Time to finish up from last week and then fill you in on what has happened this week. But first I must own up to a screw-up or two on my part. And I do believe these will be costly. I have done a reasonably good job on the roads with my driving. There have been no accidents involving other cars or even any real close calls. But that is not to say I haven't had some problems with this driving-on-the-other-side-of-the-car/road business.

Seems I have not developed a good sense of how much car there is on my left hand side. In the first day or so of driving I turned left and didn't clear the curb and so ran the left rear tire into the curb. Did some scraping of the rim and the hubcap. Not too bad but noticeable. Then when we were on our excursion last week and on one of the gravel roads I got too close to the shrubs lining the road and scraped the side of the car, again the left side. And last but most certainly not least, was last night. We got home from the nice ride along False Bay and the great dinner at Kalky's and I was backing the car into the carport at the cottage. I have to back in so that there is room to get Marcia out of the car. I had the car lined up in my right hand rearview mirror and thought all was well. But there was one of those sickening sounds of car hitting an immovable object. I hit the carport support column with the LEFT rear of the car! Not only were there scratches on the rear bumper but I had broken the left rear taillight, not much but there was red plastic on the ground. And there was some scratching just above the bumper on the rear panel next to the taillight. I sure hope my Super Waiver Insurance that I am paying for covers this! What a mess. The bulk of the car is supposed to be to my right as I drive, not to my left. Not sure I will be able to change this perception much in two months!!!!

Now back to the good stuff. Last week we took an excursion away from Cape Town. We headed north from the city to what is called the West Coast. A major reason for the excursion was that the weekend of the 15-17 was the time for two wildflower shows. The towns of Darling and Mamre were both holding their shows then. In addition, just outside of Darling an orchid show was being held. Another reason for the excursion was that we could stay in Darling and then head even further north to visit places on the Atlantic coast, seaside villages and the West Coast National Park.

With the help of Dorothy, a GISP employee with whom Marcia is working, we made arrangements to stay with Pat and Bobby Beckman in Darling on Thursday and Friday evenings. Pat and Bobby are former neighbors of Dorothy's who had moved to Darling and as we learned when we got to their home had moved into their new home less than a month earlier. By new I do not mean new in age but new to them. As it turned out the house was built in the early 1890s and was full of interesting history, which Bobby and Pat very entertainingly shared. And it was a neat house as well. The room we were in was early in its existence the surgery room for a doctor. The built-in cabinet in the wall was his medicine and instruments cabinet. Fun stuff like that! And to make it even better Pat and Bobby were two of the nicest people you could imagine.

So on Thursday we ate lunch at the cottage and then headed out of town. We managed to get out of town with me making only one wrong turn on the highway, and that mistake was easily corrected. We stopped for gas and next to the station was a dam, and that means a human created body of standing water, a pond. And so for the next 30 minutes or so we sat and did our best to identify the various birds there. And there was quite a variety. There were two species of weavers with numerous nests hanging from the trees. There were many African sacred ibis, a few blacksmith plovers, one red-knobbed coot with a young one, and numerous gulls. Great fun. As we drove from there to Darling, especially after we got off the mian highway, we saw other interesting birds in the fields we passed. Some we could ID and others we couldn't. Fun to try.

As we approached Darling we tried to visit one of the marked wildflower reserves. Yes there are pieces of land that are set aside as reserves because they are filled with a stunning array of wildflowers. And most of these are private reserves or local village preserves. Very different from in the States. This first reserve was not really doable in our vehicle, and the car has the scratches to show for the attempt. The next reserve was doable and so we took our time driving through and stopping to look at the flowers that caught our attention. A very nice ride. I got to show Marcia some of the plants I had been seeing on my field trips. Fun!

