Today is a very special Fynbos Friday. It is the 52nd one, a year into doing this and we have commissioned a special guest post from Anne Armstrong, matriarch here on our “little slice of heaven” in Franschhoek.  Mom is a huge part in everyone’s lives and she chose not one species to talk about, but chose to share of her walks on the farm, something she loves.

After a year of Fynbos Friday, our hope is that we have taught you something, just one thing if that has to be the way the dice have rolled, but that it perhaps, has inspired you to think about what you plant, what you take out of your garden and perhaps made you think, just for a moment, about your footprint on the world. Here at Haut Espoir, we are more passionate about this beautiful world than most, and we hope to have shared just the tip of that with you over the last 52 weeks. Thank you for listening.

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I love walking on the farm, especially after rain, and on every walk there is something new and interesting and thought-provoking.

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvellous” (Aristotle 384BC -322BC), and it is marvellous to walk down the northern boundary of the farm, along the riverine section, to check on the progress of the indigenous trees that were planted there in 2002.  As part of the Alien Vegetation Clearing project (see Fynbos Friday 47), the riverine area was also cleaned up to establish another fynbos corridor.  The indomitable Halleria lucida flourishes alongside the stream, and is a favoured plant of nectar feeding birds.  To encourage more insects and butterflies and birds, we planted 600 trees, of which about 50 have survived.

Those survivors have already done their job well, and the riverine section is well populated now with insects and birds.   The hardiest trees are the Podocarpus (Yellowwood), Brabejum stellatifolium (Wild almond), Curtisia dentata (Assegai), Kiggelaria africana (Wild peach), Myrsine africana (Cape Myrtle), Cunonia capensis (Red Alder), Dais cotonifolia (pom pom tree), and (my favourite) Calodendrum capense (Cape chestnut).

The Kiggelaria, Myrtle and Calodendrum are favoured as larval food and breeding trees by many species of butterflies.  A brave steenbok from the neighbouring farm has been crossing the stream to nibble on the tasty young shiraz shoots, so all is well on the northern boundary.

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Thank you.

Die Baardsuikerbos in Afrikaans, this week we are touching on the Bearded sugarbush family, easily distinguishable by their long dense hairs (the beard, which if you look closely on the macro shot you will see perfectly) on the lip of the flower head.  This species has a pretty wide distribution, and is fairly common in the South Western Cape; according to Tony Rebelo’s Proteas Atlas, the home range is from Hottentots Holland to Riviersonderend Mountains, with isolated patches near Tulbagh and Ceres.  Its habitat is Sandstone, occasionally granite soils and grows no higher than 1300m.

The sugarbirds, which of course you all very familiar with now from our second last post here;  which was all about the Sugarbirds, are going absolutely nuts over this protea at the moment.  They are full of pollen and the birds and the scarab beetles are literally in a twirl about which plant to visit next.  The bees, which are located relatively close to the big stand of suikerbossies are also having a whale of a time in the flower heads.

What I am noticing this year is that a large proportion of these bigger plants seem to be dying out; which Plantzafrica tells me is Phytophthora; not a lot can be done up there to save these bigger old specimens but were hoping that the masses of seed and old flower heads will ensure the growth of these beauty’s in years to come.

I took this particular snap way back in 2004, just after moving down to the farm after finishing my stint up in the Cederberg, I waited for a day or two sussing out the sunrise times until this one morning the light and the colours were just spectacular.  And I managed to get one of my preferred photos of a plant.

If you would like any more info, there is some fascinating background on the Strelitzia here at Plantzafrica. Like how the birds help pollinate the plant and why it is regarded as the emblem of Los Angeles.     Apart from that, please take a second to take in the beauty our planet provides us with on a daily basis.  And please take from that beauty the will to preserve this all for the next generation.

So this week I have decided to feature one of our avian friendlies, and this particular one is probably one of the most vicious birds I have encountered.  Apart from its majorly harsh and rasping call, according to Roberts goes a little something like this….” Series of drongo-like grating and twanging notes as well as musical trills.”  If you have very large speakers and good sound card you might just catch a few notes on this YouTube clip I posted ages ago….right here.  Turn the volume up.

