After a celebratory Festive Season tea, we made sure of getting a group photo before setting off to the rock sheets at the start of the Syncolostemon Slopes walk. On this occasion we required three vehicles as our group from last week was augmented by Debbie, Sarel and Moraea.
 |
| Before setting off (Photo Gail B-W) |
The drive to the parking spot was not without incident as Sarel took the more obvious track through the sugar-cane lands and ended up being thwarted by a deep pool while we searched for him. Eventually we all arrived safely and set off down to the stream to see the waterfall from the east bank, passing Craterostigma sp. nov., Hesperantha lactea and Erica aspalathifolia on the way. The stream was flowing strongly but was easily crossed and we made our way up the opposite bank, working around the fence into the reserve.
 |
| Craterostigma sp. nov. |
 |
| Hesperantha lactea |
 |
| Erica aspalathifolia |
Here we could get great views of the falls dropping down into the Umtamvuna River gorge. There were many flowering species on the grassy slopes. We found Streptocarpus haygarthii flowering in horizontal cracks in the rocks while the Rangaeris muscicola were just starting to flower well, as were the Tridactyle bicaudata. Other rock plate dwellers were Anthospermum hispidulum and Brachystelma australe while amongst the grasses we found the odd-looking fern, Schizaea pectinata.
 |
| Syncolostemon Falls |
 |
| Looking back at Syncolostemon Falls with the Umtamvuna River gorge to the right (Photo Gail-B-W) |
 |
| Anthospermum hispidulum |
 |
| Schizaea pectinata |
 |
| Brachystelma australe |
 |
| Rangaeris muscicola |
We stopped for lunch on an exposed cliff face and Debbie and Gail practiced a bit of extreme dining perched right on the edge. Hiding in a rock crevice at the lunch spot was a flowering Rhipsalis baccifera.
 |
| Rhipsalis baccifera |
 |
| Tempting fate at lunch time |
After lunch we climbed the next knoll, finding Stenoglottis macloughlinii and Oldenlandia tenella in damp ledges under the rocks while out on the rocks was a shining display of Lampranthus fugitans. In the shade near a forest patch we found Plectranthus ciliatus in flower.
 |
| Lampranthus fugitans |
 |
| Oldenlandia tenella |
 |
| Plectranthus ciliatus |
 |
| Streptocarpus haygarthii |
We then headed over the knoll and down to the next stream to see if there were any orchids in the wetland but drew a blank as there were none flowering - we did find a single bud of what might be Habenaria dives. In this bit of grassland we found many Aspalathus spinifera, some in flower.
 |
| Aspalathus spinifera |
Once we reached a moister, south-facing part of the grassland we found a few more orchids. There was a colony of Schizochilus zeyheri, a few Satyrium sphaerocarpum and a big surprise, some Neobolusia tysonii. There are no records of this species having been found in the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve before.
 |
| Neobolusia tysonii |
 |
| Satyrium sphaerocarpum |
Once back at the vehicles we noticed several of the Vulnerable narrow endemic species, Watsonia inclinata flowering in the long grass.
 |
| Watsonia inclinata |
Participants: Anne S, Debbie K, Gail B-W, Graham G, Kate G, Jean P, Lizeka G, Moraea P, Phakamani M, Sarel C, Wendy B.
