Faced with the choice of revisiting the Devil's Backbone trail or walking to the base of Ingrid's Falls the vote was in favour of Ingrid's Falls where we hoped to enjoy the coolness of the forest shade and the spray from the falls on what promised to be a hot, humid day.
With no driving necessary, we set off walking and soon came across a Melanthera scandens at the side of the track. We crossed the first stream coastwards of the Beacon Hill offices and followed the path up the hill, finding small clusters of colourful Helichrysum appendiculatum. Our further progress provoked a noisy reaction from a troop of baboons foraging between us and the cliffs.
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| Melanthera scandens |
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| Helichrysum appendiculatum |
We left the track and headed towards the gorge, exploring rock outcrops on the way. Several
Indigofera abbottii were just starting to flower. At the edge of a rock plate we found
Roella glomerata, a strand of
Smilax anceps in bud,
Lobelia pteropoda and
Delosperma carterae.
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| Indigofera abbottii |
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| Roella glomerata |
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| Delosperma carterae |
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| Lobelia pteropoda |
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| Smilax anceps |
Walking back towards the edge of a forest patch we crossed a grassy wetland and found
Dissotis canescens and
Exochaenium sp. nov.
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| Dissotis canescens |
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| Exochaenium sp. nov. |
Along the edge of the forest towards the gorge there were fruits of Grewia lasiocarpa, a flowering Dioscorea cotinifolia and a Dioscorea dregeana in fruit. A small Protea caffra posed its just-opened flower in a patch of sunlight.
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| Grewia lasiocarpa |
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| Dioscorea cotinifolia |
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| Dioscorea dregerana fruits |
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| Protea caffra |
We reached the point where the grassland slope became a bit more precipitous and headed into the forest where we could hear the splash of the water over Ingrid's Falls. As we emerged into the open patch at the base of the falls, we were greeted with the splendid sight of the
spray wafting down towards us.
As we fossicked around near the stream we found Isoglossa cooperi, Streptocarpus formosus, Thunbergia purpurata, Cryptolepis capensis and Tarenna pavettoides in flower. We spent a good while drinking in the beauty of this spot before setting off back through the forest, skirting the cliffs where the falls were tumbling down.
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| Isoglossa cooperi |
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| Streptocarpus formosus |
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| Thunbergia purpurata |
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| Cryptolepis capensis |
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| Tarenna pavettoides |
Of course we had to get an estimate of the size of the large
Syzygium gerrardii - it took three of our ladies to link their arms around it. In the damp places along the base of the cliffs we found a few
Begonia sutherlandii and
Urticularia sandersonii.
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| Measuring the big tree |
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| Begonia sutherlandii |
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| Utricularia sandersonii |
After we managed to find a route to scramble our way up the cliff and out of the forest, we set off homeward, encountering a group of
Habenaria pseudociliosa along the side of the path.
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| Habenaria pseudociliosa |
Participants: Alex V, Anne S, Dorothy M, Elaine L, Gail B-W, Graham G, Kate G, Maggie A, Michel B, Tracy T.
