Cubica Heights (Thursday 9 July, 2020)

Cubica Heights – 9 July 2020

Kate and Graham have now made their move to their new home in Scottburgh and are likely to be only occasional visitors to these outings. The blog scribing job has been taken on by Gail.

It was a glorious winter’s day as only one gets them in July and the wind from the day before which blew relentlessly, had stopped.  Our destination was Cubica Heights in the Umtamvuna and before entry we all had to be screened for Covid 19.  Alf and I had driven together and his vehicle was warm and toasty, so when we got out of the car and were first to be screened, Alf’s reading came up as 38.7 degrees Celsius. He was horrified and with a little panic, we asked to be re-tested. After standing in the cool shade of the Eucalyptus trees he then passed his test with a "normal" temperature reading and excitedly we were permitted entry and drove across the farm to the gate at Cubica Heights. 

We trudged through tall grass and wished that the grasslands would be burnt so that we could see the beautiful flowers come up in the spring with the rains and pressed on to the cliff’s edge where we lingered on hanging rock edges where everything grew.  It was just so beautiful to see the mosses, lichen and the orchids growing in crevices on branches.  The leaves on the Crassula were wrinkled and dehydrated.  Ann dissected a dried Tridacyle bicaudata seed pod and saw the miniscule white pepper-sized seed that was cushioned in fluff within the capsule. Dorothy demonstrated the shadow veins on Erothyroxylum pictum and gave some identification tips when it came to some other species. 

Tridactyle bicaudata

Tridactyle bicaudata seed capsule

Erythroxylon pictum fruit

The group meandered around a steep cliff and Mark and I decided to tackle a vertical climb and with laughter and a bit of agility and strength we managed to skip going around as we  pulled ourselves up through the rocks.  We laughed as if we were kids again. 

We came to a rocky area where we could explore and the Haemanthus albifos were awakening, there was Gasteria croucheri, various orchids with old flower stalks and several Crassula species.  Alf had a brief encounter with a snake but neither of them was injured during the encounter.  Tracy had found a Bont tick which had attached itself into her sock but its life ended there rather abruptly.  The threat of Covid was enough without needing tick bite fever.  Ann and Tracy found and removed a snare on the forests edge.

On the cliff’s edge we meandered back and looked down into the deep valley that was filled with the most beautiful forest. And on the edge near flat rocks we saw the tiny Erica cubica.  The Alberta magna had flowered and was magnificently going over, displaying its red bracts.  The Morea stricta had awakened and stood there fragile in the grass.  How perfect nature is.

Alberta magna

Agathosma ovata

Cassytha pondoensis 

Cotyledon orbiculata

Dierama igneum

Crassula perfoliata var heterotricha

Erica cubica

Halleria lucida

Mark living dangerously

Indigofera rubroglandulosa

Osteospermum moniliferum

Psoralea arborea

This walk had been what our souls had needed and on the homeward journey we checked in briefly to see our dear Maggie (who had just had a hip replacement) and there she was with her smile walking unaided.  We look forward to Maggie joining us on our Thursday botanizing excursions.

Lasiosiphon anthylloides

Moraea stricta

Dead tree highlighted in the fading light of day.

Participants:  Alf H, Anne S, Dorothy M, Gail B-W, Mark G, Tracy T.

A second look at the burned grassland at the Red Desert (Thursday 25 June, 2020)

Maggie joined us for tea - a last chance before her hip-replacement operation - in the parking area at the Red Desert Nature Reserve before we said good luck to her and set off on our walk. We headed in the opposite direction to our last excursion here, heading eastwards to another management burn.

We started seeing Gerbera natalensis in small groups and then found a small cluster of Ledebouria revoluta. Helichrysum nudifolium var pillosellum were starting to push up buds and Hypoxis argentea and Gazania krebsiana made splashes of yellow against the blackened background.