Our next stop was at the Duckitt Nurseries Orchid Show. Here we are in the middle of the country and there is this massive orchid nursery. I do mean massive. We were told there is an area at least the size of 5 rugby fields under glass filled with orchids. And at any time there are at least 20,000 orchid plants on site. The production facilties were not open, but this was the weekend of the annual show. Displays of orchids based upon a theme were constructed and open to the public for viewing. There were also orchid plants and an array of orchid flowers and arrangements for sale. Admission was R20, about $3. Take a look at some of what we saw. Very impressive.

How about this arrangement!

Marcia liked this one!

Much temptation in the sales area and the prices were not just reasonable but cheap. As we were traveling and obviously couldn't bring any plants home to VA, we made no purchases. But not so for many others.

Onwards to Darling we went and 22 Long St. we found. We met Pat and Bobby and after attempting the ramp he put over the front steps just for us we decided to head for the back steps. It was just too steep for LRW. We carried Marcia into the house and lifted LRW inside and we were there! We chatted and roamed the other buildings until it was time for dinner. And for dinner we had a curried beef dish from the Malay influence. It was tangy and quite good. Great fun learning about the food and its history as we ate. We sat and talked for hours, and then Marcia and I both ran out of steam and headed to bed.

We were awakened to the sound of rain. Ate a hearty breakfast and let the rain subside and then headed north. Tried to stop at another wildflower reserve, Tienie Versveld, but it was still raining a bit and there was no easy way to get the wheelchair into the site. After a bit of driving our first stop was at a Fossil Park. In the process of mining the site for phosphate a number of years ago fossils were discovered. The mining has ended and at least part of the site has been set aside as a protected site. We visited one of the dig areas where the fossils are viewable in location. Quite interesting. It was also interesting that one of the goals of this project was to employ residents from the local community, one that was associated with the mine when it was in operation. Our guide was a resident of the community.

Then it was on to he coast. We wound up in Paternoster. A quaint fishing village that is now booming with rental places. Beautiful setting. For lunch we had toasted sandwiches, which we had discussed with Pat that morning, sitting outside at the Paternoster Lodge. When done Marcia purchased a string of seashells from a boy on the street. They now hang in the cottage.

From Paternoster we headed south along the coast until we got to West Coast National Park. We took our time driving through the eastern side of the park, braking for plants and animals. One interesting thing seen was that there were a number of plants with bags tied onto the ends of branches. It was a pollination study being conducted by Dr. Miller from Amherst College. Small world!

And you know who these guys are! --->

We continued to make our way around the park. Saw a beautiful steenbok and almost had a run-in with a very surprised ostrich. As it was getting late we decided to head back to Darling and had to pass on going up the western half of the park. At the tip of the western arm was the wildflower site. Oh well, not this time.

Back to Darling we went and when we arrived at the Beckman's the ramp had been moved from the front door to the back door. And here it worked great. As I said, nice folks. This evening there were 8 others staying, ranging from 6 months to my elders. Nice group and fun to be in such a friendly and comfortable setting. Another nice meal and more good converstaion and then we called it a day. And it was most enjoyable.

Have to leave the actual flower shows for another entry. Time for me to call it quits. But I did say I would tell you what the brown structure in the Babiana ringens was for. It is a perch for the sunbirds that come to pollinate the flowers. They hold on and reach down to probe the flowers. Isn't that neat!??!!

Good night!
Edward

Friday, September 22, 2006

Hello everyone,

We have had a busy week and the days are already slipping by far too quickly. The callas are obviously coming to the end of their blooming season. The inverted cones still standing have browning edges and are looking bedraggled. The street venders aren't hawking voluptuous armloads of blooms at intersections any more. The callas have been replaced by greenhouse roses, beaded-wire flowers, and boxes of strawberries.

We left the Research Centre mid-afternoon since the day was sunny and clear and the temperature was actually comfortable. Ishmail had told Edward about some garden centres relatively near by -- a couple of regular "everyday" nurseries, and a couple that specialized in indigenous plants. One was on Main Rd. in Wynberg, just beyond our by-now-familiar Wynberg Pharmacy.