They are common and endemic, sedentary but nomadic in response to nectar availability.  None of ours are nomadic obviously as there is so much pollen around its scary.  What I have noticed recently is a massive population boom in these sugarbirds, almost to the detriment of all the other Sunbirds in this one patch of Fynbos.  The reasons I assume for this are due to the violently territorial nature of these birds.   They chase and chirp every other bird right out of their patch of proteas, sometimes forgetting exactly who they are and giving the Butcher Birds or Fiscal Shrikes a good run for their money.

We are planning a bird hide, so adding another element to our Biodiversity experience here on the farm.  I’ll let you know when it is ready so you can come and say hi to these guys.

This from Tony Rebelo and his amazing Protea Atlas:

Habit: Prostrate shrub 0.05 – 0.1m tall
Fire survival: Resprouts from an underground rootstock
Sexual system: Both sexes in each flower
Flowers: July – October
Pollinator: Insects
Fruit: Released 2 months after flowering
Seed dispersal: Ants
Seed storage: Underground in ants nests
Rarity status: Rare, isolated populations of scattered plants
Habitat: Sands and granite slopes, 150-310m
Distribution: Cape Flats at Durbanville to Hottentots Holland and Du Toits Kloof Mountains

Now of the Serrurias we have here on the farm, in the areas which they have been replanted in have all originated from Kirstenbosch, we received about 200 or so little seedlings, and unfortunately the mortality rate was massive. Of the original bunch, we only have around 20 survivors still living, which is horrifying but just knowing that we have these little stunners still hanging in there make a lot of the frustration one gets when your plants die, all the more worthwhile.   So pop out for a Biodiversity walk and well bump into one or two these up the Fynbos section.  Bring your macro lens; they are tiny little flower heads…

Nothing, I repeat nothing, beats the good old Port Jackson braai.  Firstly, there is something oh so rewarding about lighting about an Aussie import and burning the living the kak out of it.  Secondly, there is the feel good factor involved with knowing that we are doing our bit for the eradication of what this country’s biggest threat in terms of water supply in my humble opinion is…the prolific growth of alien trees in our catchment systems.

When we purchased this land ten years ago, there was a massive infestation of alien trees, Pines, Blue Gums, Wattles and the hideous Port Jackson tree.   Ten years on, we are still fighting the good fight.  The majority of the big trees are all felled, and what we are facing now is probably the hardest part of the plan, constant maintenance.  We have a dedicated team of four guys, who are pretty much missioning up and down the mountain and into the riverine areas every day looking for re sprouting aliens, and we try and klap the areas before they get too out of hand.

This photo was taken a good three years ago.  Typically one would go into an area, and fell the trees; drag the cut stumps and then burn the piles.  This picture was taken on our steepest area, right smack bang in the middle of our Fynbos area, so cutting and dragging is not an option.  So how we approached the trees was to cut the tree into manageable sections, carry, not drag what we could out, and then ring bark said alien offender.   Then when the tree eventually dies it does not carry a lot of weight and will not damage any proteas or surrounding fynbos when it falls.  Pretty effective.

Now days, when you come for one of our Biodiversity walks you will see the result of years of hard work by the team, and hopefully not notice any Alien trees.  It is greatly rewarding seeing the efforts of the team paying off, and areas which were once devoid of any life other than an Alien tree, are now thriving healthy areas of Fynbos.   For what you can do to help, have a look right here,  join a local hacking club, release some frustration over the tri nations rugby by getting your hands on a panga and go and klap the living snot out of an alien tree.  Or just braai the beloved country with nothing but Alien Vegetation.

Lachenalia’s have attracted a great deal of attention in the BWI circles due to re-discoveries of a species thought to be extinct.  Which puts a smile on my face when I hear of stories like this one:

Lachenalia liliflorum – saved from extinction on De Grendel

Unknown to many except the die-hard the fans of the Gentle Giant will be that about half of the grapes from this vintage (the Cab franc, Mourverdre and Malbec) were grown on De Grendel in 2006.

These viooltjies are bulbous perennials, they flower in spikes or racemes, funnel to tubular shaped with tepals joining below.  There are over 110 species of Lachenalia alone in all of South Africa.  The vernacular Afrikaans name derives from the squeaking sound produced when the stems are drawn across one another.