Gerbera natalensis

Ledebouria revoluta

Helichrysum nudifolium var pillosellum

Gazania krebsiana

Hypoxis argentea

We reached a wetland area where there were several Dissotis canescens and, in a patch of longer grass, some Hibiscus divaricatus. A few Polygala hottentotta waved their long fronds above the grass and a shy Drimia calcarata looked skywards. There was a single, robust Othonna natalensis showing starkly against the ash.

Dissotis canescens

Hibiscus divaricatus

Polygala hottentotta

Drimia calcarata

Othonna natalensis

A few Pycnostachys reticulata still flowered in a wetland and there was a clump of Syncolostemon rotundifolius near a rock outcrop. Growing out of a crack in a rock was a small, bare, Vangueria infausta carrying two of last season's fruits.

Pycnostachys reticulata

Syncolostemon rotundifolius

Vangueria infausta fruits

We crossed the small stream and walked next to a newly planted field of macadamias to the top of the ridge where we found Ursinia tenuiloba and Senecio variabilis. Emerging from unburned grass were the pink flowers of Agathosma ovata. After enjoying our lunch in the mild winter sun we set off to see if the Watsonia pillansii population in a wetland below us was showing any signs of life but they were still dormant.

Ursinia tenuiloba

Senecio variabilis

Crossing what is normally a wetland

In a dormant population of Watsonia pillansii

Heading back towards the vehicles we found some Tulbaghia acutiloba and odd patches of Helichrysum aureum var monocephalum and Helichrysum herbaceum.

Tulbaghia acutiloba

Helichrysum aureum var monocephalum

Helichrysum herbaceum

Participants: Anne S, Dorothy M, Gil B-W, Graham G, Kate G, Mark G, Tracy T.

Checking for the recently discovered Hesperantha (Thursday 18 June 2020)

This Thursday, we made a foray into the Umtamvuna NR, under the watch of our Honorary Officer members, with the hope of seeing early signs of the recently discovered Hesperantha species. First we had to negotiate our way through the stringent hygiene checks at the gate of the private farm through which we had to travel to get to this part of the reserve. The farmers are understandably nervous about the possibility of a Covid 19 infection putting the farm under quarantine restrictions.

Parking at our destination, there were several large shrubs of Hypoestes aristata, one standing near an even taller Crotalaria natalensis. We followed the edge of a forest patch around the top of a ridge and down a dip, finding a few Dierama igneum in the open grassland and Senecio deltiodeus and Clematiis brachiata sprawled over the taller shrubs and trees at the edge of the forest.

Hypoestes aristata

Dierama igneum

Clematis brachiata

Also in the grassland were several Lasiosiphon anthylloides and in shady patches, small clusters of Geranium flanaganii while Rapania melanophleos were flowering at the forest edge. We reached the edge of the drop and headed eastwards along the cliffs. Here we found Crassula sarmentosa var integrifolia, Polygala gazensis, Pseudoscolopia polyantha flowering, and Robsonodendron eucleiforme and Mimusops ovata in fruit.

Geranium flanaganii

Lasiosiphon anthylloides

Rapanea melanophleos

Senecio deltoideus

Crassula sarmentosa var integrifolia

Polygala gazensis

Pseudoscolopia polyantha

Mimusops ovata

Robsonodendron eucleiforme

A little further along we had a view of the clear water in the Umtamvuna River far below us. Making our way back towards the vehicles we found a few partially closed Moraea stricta. This was interesting as we normally find the Moraea opening in the afternoon but perhaps the overcast conditions confused the plants.

View of the clear waters of the Umtamvuna River far below us

Moraea stricta

Following the forest edge away from the vehicles, we found Nuxia floribunda and Osyridicarpos schimperianus in flower and a stand of Solanum giganteum presenting their glossy red fruits in the wintry sun.

Nuxia floribunda

Osyridicarpos schimperianus

Solanum giganteum fruits

Still all masked up for safety

Participants: Alf H, Anne S, Dorothy M, Gail B-W, Graham G, Kate G, Tracy T.