It seemed like a great afternoon for a ride. It was about 3:30 when we left -- still plenty of daylight. It was maybe 4 or slightly after when we went by the first closed nursery. Two more followed in short order. Obviously we haven't gotten the finer points of shopping schedules under our belts!

Ah, well... It was still a lovely day for a drive once we got beyond the busy crush of city traffic and as we headed down the western coast toward the Cape of Good Hope. We were only hoping to get part way there, since we are planning a trip to Cape Point on Monday. We were heading toward the picturesque town of Fish Hoek and driving along the coast looking out over False Bay. As we approached St. James, the coast road drew even with the water and we could easily look out over the waves crashing toward the rocks. We pulled over for a while to sit and watch and my eye was caught by something near the surface of the water. I thought I had seen something, but I could just as easily have imagined it. Then as I watched some more, 2 jets of water spewed up from the blowholes of a pair of whales swimming together. A mother and calf, perhaps?

The period from July to November is when the southern right whales come up from the cold waters of Antarctica to breed and calve in the warmer water off the southern coast of Africa. September and October are the peak months to spot the whales, which can be viewed without even setting foot on a boat. They can be spotted from land as they crest the surface of the water. As we watched, we saw first a backfin and then a whole flipper held up out of the water -- the whale must have been rolling over!

St. James seems to be a small seaside resort town. Lots of beachfront homes with a hotel and various accommodations being offered and a short stretch of antique and furniture shops mixed with art galleries to attract the tourists. A number of restaurants were there to tempt -- requisite seafood restaurants, at least 3 Italian restautants, an Indian restaurant and a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar. I was ready for seafood. There was Kalky's offering "the best fish and chips" or the tonier Harbor House with glassed in walls overlooking the bay. I thought that I'd really like to have a great view over the bay looking out the 2nd story through the restaurant's vista over the water. Unfortunately, one has to be able to climb the steps to get to the restaurant on the 2nd floor. So we ended up at Kalky's after all and it was terrific! They were doing a brisk business and it's not hard to see why!

The place is quite open and laid back. The selection is varied; the portions are generous and the prices are very reasonable. What did we have? An order of fried linefish and chips (the linefish of the day was yellowtail [tuna]), an order of crayfish and chips, and a Greek salad. Edward reports that the crayfish were the "biggest damned crayfish HE'd ever eaten." I do have to spoil the fun here and tell you that the crayfish were a pair of split and fried rock lobsters. Quite a delight -- we polished off every morsel!

Marcia

It's been rainy and cold in Cape Town as of late so I have been able to spend some time trying to put names on my flower pictures. Somewhat successful, but still have quite a few that need more digging. Doing this and constructing the ID guides for the CREW field trips have helped me learn some of the major components of the different floras I have been wandering through. The diversity of geophytes is amazing. And then there are the succulents in the Great and the Little Karoo yet to be seen. Wow!

So here are a few flower pictures to try to show you some of what we have seen. They don’t do justice to how the landscapes look and the real beauty of the flowers. Hope you enjoy.

This is one of the numerous geophytes that are everywhere this time of year. I think it is in the genus Baeometra.

This is Homeria flaccida. Though it is quite attractive, seeing a field filled with these is not really a good thing. This plant is toxic to livestock and so is abundant when its fellow geophytes have been eaten.

This is a gladiolus. There are many species and the variety is delightful. Some I would never have recognized as a glad initially.

Amother genus we know but not one I recognized as such. This is Rhus dissecta. Neat leaves and fruits.

Another member of the Iridaceae, the iris family. Not many iris as we know them but lots of iris relatives. This is one of the species in the genus Moraea. There are dozens of them.

The two stalks with small white flowers are Lachenalia fistulosa. These are relayed to hyacinths in our gardens. Again there are dozens of species in this genus. This picture gives a small feel for what I have seen in my field trips. Wildflower gardens filled with many different species. Stunning!