Such an amazing little plant with so much diversity… just have a quick peek at Bulb Society for an idea of just how many types and variety there is in this hyacinth family.

I have to think back often as to how and why we started Fynbos Fridays, and whether we consider if its value is in plant identification, in highlighting the massive diversity of the Fynbos biome, or purely the joy one gets from living and working in an environment which is so dominated by the most amazing plant kingdom in the world, Fynbos Friday has become a celebration of this. I try to include topical posts, like the release of the Caracal, other posts have more medicinal or scientific backgrounds to them, what matters to me is they reflect the wonder and the ability to always learn something new and fascinating about this plant kingdom.

Every day I am humbled by how much there is out there of our natural environment which I never knew before.

The spirit of how we like to operate on the farm is now pretty close to being sustainable. Things can and will always change, but over the last 6 years I have learnt (often the hard way) how fragile this ecosystem is; and at times how tenuous our place is in this environment.

One can become overly philosophical and perhaps too deep when this avenue of thought is followed, but for me, the simple things are always the most pleasurable. A walk in a recently cleared section, which was once dominated by alien vegetation, and baby protea seedlings are popping up and new life is everywhere, Fynbos is magical. No other place on this green earth has this many plant species in a similar area. We are so lucky to be in the epicenter of the Botanical world. Sure there are special plants all over the place, but the Cape Floristic Kingdom is jam packed full of excitement .
So back to you, dear reader, please send through your thoughts and comments; advice and feedback on what the Birthday post should be. Thanks kindly.

Apart from its relative hardiness, it is still a fascinating and a beautiful member of the Fynbos.  They can grow in a wide range of soil types, and cope well with varying shade and wind conditions.   If one puts the time in; they can be a well maintained and beautiful hedgerow; alternatively if they are left to their own devices they can sprout into some amazing shapes.  Which is more of what we encounter on the farm here, the weird and wonderful different shapes they all take on.    Colour is also an important part of this plant, as we on the farm have 4 different colours of Tecoma flowering.   It is always interesting to see which plant is more attractive to bees and sunbirds.  The sunbirds can spend all day in a big patch of Honeysuckle, and the bees go particularly mad for this as soon as the sun hits the plant and the pollen starts warming up.
The reason I chose this plant as this week’s Fynbos Friday was for no other reason than the amazing pictures I was able to take this morning of the mist leaving drops behind on the flowers.

Hope you enjoy Uncorked this weekend, if you are in the valley you might bump into us at Lynx for delicious tapas and Shiraz, or next door at Boekenhoutskloof.  Come and say hi. And wherever you are enjoying this weekend please remember to travel safe.

http://www.plantzafrica.com/planttuv/tecomarcap.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecoma_capensis

The rangers from Jonkershoek CNC I am familiar with, we have spent a fair amount of time on the Scherpheuwelberg together identifying plant species and catching frogs, here is a link to that post It was great catching up with Elias and the guys, we have a few more plants we will have to identify soon and hopefully bump into signs from the Caracal.   So we took a saunter up the mountain to the top of the Shiraz block to where the Fynbos starts, found a nice shady spot and offloaded the cage.  Took up position behind the cage, and the whole process was over before we knew it, apart from a few growls and hisses and spits, and an occasional claw at the cage, the cat was super relaxed, and once it saw the cage flap open it belted straight for the cover of the thick Fynbos.  In hindsight I should have got myself into a better position for a few more front on shots,  but suppose these will have to do, and pretty much encapsulates the event in a nutshell.  Very happy feline returning to a much happier surrounding.   Good luck to all the guinea fowl in the Fynbos section.  And the Red Rock rabbits and Grysbok.   Keep on your toes guys.

And because I know you all love to have some more info on anything related to Fynbos, here goes:

“in published papers the Caracal is persistently referred to as the lynx, which is unfortunate, for European and New World lynxes are externally very different, being spotted and barred.”

Colour variance is from pale reddish in specimens from semi-desert areas to sandy-brown or even brick red in areas with higher rainfall. And this specimen was as brick red as they come.  Solitary and nocturnal.  Normally terrestrial they are adept tree climbers and make full use of the powerful dew claws in this pursuit.  Home ranges for the western Cape have been recorded of being up to 25 km sq.   (From Smithers et al)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caracal