Album 29th March 2022
For captions or info click on i on the top right-hand side. A good way to go is the slideshow found at the top of the page on the rt hand side by clicking on the 3 dots. Featured this month - Southern Outeniqua Highlights, Rust en Vrede Waterfall, Herbarium revitalised, Bolleberg, Diosma aristata Census, Protea venusta, Spitzkop and Valley of the Ferns, Friemersheim Heights, Giant Kingfisher Trail, Weed Forum and CNC Garden Route 2022.
For earlier versions of the Outramps CREW Diaries
https://us17.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=be2accf3de565e1297257f79e&id=8113ba68c6
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Southern Outeniqua Highlights
Pepsi Pools
Late January, February and March are difficult months for field trips. With summers warming and temperatures over 30 degrees commonplace in this period, discomfort levels are very high and even dangerous. So we look for shady places and Pepsi Pools is one of them.
It was a lovely walk, but plant-wise a little on the unexciting side. Scadoxus puniceus in bright orange provided some colour and our meeting with Breviceps fuscus (Cape Rain Frog - Near Threatened) was fun. We think it was playing dead, but we didn't investigate further to avoid stressing him/her. A fungus that was new to all of us and looked like "Dead Man's Fingers" caused much chat. It turned out to be Xylaria polymorpha, which is fairly uncommon in the afro-temperate forests of the Southern Cape.
Gladiolus sempervirens on the Tonnelbos Circuit
The Hillbillies have made a new trail that links with the old Outeniqua Trail and the contour path that goes from the Witfontein plantations to Tierkop. It can be accessed from Ground Zero via Edelweiss, the Indigenous Forest Traverse and then the track that leads up to the railway line, east of Chernobyl and west of Horseshoe Bend.
That was the first paragraph of an article on the pioneering Tonnelbos Circuit trip, which was featured in the last edition of the Diaries. We repeated this spectacular trail to check on Gladiolus sempervirens (Rare) a few weeks ago.
About 2 years ago this area was full of this beautiful Glad. Predictably, the numbers are starting to dwindle. The fire was almost 4 years ago in October 2018. Altogether on the day we saw 16 plants. This number was enough to keep the levels of excitement high. Also in full bloom was Syncarpha eximia, turning a brilliant orange as it grows older.
We ended the day with a visit to Ground Zero, the Hillbilly Clubhouse. As always, it was teeming with kids and fit mountain-bikers. We thank the Hillbillies for keeping this stunning trail open.
Giant Kingfisher Trail
Saturday dawned a real cooker. Any outing needed to be in deep shade and preferably close to a river. Giant Kingfisher in Wilderness fitted the bill on all counts. The down side was that the world and its wife had all decided on the same venue and the trail was heaving with people. The upside - there were plenty of young to help us get the pont across the river and to get the decrepits off and on the pont. It was a very social morning.
Most of the botanical interest was centered around ferns and forest-floor species. Ludwig managed to find a population of a new Crassula species that is being described by Dr Niels Jacobsen of the Southern Cape Herbarium. Jen collected a good specimen, which should make life a lot easier for Niels.
Despite the numbers, we had an excellent day. When we got back to the car the temperature registered 45 degrees.
tanniedi
Breakfast Rock below George Peak
A diminished group of 5 set off to find Mimetes splendidus (Endangered) on the George Peak trail. It is only 4 years post fire so we were taking a chance.
It was a beautiful day for this strenuous hike and Fred led us on a new route along the railway line to cut out 1 major uphill, which worked well. Sadly there was no sight of the Mimetes, so we will try again in 2 years. Instead we were greeted with sheets of beautiful Ericas, March being a good time for them. Erica longimontana and E. densifolia were the biggest show-offs. The vegetation was looking very healthy and we did see the rare Lobelia ardisianandroides looking good .I always think the fynbos is at its best 4 to 5 years post fire.
Another lovely day in the Garden Route was had by all.
Jenny
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Rust en Vrede Waterfall
Limited choices are available for field trips at this time of the year. With temps in the high 30's, Rust en Vrede is an obvious choice. In the foothills of the Groot Swartberg, the path winds up a river to a climactic waterfall, which falls down about 100m. We were just too late to catch the flowering of Gladiolus nigromontanus that grows on the damp cliffs abutting the waterfall. Only Nicky managed to get a shot of our other target species Geissorhiza uliginosa. Her comment, "Photos taken with wobbly zoom! Only one plant seen in flower, so estimate of numbers not possible". Both these plants are Rare.
Meanwhile Ludwig and Ren had disappeared. Last seen they were scrambling up the side of the precipitous waterfall. Next thing we knew, we caught a glimpse of Ludwig standing on a rock that projects over the top of the waterfall. By this time we'd done all the work we planned and had to fill in time waiting for the young, fossicking along the road in searing temperatures. They received a short, sharp lecture on their return and then "All was forgiven".
tanniedi
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Herbarium revitalized
It fills me with great pleasure to report that the Herbarium, where I worked for about 23 years, seems to have new life and is filled with enthusiastic volunteers, three of them being Outramps.
Three weeks ago I got a phone call from Rae Smith, who is managing the Herbarium now. He asked me to go back. He has sorted out a major problem with the Brahms database and has it working again .He has organised for Hanneli, the expert from SANBI to come for three days to teach us how to use this program. So I have returned to help. We are open every Tuesday morning from 9am to 12pm.
I am happy to say all the work done by Yvette Van Wijk and the volunteers has not gone to waste.
