yellow show
too. Ushi pointed out the gland dots
that could be found on Crassula sarmentosa var. integrifolia back side
of the leaf when looking at it through a magnifying loupe.
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| Aloe arborescens |
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Ochna arborea
 | Ochna arborea
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Cineraria albicans
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Euriops brevipaposus
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Crassula sarmentosa var. intergrifolia
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Crassula sarmentosa var. intergrifolia
 | Crassula sarmentosa var. intergrifolia
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 | Gland dots on the back of Crassula sarmentosa var. intergrifolia leaves.
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It was getting to lunch time and we descended
down the cliff and into the gorge where we could hear running water. The big rains had pushed these boulders down the
gorge and Anne had found that her rock that she normally leans on to peer into
the beautiful rock pool below now had had another huge rock placed on-top of it
so she felt a lot more comfortable looking down into the most beautiful rock
pool ever.
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Anne, far left at the back. These rocks are colossal and wonderful to see the pools full of fresh running water.
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Anne looking into the pool rock pool below and having discovered that these huge rocks had dislodged after the great floods we experienced a few weeks previously.
 | | A magnificent rock pool. |
As one walks over huge boulders one finally comes to the end and one looks down into a deep pool which was out of reach for our little party. It's quite magical.
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The Clivia robusta’s were in flower, old
plants with leaves at least a metre grew on cliff edges. (Flatid bugs)
jumped around and a shy Dwarf chameleon tried to get away from the paparazzi. Rhoicissus
digitata left us in great debate as to what it was. Botany is definitely not straight forward and
can be rather challenging. Our one rule
is “No small children” when looking at young trees and then when you consider
that Rhoicissus is “often 3-foliate on old growth and 5-foliate on young growth”
and the young growth is “grey to olive-green”.
Things can be very variable and it’s a bit like being the piece of bamboo
that can bend in times of change otherwise you could snap if you don’t.
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Rhoisissus digitata
 | Rhoisissus digitata sp.
 | Clivia robusta
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We looked at the four petalled flower of Chionanthus foveolatus sub. sp. tomentellus and breathed in the scent that smelt like like Green-tea jasmine. A carpet of petal's coming from this tree lay on the forest floor. It looked like confetti that had been thrown at a bride as she passed.
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| Chionanthus foveolatus sub. sp. tomentellus |
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Chionanthus foveolatus sub. sp. tomentellus
|
As we ascended, we felt the soft velvety leaf
at the back of Mystroxylon aethipicum leaf and saw the tiny flowers on Clutia
abyssinica var nov. We bundu-bashed our way through
the koppie at the top and put on our speeding wobble to get to the car that was
parked close to the Evening star in a race to get to the gate that would be
locked if we didn’t get to it in time. All
set and ready to go Debbie geared all up in attire to find her road bike was uncompliant. With the setting sun both Debbie and Tracy
gave it their all and still the bike decided it wanted to stay the night. Gail who knows nothing about bikes and stays
far away from them jumped on, put all her mighty weight onto it and gave it
gears. Elated it started and Debbie told
her to rev it! Gail imagined seeing herself
take off over the hills on this Never-ending story dragon and flipped both her
legs over the seat as if she was side saddling a horse and bolted off leaving
Debbie happily on her bike heading home to the setting sun.
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Mystroxylon aethipicum
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Mystroxylon aethipicum
(soft and velverty at the back of the leaf).
|
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Photo credit: Debbie King - Petopentia natalensis
 | Petopentia natalensis living life dangerously on a cliff's edge.
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| Clutia abyssinica var. nov. |
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| Clutia abyssinica var. nov. |
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| Clutia abyssinica var. nov. (Hairy leaf) |
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| Chlorophytum comosum |
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Chlorophytum comosum
|
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| Aeollanthus parviflorus |
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Aeollanthus parviflorus
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| Kalanchoe rotundifolia |
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| Kalanchoe rotundifolia |
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| Manilkara nicholsonii |
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Manilkara nicholsonii
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| Mystroxylon aethipicum |
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| Mystroxylon aethipicum |
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| Protorhuis longifolia |
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Viscum sp.
Our days are always filled with adventures and there’s plants that always leave us scratching our head. The books come out, there’s debate and a lot of learning that’s gained from all round.
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| Homeward bound. If you look closely the vehicle is right at the very top. The climb is steep and challenging. There's rocks everywhere but we lucky to climb up with the shade of the hill to the setting sun. |
Pondoland C.R.E.W.
|
Tracy Taylor, Anne Skelton, Dorothy McIntyre, Ushi,
Gail Bowers-Winters and Debbie King.
"In the wilderness, my soul strums to the rhythm of pure bliss. Knee-deep in the wilderness, my soul strums to an orchestra of nature's sounds. And within that rhythm, I absolutely meet pure bliss. The mountains whisper for me to wander wander; my soul hikes to the call. - Angie Weiland-Crosby
Quote sourced by Tracy. |
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