Iron Crown 25 July 2024

Gerbera natalensis
Greentea Gerbera
ASTERACEAE

It’s Thursday! Nothing can go wrong. Right? Wrong. Gail sets out to fetch Maggie,reaches for her hiking boots and ties the bow twice. She feels there's something in her shoe but since she's rushing out as not to be late decides she will remove it at a later stage. Once at Maggie's she gets a change to remove her boot and shakes it out. Nothing comes out. She tries again. Nothing. There IS something there. She reaches into her boot to find the culprit and Maggie comes out to find Gail not in a happy place as she's just pulled out a HUGE rain spider! Gail almost had to catered off on a stretcher filled with scented flowers to consol her started and pounding heart!

The spider surprise in Gail's hiking boot. It wasn't the present she wanted. She definitely doesn't like those surprises.

Off to The Iron Crown we headed, eye's scanning the grasslands and we didn't see a cow... We weren't hopeful. We knew the pattern now and were as optimistic as Eeyore. The wind was howling and the terrain bleak and arid as a hot shouldering fire had gone through one section. Excitedly we heard Tracy point to two Red-buck racing away where eyes could not follow. We never see antelope here so this was a very special sighting.

One always finds Cyrtanthus breviflorus usually coming up three days after a burn. These little flowers where the most bedraggled ones we had ever come across and at the time of our visiting Western Heights they were far and few between. This little Yellow fire lily grows naturally in both moist and dry grasslands. It can make the most beautiful garden plant if mass planted.

Cyrtanthus breviflorus
AMARYLLIDACEAE

A dormant Boophone disticha.  

Alf looking at the little Gerbera natalensis growing amongst the rocks.

Gerbera natalensis was peeping trough the scortched earth, the petals so pretty in pink and white, and the stems hairy.  Perfect for cold winter mornings to keep them warm. This Gerbera is also known as the Greentea Gerbera!  Perhaps we can pop it in a pot and make a brew to sip on.  Gerbera's symbolise innocence, purity, cheerfulness and loyal love.  The name Gerbera is named after a German doctor and keen botanist Traugott Gerber.  The flower itself originates from South Africa.

Photo credit:  Tracy

Gerbera natalensis
Greentea Gerbera
ASTERACEAE

Earth worm castings

The only other flower we saw scattered here and there was Gazania krebsiana which was absent of leaves. 

Photo credit:  Tracy
Gazania krebsiana
ASTERACEAE

Hilliary setting the pace.

It was cold and windy and so we dropped down and descended into the forest.  It was a beautiful forest to say the least.  It almost felt quite magical.  Huge trees with massive root systems, contorted vines and giant boulders along a dry river way which must be simply beautiful in summer when the pools are filled with water.  A great escape on a summer’s day.  Along the bank we came across a huge true, it's trunk and bark screaming Lydenburgia abbottii.  This tree can be found on scarp forests on sandstone, along deep river gorges and steam banks and drainage lines.  This tree is also known as Bushman's Tea. The leaves are used as a general medicine and chewed or taken as a tea. Maggie once home compared the leaves of our specimen to hers to confirm what we had thought it to be and to find hers flowering.  These trees flower early to mid-summer.   (November to January) This tree wasn't waiting for summer.  Spring was in the air! This tree is protected under the National Forest act, 1998 (Act No. 84 of 1998).

Photo credit:  Maggie Abbott

An ancient Lydenburgia abbottii that Tracy is standing in front of which reaches to the sky.
 

Lydenburgia abbottii leaves

Lydenburgia abbottii 
CELASTRACEAE
Pondo Bushman's Tea 
Endangered D

Along the dry river bed, we took in the surroundings. It was simply beautiful. We found dry petals of an Alberta magna and Loxostylis alata. This tree is also known as the Wild Pepper Tree.  On a rock face which begged for water we found Streptocarpus porphyrostachys. This is a Near Threatened species and an endemic, native to South Africa.  "Streptocarpus" or Streps" as one refers to them is a Cape primrose.  Each leaf is monocarpic which means it will die after flowering and seeding.  It is perennial and will flower a number of times before dying, as each leaf takes a turn.  We didn't see the Strep flowering but it should be soon as it

flowers between spring and summer.  Its flowers are very pretty, ranging from pale mauve to violet with a white centre and a pale-yellow throat. Steptocarpus is derived from a Greek word.  "Streptos" means twisted, and "carpus" means fruit which refers to the plants twisted seed pots.  "Polyanthus" means many flowers.

 

Streptocarpus porphyrostachys
GESNERIACEAE
Near Threatened D2
South African endemic

Photo credit:  Graham Grieve
Streptocarpus porphyrostachys when flowering 

Photo credit:  Tracy
Hilliary and Gail heading into the forest.

Photo credit:  Tracy

Tracy feeling the incredible heat coming off the ant mound.

Skirting down the hillside trying to bypass the wind at the edge of a forest.

Burnt Proteas.

A cloud that looks like a smoke ring blowing swiftly across the horizon.

A magical forest creature smelling Tracy's caring hand.

Alf amongst huge tree roots and boulders.

Buyi and Tracy scrambling up rocks in a dry water-way.

Dietes butcheriana in seed

Tracy enjoying a trunk of a fallen and living tree where she had her lunch.

Tall forests.

Waiting for all C.R.E.W. members to return out of the forest safely.

Anne and Hilliary

CREW

Buyi

Dorothy and Maggie patiently waiting for the group to return back to base.

The book comes out to see what it could be.

