From My Archives – Clouds

Old photographs bring back memories of past trips and experiences.  I have decided to publish a few on different themes.  Today the subject is clouds

Fernkloof Flower Festival

This weekend sees the culmination of endless hours of work by a huge army of volunteers over a long period, as the Flower Festival takes place at Fernkloof.  It comprises a wonderful display of local flowers arranged around a mock-up depicting the post fire scene in the fynbos.  There are also hundreds of flower specimens and a photographic display depicting the flora which occur after a fire.

Outside the hall are many other attractions, with local environmental organisations manning stalls where visitors can learn more about various aspects of our natural heritage.

Elephant Walk

Eleven hikers walked the Elephant Path at Fernkloof this morning.  Our hike took us along Klipspringer and the Contour Path, up Elephant, along Rotary Way and down Kanonkop, a distance of 10 km.  We had perfect weather and the views from the top were magnificent, so that much time was spent looking rather than walking!

The show of Serrurias along the contour path was splendid, as was the burnt hillside on Kanonkop with its myriad of Geissorhiza ovata and Moraeas.  We were also privileged to see a pair of Klipspringers on top of the mountain!

Flower Picking

Spent the morning up on Rotary Way gathering specimens for the forthcoming Fernkloof Flower Festival and we were delighted to see the morning light across the Klein River Lagoon (which is now full to bursting point!).  The flowers in the burnt area were, once again, amazing.

Geissorhiza shenzii

Aristea spiralis

Chlorophytum sp.

Klein River Lagoon and westwards to Stanford

Wachendorfia paniculata

Fernkloof Walk

Only seven walkers took part this morning in Fernkloof.  We had a very pleasant 4 kilometre stroll after which three members decided to stop and the rest of us carried on around and up Lemoenkop, adding another 3,3 kms.  Once again the weather was perfect and the flowers were in abundance.  It was interesting to note how the Geissorhiza ovata, which are so abundant on recently burnt south facing slopes, are completely absent on the north facing portions of the burnt area.  We also saw a number of the unusual Moraea lurida and many Gladiolus debilis.

Our Route

North Facing Slope

South Facing Slope

Moraea lurida

Walker Bay

Hermannia sp.

Aristea spiralis

A Walk in the Burn

An eight hour hike in the Fernkloof Reserve yesterday was a revelation.  The amount of regrowth after the summer fire is incredible and we saw many wonderful flowers.  As usual, the search for Orchids took centre stage and we were not disappointed.  We managed to find Disa fasciata, Disa cornuta, Disa cylindrica (?), Disa ophrydea, Disa obliqua, Disa pillansii, Holothrix cernua, Evotella carnosa and Satyrium lupulinum.

There were also many Moraea species as well as a good variety of others.  The common denominator was that most only occur after a fire, so are unlikely to be seen again for a while.

A pair of Klipspringers seemed unconcerned by our presence, although we were a fair distance away.  On the birding side, I was thrilled to see a pair of Sentinel Rock Thrushes, a pair of Verreaux’s Eagles and a Fish Eagle, whilst the call of the Grassbirds was constant.

Disa sp.

Disa ophrydea

Disa ophrydea

Disa ophrydea

Evotella carnosa

Disa pillansii

Disa pillansii

Disa fasciata

Moraea ochroleuca

Moraea ochroleuca

Moraea neglecta

Geissorhiza bryicola

Aristea spiralis

Gladiolus debilis

Schizea sp.

Gerbera tomentosa

Mairia crenata

Anexeton asperum

Ursinia eckloniana

Geissorhiza hispidula

Geissorhiza ovata

Polyarrhena reflexa

Drosera slackii

Geissorhiza hispidula

Edmondia sp.

Moraea ochroleuca

Senecio hastifolius

Ixia micrandra

Moraea tripetala

Moraea lurida

Geissorhiza ovata with Spiloxene sp.

Happy hikers

At the waterfall above the dams

Jumping for joy at another find

Sentinel Rockthrush

Klipspringer

The Panty Bar at Paternoster

Readers who saw my post on our trip to Kamieskroon and Paternoster may have wondered why the Panty Bar at the Paternoster Hotel is so named.  For those in the dark, I attach a picture of part of the ceiling – this should clear up any confusion!  Of course, some readers may claim to have worn these items – best you keep this information to yourself!