Banners Rest had been burnt and so knowing that that flowers were spectacular in this zone that is a stone's throw from the town of Port Edward we decided to go and take a look at what was flowering. The only obstacle was where to leave one's vehicles so that they were safe on our return and once we had established that with Debbie phoning a friend we parked behind closed gates and set off down the dusty road with rooster's crowing. The other down-side of entering into this area was the filth as humans use the verges as dumping sites and litter was so awful that one found oneself walking closely behind another in single file and focusing on their heels and pretending to have cart-horse blinkers on as to not spoil the day. Once we have navigated our way through that and looking up one found oneself standing still and being mesmerized by the colour of the flowers that stood out in the absence of grass. Here was a rainbow on earth.
It is
disconcerting to think how vulnerable and threatened this area is when it comes
to area's that can be destroyed by a national toll road, urban development or
farmers. It’s really crucial that these areas are not developed as it
would be devastating to see an area like this that holds such a diversity of
flaura be lost forever. It simply cannot be replaced.
The first flowers our eyes gazed down upon was Hypoxis hemerocallidea, it's robust leaves clearly in the Mercedes emblem and a flower so yellow that it’s a plant that demands attention. When looking at Afroaster hispida our eyes first looked upon it's hairy stem before meandering on. We can't not think about Tracy when looking at Hebenstretia comosa, this is her favourite flower and they flowered prolifically and in mass in certain areas. Their swan like heads waving in the wind and the eye striking orange on their petals.
Tritonia
gladiolaris and Gladiolus longicollis subsp. longicollis grew
gracefully together and Merwilla plumbea with its long
list of name changes pushed out in blue with the tips in white looking like
stars. It is surprising that Senecio variabilis is
even noticed as it really is non-impressionable and as for Dipcadi
viride that too took a skillful eye to notice it growing for it's
so grass like and disappears in the veld.
Dorothy had her
eye's wide open and kept spotting Orthochilus foliosus. It
was lovely to see this orchid flowering.
Kniphofia
coddiana had already set to seed and so magnificent in its flower
head. Helichrysum griseum was pushing out it's buds
everywhere. Gerbera natalensis with its hairy
stems or as we like to say it wears its hairy pajamas delicately followed the
sun as it began to set.
Both male and
female Acalypha peduncularis were flowering. The male
looks like an elongated strawberry whilst the female flower looks like a paint
brush.
We found
two Raphionacme galpinii's in flower and as we ambled
down the hill and found Eriosema salignum nestled in a
dip. We turned the leaves around to find them silver. We sat down to
lunch amongst a field of Cyrtanthus brachyscyphus and saw
that there had been plant poachers in this area too. After lunch we did a
quick sweep over Banners Triangle and down the path evidence of people who had
been mugged. The Bracken was taking over this area and sadly the fire had
not been hot enough to stop it in its tracks. This is truly a terrible
invasive and not enough is being done to eradicate it.
 |
| Merwilla plumbea Blue Squill Monocotyledons HYACINTHACEAE Status and Criteria: Near Threatened A2bd |
 |
 |
| Senecio erubescens var. incisus ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Chlorophytum saundersiae AGAVACEAE |
 |
| Ocimum obovatum subsp. obovatum Cat's Whiskers LAMIACEAE |
 |
| Senecio discodregeanus ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Raphionacme galpinii APOCYNACEAE |
 |
| Callilepis laureola Ox-eye Daisy ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Helichrysum griseum ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Senecio bupleuroides ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Gladiolus longicollis subsp. longicollis Honey-flower Monocotyledons IRIDACEAE  |
 | |||
| Senecio coronatus Woolly Grassland Senecio ASTERACEAE
|
 |
| Eriosema salignum FABACEAE |
 |
| Berkheya insignis ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Peach Moth |
 |
| Finding our lunch spot and to sit amongst the Cyrtanthus brachyscyphus |
 |
| Eulophia parviflora Monocotyledons ORCHIDACEAE |
 |
| Cyrtanthus brachyscyphus Ifafa Lily Monocotyledons AMARYLLIDACEAE |
 |
| Eriosema kraussianum Pale Yellow Eriosema FABACEAE |
 |
| Thunbergia atriplicifolia Natal Primrose ACANTHACEAE |
 |
 |
| Dipcadi viride Dainty Green Bells Monocotyledons HYACINTHACEAE |
 |
| Ornithogalum juncifolium Grass-leaved Chincherinchee Monocotyledons HYACINTHACEAE |
 |
| Nemesia caerulea seed heads Leeuwbekkie SCROPHULARIACEAE |
 |
| Nemesia caerulea Leeubekkie SCROPHULARIACEAE   |
 |
| Berkheya insignis ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Lasiosiphon kraussianus Lesser Yellow-head THYMELAEACEAE |
 |
| Orthochilus foliosus Monocotyledons ORCHIDACEAE |
 |
 |
| Helichrysum griseum ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Vangueria infausta subsp. infausta Velvet Wild-medlar RUBIACEAE  |
 |
| Tritonia gladiolaris Pencilled Tritonia Monocotyledons IRIDACEAE |
 |
 | |
| Gazania krebsiana ASTERACEAE  
   Kniphofia coddiana Monocotyledons ASPHODELACEAE Near Threatened |
 |
| Gerbera natalensis ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Gerbera ambigua ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Ledebouria revoluta Synonyms to name a few: Drimia acuminata/Scilla spathulata Monocotyledons HYACINTHACEAE |
 |
| Thesium pallidum SANTALACEAE |
 |
| Thesium natalense SANTALACEAE  |
 |
| Hilliardiella elaeagnoides Synonyms: Hilliardiella oligocephala Bicoloured Vernonia ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Dimorphotheca caulescens ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Male flower |
 |
| Female flower |
 |
| Acalypha peduncularis EUPHORBIACEAE |
 |
| Hypoxis argentea var. argentea Small Silver Star-flower Monocotyledons HYPOXIDACEAE |
 |
| Hypoxis angustifolia Yellow Star Monocotyledons HYPOXIDACEAE |
 |
| Helichrysum pallidum ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Photo credit: Dorothy |
 |
| Hebenstretia comosa Katstert SCROPHULARIACEAE |
 |
| Helichrysum aureum var. monocephalum ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Gladiolus longicollis subsp. longicollis Monocotyledons Honey-flower IRIDACEAE |
 |
| Afroaster hispida ASTERACEAE |
 |
| Hypoxis hemerocallidea Yellow Star Monocotyledons HYPOXIDACEAE |
 |
| Uschi |
 |
| Pondoland C.R.E.W. Debbie King, Uschi Teicher, Gail Bowers-Winters, Dorothy McIntyre, Tracy Taylor, Alf Hayter and Anne Skelton There are always flowers for those who want to see them. —Henri Matisse |
No comments:
Post a Comment