We had a second surprise as we found that no cattle were to be seen anywhere on the reserve. Dorothy had posted this article on the group and we didn't think it would be as far reaching but perhaps there's hope after all. This reserve needs protection. Our grasslands are disappearing and our plant species threatened by habitat loss with the growing population. Thank you, King Misuzulu, for speaking to your people. We appreciate it.

With contented hearts we ambled back up the hillside with the wind blowing away our hats and we bumped our way back home.

Pondoland C.R.E.W. / Thursday Group
Hilliary, Buyi, Anne, Alf, Tracy, Gail, Dorothy and Maggie

"The flowers were dressed in nothing
but light." - Mary Oliver

 

Vulture Restuarant 18 July 2024

It was a scorcher of a winter’s day with the temperature of 30 degrees.  We aimed for The Iron Crown but ended up seeking a place with big more shade in the midday sun and found ourselves at The Old Vulture Restaurant.  This was a place in the 1970's where carcasses were disposed and vultures flew in to feast.  Now we find free-range cattle leaving zig-zag paths going up a once pristine grassland which is ever diminishing with paths that measure 40 cm to half a meter in width.  For botanists and nature conservation enthusiasts this is heavy on one's soul when the reserve could be better managed.

Aloe candelabrum
ASPHODELACEAE
Near Threatened B1ab(iii)
South African endemic

Cattle breaking over trees and damaging a  pristine grassland in a reserve.

A footpath zig-zagging all the way up the grassland hillside.

Clear trails of cattle and herdsmen.

The two orchids we found flowering was the ever-prolific Euolopia parviflora and one Disa hians going over. 

 

Disa hians
ORCHIDACEAE
South African endemic

Eulophia parviflora
ORCHIDACEAE

Around the rocks we found Haemanthus albiflos in flower with Olea capensis subsp. enervis growing above. 

Haemanthus albiflos 
AMARYLLIDACEAE

Olea capensis subsp. enervis
Rock Ironwood
OLEACEAE

We found one Aloe candelabrum on the forest edge a buzz with bees.  This aloe is classified as "Near threatened" owing to ongoing habitat loss and degradation.   This is aloe is a South African endemic.  

Aloe candelabrum
ASPHODELACEAE
Near Threatened B1ab(iii)
South African endemic

The other endemics we found on this day were Disa hians, Lasiosiphon triplinervis, Diospyros villosa and Anastrabe integerrima. 

Lasiosiphon triplinervis 

Synonyms

:  Gnidia triplinervis

THYMELAEACEAE
South African endemic

Synonyms

:  Gnidia triplinervis 

Diospyros villosa
EBENACEAE
South African endemic

Anastrabe integerrima
STILBACEAE
South African endemic

In the grassland we saw  Senecio skirrhodon, Wahlenbergia huttonii, Osteospermum imbricatum and Gerbera ambigua flowering.  

Heading down the rolling hillside.

Meandering down the hillside on a 30 degree day.

Wahlenbergia huttonii 
CAMPANULACEAE

Senecio skirrhodon
Senecio madagascariensis
ASTERACEAE

The two Acalypha we came across was Acalypha depressinerva with soft silver hairs on the leaves and the Acalypha punctata var. punctata which was coming into flower.  Male and female flowers occur on separate plants.  The name Acalypha is from the Greek akalephe, meaning ‘a nettle’, and refers to the leaves which resemble nettles. The species name punctata means ‘marked with dots’, referring to the gland dots on the leaves.

Acalypha depressinerva
Bearded-leaved Brooms and Brushes
EUPHORBIACEAE

Acalypha punctata var. punctata
Sticky Brooms and Brushes
EUPHORBIACEAE

Buyi looking down at the dry riverbed below.

Rhoicissus tridentata 
VITACEAE

 

On the forest edge Senecio deltoideus was both in flower and had set seed.  Macaranga capensis var. capensis is usually occurring in la ow-altitude forest, along streams and in most wet areas.  It's commonly known as ‘David’s Heart’, due to its large heart-shaped leaves.

Senecio deltoideus
Canary Creeper
ASTERACEAE

Macaranga capensis var. capensis
EUPHORBIACEAE

Brachylaena uniflora is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate trees. The male inflorescence is more dense and has more flowers per head than the female. 

 

Brachylaena uniflora
Tall Silver-oak
ASTERACEAE

The tree of the day was Halleria lucida.   This small to medium size tree with its graceful drooping habits is a valuable tree that should be planted in every bird and nature lovers garden as not only does it feed a plethora of birds but Blue duiker eat the fallen flowers lying on the floor as well as its berries which are delicious even to man and monkeys.  It’s a tree that attracts both butterflies and bees.  The birds that can be seen feasting on the flowers and berries are sunbirds, Cape white-eyes, thrushes, robins, pigeon’s, flycatchers, louries, mouse-birds, starlings and barbets to name a few.

Halleria lucida
Tree Fuchsia
STILBACEAE

Osteospermum imbricatum

Synonyms

Osteospermum glaberrimum ASTERACEAE

Synonyms

Osteospermum glaberrimum
ASTERACEAE

Gerbera ambigua
ASTERACEAE

Our dear Maggie sitting comfortably in the coolth of a ficus.

A joyous bunch of women, Maggie, Buyi, Dorothy, Hilliary, Gail and Anne.

Pondoland C.R.E.W./The Thursday Group
Gail, Hillary, Magge, Simon, Dorothy, Anne and Buyi

"To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles." - Unknown