Cubica Heights- 7 September 2023

It was a lovely suprise to meet at Beacon Hill in the Umtamvuna to find Graham and Kate Grieve there to join us on our Thursday botanising excursion.  We drove up to Smedmore in search of Disperis woodii because it had come to its end of its flowering season and we would have missed it if we didn't go now.  Alas it was not the day to find this tiny little orchid that grows in the grassland as the grass had not been burnt and it would be like looking for a needle in a hay stack.  The grassland was unexciting and we decided not to waste any more time and head on. We ended up navigating our way to Cubica Heights.  There we found a plethora of flowers and Afroaster serrulata was flowering prolifically.  It was not quite the orchid time but nevertheless we found the vulnerable Drimia echinostachya and Watsonia inclinata, the near threatened Canthium vanwykii in flower.  The Acalypha depressinerva we flowering prolifically.  The views from this reserve are always breathtaking and the shade always welcoming. It was lovely botanising with C.R.E.W. today. 

Drimia echinostachya
HYACINTHACEAE
Vulnerable A2ad; C2a(i)

 

Senecio coronatus
ASTERACEAE

Helichrysum nudifolium var. oxyphyllum
ASTERACEAE

Canthium vanwykii
RUBIACEAE
Near Threatened B1ab(iii,v)+2ab(iii,v)

Petopentia natalensis
APOCYNACEAE
South African endemic

Polystachya sandersonii
ORCHIDACEAE

Acalypha wilmsii
EUPHORBIACEAE

Acalypha depressinerva
EUPHORBIACEAE

Cotyledon orbiculata
CRASSULACEAE

Helichrysum acutatum
ASTERACEAE

Afroaster serrulatus
ASTERACEAE

Acalypha depressinerva
EUPHORBIACEAE

Euphorbia gueinzii
EUPHORBIACEAE

Pentanisia prunelloides
RUBIACEAE

Leobordea pulchra
FABACEAE

Watsonia inclinata
IRIDACEAE
Vulnerable D2

Senecio glaberrimus
ASTERACEAE

Senecio bupleuroides
ASTERACEAE

Gerbera piloselloides
ASTERACEAE

Pondoland C.R.E.W.

Gail Bowers-Winters, Graham and Kate Grieve, Anne Skelton, Tracy Taylor, Mark Getliffe,
Dorothy McIntyre and Maggie Abbott.

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads. —Henry David Thoreau

Western Heights 14 September 2023

We drove to the Western Heights with cattle grazing all around us.  This certainly did not please our souls as all the flowers we so loved were being munched up and kicked out of the earth with their hooves.  There were easily 100 cows that frequented this area and we spent a good amount of time trying to herd them out but we lost the battle in the end and then refocusing our attention we went in search of Euphorbia bupleurifolia.   Sadly, we only found one.  We found termite hills been vandalized and removed with quarts bottles lying in the nature reserve and cow hooves imprinted the marshlands.  The wetland area was in dire need of rain but despite the lack of rain we found Merwilla plumbea, Eriospermum cooperi, Kniphofia parviflora, Hesperantha baurii, Chironia krebsii and Watsonia mtamvunae.  

Gail found a Monopsis stellarioides subsp. stellarioides with very sticky barbed leaves in the Swamp Forest.  Walking back towards the car Gail spotted a Rock Python which lay quietly in the grass trying not to be seen.  Today was not the day to hug a snake.  

Lotononis bachmanniana, Leobordea pulchra, Drimia echinostachya, Erica cerinthoides could be found in the grasslands to name a few.

A wonderful day as always observing all that was in flower with like-minded friends.  

Hesperantha baurii

IRIDACEAE

Chironia krebsii
GENTIANACEAE

Watsonia pondoensis
IRIDACEAE
Endangered

Convolvulus natalensis
CONVOLVULACEAE

Drimia echinostachya 
HYACINTHACEAE
Vulnerable A2ad; C2a(i)

Eulophia hians
ORCHIDACEAE

Lotononis bachmanniana
FABACEAE
Near Threatened A4c; B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)

Monopsis stellarioides subsp. stellarioides
LOBELIACEAE

Order:  Orthoptera

Kniphofia parviflora
ASPHODELACEAE
South African endemic

Clutia disceptata
EUPHORBIACEAE
South African endemic

Euphorbia striata
EUPHORBIACEAE

Merwilla plumbea
HYACINTHACEAE
Near Threatened A2bd

Hillary, Anne and Tracy.  

Cyrtanthus breviflorus (with a long leaf)
AMARYLLIDACEAE 

Eriospermum cooperi
RUSCACEAE

Tritonia gladiolaris
IRIDACEAE

Euphorbia bupleurifolia 
Cycad Spurge
EUPHORBIACEAE
South African endemic

Anne searching for Euphorbia bupeurifolia.

Erica cerinthoides
ERICACEAE

Leobordea pulchra
FABACEAE

Pondoland C.R.E.W.
Hillary, Anne, Tracy, Gail, Maggie and Dorothy.

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. —Khalil Gibran