Jenny
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Bolleberg revisited
A visit to Bolleberg west of Jonkersberg has been on our agenda for years. Two years ago there was a plane crash near the site and we had to cancel our field trip.
With the help of Jan Makampies and his team from Cape Nature, we recently went back. The road seemed far worse than we remembered and Inge had to pull out all the stops to drive the 4x4 up the mountain. Mike (who's had a lot more practice) cruised up in his Landcruiser with no problems.
We were met with a mass of flowering fynbos. There were Restios and Ericas in abundance. The most beautiful sight was fields of bright red Syncarpha eximia. Unfortunately, our target plant Cyrtanthus elatus was over, but I found one perfect specimen for a photograph.
It was a pleasure to be back there again. Thank you Jan.
Jenny
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Diosma Census - Mossel Bay
18 February 2022
One can say that Diosma aristata is real fynbos! Its leaves are narrow and fine, exactly the way fynbos is described. Once in flower, the plants are easy to see and count. It is one of those species that grows nowhere else on earth. The usual annual survey by CapeNature is during May, but when Carlo van Tonder of CapeNature noticed the five-year old, 30cm tall bushes in flower, he commandeered Cape Nature staff and two of Mossel Bay’s Outramps for the annual count.
A small fynbos reserve on the edge of Heiderand is set aside for the plant. A church, homes, reservoirs, a large patch of gums and some veld are its neighbours. A concern is the beginning grumblings of planning processes and specialist studies to develop the large Louis Fourie Precinct. The little reserve could be engulfed by suburbia. A large plot, excluded by the new fence, which belongs to the adjacent church really needs to be included in the reserve. Alien invasive plants are a concern. The gums to the west are marching in, joining Acacia cyclops (Rooikrans) and Acacia saligna (Port Jackson). There was lots of rubbish! This is despite the new fence. Sakkrappers tear open urban rubbish bags and recently-tipped building-rubble was noted.
A series of parallel transects are done for the count. This meant 3km + of knee-to-chin steps in hip-high fynbos. It was for sure the closest I've ever felt to one of those exquisitely beautiful horses training for a show. Admittedly, I never got the gait quite right… or the elegance… but hey, it is the thought that counts!
It was a fun morning out with Carlo, AnneLise, Megan, Natalie, Patrick, Wayne and Kevin. Our reward was 264 plants inside the reserve plus more than 100 excluded by the westerly fence to allow for a service servitude. The Mossel Bay Municipality considered relocation of the excluded plants. Experts consulted reckon the survival rate might be low. Cultivation of cuttings and seeds at Kirstenbosch is considered and we have made contact with a horticulturist there who will guide the process.
Sandra with Kevin
Mossel Bay
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Protea venusta
Global warming is making it really difficult to get flowering times right. So we were delighted to find that we'd timed it perfectly to see the Endangered Protea venusta in full bloom. Fortunately Waboomsberg is just under 2000m, so we had pleasant conditions to do our rather tough climb to the summit.
There was plenty of fossicking on the small peak opposite Waboomsberg where the main population of venusta grows. Other Endangered species were Protea montana and Leucadenron dregei. The rare Crassula peculiaris was also hiding in small rocky caves on both peaks.
There were lots of options on the day. Fossicking on Peak venusta, summiting Waboomsberg and a combination of all those including a circumnavigation back to Ou Tol. This expedition is always one of the highlights of our CREW year. 2022 was no exception.
tanniedi
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EFF visit Spitzkop and the Valley of Ferns
Friday 18th February 2022
The weather on Friday 18th February was nearly perfect and all four members of the Outramps Eastender Flower Friday group were very happy to be out in the South Outeniqua Sandstone Fynbos as we made our way up the road from the Valley of Ferns to the Spitzkop viewpoint. As usual, cameras clicked as we discussed the identifications of many of the usual plants found in this Fynbos which was looking beautiful. We saw two Disa hians plants still in flower. Some of the Erica species were past their best, while others were just starting to flower. Many Fabaceae and Restionaceae added colour to the scene.
After enjoying the views from the top, we headed down again. We then completed the short trail in The Valley of Ferns, which gives access to a beautiful patch of Southern Afrotemperate Forest. The ferns were looking very healthy, in some places blocking the path, so it was not difficult to see the inspiration for the name!
As we approached Knysna, we realised we were likely to be stopped at the roadblocks put up to allow repairs to the lagoon road. These were only due to be lifted after 3pm. We decided it was preferable to enjoy coffee under the trees on Leisure Isle rather than sit in traffic. A good way to end another day in our beautiful surroundings.
Nicky
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Friemersheim Heights
This plantation area is situated a couple of km west of Bolleberg on the lower southern slopes of the Outeniquas close to Robinson Pass. We first explored this on a SWAGS walk two years earlier. On that occasion, we were gobsmacked to find about 20 Leucadendron pubibracteolatum (Near Threatened) and about 5 rather sick-looking Leucospermum formosum (Endangered). After the SWAGS hike we went back with CREW a couple of weeks later and found the situation was still stable.
This time, we were shocked to see that Leucospermum formosum has disappeared amid the growing pines. There were some shrubs that had been cut down. They could have been formosum, but we couldn't establish this with certainty. Leucadendron pubibracteolatum seems to be holding its own. We also saw some instances of Erica unicolor subsp. unicolor co-occurring with Erica unicolor subsp. mutica (Endangered).
We would be grateful if Cape Nature could take this matter up with the owners of the plantations. It is not a large area and it should be kept clear of pines, particularly so that Leusospermum formosum has an opportunity to re-establish itself.
tanniedi
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