We met at Red Desert in the Umtumvuna and slowly
made our way through the grasslands and finally to the rocky edges where one
can see the bridge that crosses over into the Transkei. Matt Williams
the owner of the property had done extensive alien invasive control and it was
good to see Grevillia banksii cut to ankle height and poisoned but these are
such opportunist trees that they literally flower as a mere sapling to land
grab and as we botanized so did, we pull these invasives out. I don't
think one could ever win here but if we do a little each time, we go there that
does amount to something substantial in the end if everyone pulls their
weight. It was good to see this little desert being conserved.
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Red Desert
 | Invasive's being removed, an on-going battle.
 | Asclepias albens
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 | Asclepias albens
 | Helichrysum spiralepis
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 | Matt and his team hard at work removing out the invasive bottle brushes.
 | Hard at work pulling out the invasive Lantana.
 | Dorothy and Maggie catching up.
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 | Acrolophia chochlearis
 | Acrolophia chochlearis
 | Satyrium sphaerocarpum
 | Satyrium sphaerocarpum
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 | Satyrium sphaerocarpum
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Anne and Tracy tackled the Lantana growing on the
cliff's edge where we once had seen a python and Gail meandered on a little
further saying that she was off to find snakes jokingly as the Lantana's roots
where deeply entrenched and was about to cross a crevice when she thought
better of it and went around. Shorty Tracy followed behind and being as
agile as a Klipspringer jumped across the rock and hiding in this crevice, she
startled a Green Mamba. I'm not too sure who got the biggest fright but
Tracy turned into the Pondoland Ghost and was lost for words, her hand reached
to her palpitating heart and turned foot. She had had enough of this day
and simply wanted the comfort of her home to return to.
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Anne and Tracy determined to get the Lantana out of the reserve.
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Tracy clutching her heart after a scare with a Green Mamba.
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There were many scuffles in the bushes on those
rocks that day as the sun had come out after days of rain and snakes were
enjoying basking in the sun. We generally don't come across them too
often but when we do a Puff-adder or Mamba can leave us a little unsettled.
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| Eriosema sp |
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Eriosema sp.
 | Dietes grandiflora
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The beautiful Lotonis meyeri sparkled
in its misty silver-grey foliage, abundant in buds and a little chameleon found
refuge in this bush. Brachycorythis pubescens we
flowering, an abundance of soft pink standing like a candle in the
grass-land. It's a joy to see a beautiful plant such as this where it can
be easily passed had one just walked one meter in a different direction or not
paid attention to where one walked.
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Lotonis meyeri
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| A shy chameleon found near the Lotonis meyeri |
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Gail quietly enjoying her favourite plant and it's sparkly silvery foliage, the Lotonis meyeri.
 | Lotonis meyeri seed heads
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Brachycorythis pubescens
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Brachycorythis pubescens
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As we began to head home, some a little more
quickly than others Anne and Gail saw this gentleman wearing nothing but a pair
of shorts and a good pair of shoes carrying an interesting object which
we had seeing lying in the grass many months before, it was an electricity insulator! We walked past him and he past us and made conversation enquiring what he was
actually doing as it looked energetic and quite exhausting in the heat of the
day. This very cheerful man was in training. Maggie had
known him as a child and we all left smiling having bumped into someone of an
interesting nature whilst botanizing.
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| Pieter Auckamp in training.
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| Aspalathus chortophylla |
We'd had an exciting day and then parted ways.
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| Pondoland C.R.E.W. |
Anne, Maggie, Alf, Dorothy, Rachel, Tracy and Gail