And last for tonight but certainly not least is my present favorite of the geophytes. This is Babiana ringens. This is another large genus in the Iridaceae. Linda Johnson knows so folks at CNU can ask her, but for the others take a guess what that vertical brown structure is about. Remember this is a geophyte and so this plant is not very tall, maybe 30 cm. But it is bright red. I will add the explanation to an upcoming entry.


Hope you have enjoyed these pictures. After I catch up with my narrative I will add more. I should be out in the field two days this week. But now I have to work on an ID guide for one of the trips.

Edward

September 17, 2006

The week in review.

Last I left things we had had a wonderful afternoon at Lynn Jackson’s house and great drive around Chapman’s Peak. Then we are into a new week and a busy one it turned out to be.

Monday: Edward headed to Kenilworth Racecourse in Cape Town with Ishmail and Caitlin. We met a group of CREW volunteers who were there to hack the invaders. Why were we at a racecourse to remove plants? Well, Kenilworth is an active racecourse that is also the site of remnants of both acid sand plain fynbos and seasonal wetland. This makes it home to 275 indigenous plant species, many of which are specials, plants that are rare or threatened. But there are also a staggering 61+ species of aliens! And numerous individuals of many of these. Not good odds. And the location is also a geological island, a granitic outcrop in a sea of quartzitic sand. All on 45 ha in the middle of eastern Cape Town! Seems like an important site to maintain and to work to improve.

We set to work in an area that had numerous Port Jackson trees (Acacia saligna) and another woody invader, possibly a sesbania. We dug as many up by the roots as possible and cut off the largest near soil level to at least slow them down.These plants are real threats to the native plants in the fynbos and renosterveld communities. They grow quickly and flower in immense numbers so seeds are numerous and easily spread. And not surprisingly they were planted intentionally originally. Location changes but the action of humans is the same. After a few hours of this we hiked through some of the racecourse to see the flora and to allow Ishmail and Caitlin to check the status of populations of some of the specials. All in all a tiring but pleasant morning.

In the afternoon I worked on taking photos of herbarium specimens and line drawings for the ID guide for one of the upcoming field trips. I had worked on the descriptions for the trip to Saron over the weekend but what were needed were the materials for the trip to Malmesbury, which was on for Tuesday. So I worked on the photos for the most important specials and took them home with me to add the descriptions. Got that finished Monday night so that Ishmail could print it on Tuesday morning before we left.

P.S. On the way back from the racecourse Ishmail stopped at a local store and bought koeksisters for the three of us, Caitlin, me and himself. Now these were the Cape Malay version of these small sausage-shaped doughnuts, not covered in syrup but in coconut. Quite good. Yes I know what I just said, something with coconut was worth eating. When in Rome…

Tuesday: Met Ishmail early this morning so he could print out the ID guide and then we were off to the Malmesbury area. Malmesbury is northeast of Cape Town and again we are revisiting sites that have historical records of the presence of populations of these specials. We head up the hill above the town and take off through the veld. Very dry but numerous plants in bloom, some I recognize as ones I have seen before, but many are new. A surprise was finding Drosera. They are growing in rocky soils that at this time are very dry. Neat! I was also struck by the number of caterpillars we saw. And not small drab ones either.There are some plants that have dozens of caterpillars merrily munching away. In these winter rainfall areas not only must the plants spring to life when spring arrives but also everything else that depends upon them. Also found a bunch of termites at work. There was an opening into the soil and termites were coming to it from all directions. Each brought a piece of plant material, a small flower, part of a leaf, or part of a stem. At the entrance to the hole they dropped what they were carrying and other termites transferred the material to a termite in the tunnel. This termite took the material away. Great fun to watch.

After lunch looking over the town we roamed another nearby site and then headed back to Cape Town. We made one last stop, at a rest area along the highway. What this consisted of was a pull off area that had a concrete structure that could be considered a round picnic bench with seats. After walking through the dumping area, folks everywhere are inconsiderate thugs, we were in a small patch of fynbos with proteas and numerous geophytes in bloom. Not sure if Ishmail found any specials here but he at least could document the status of the site.

Then we made our way back to Cape Town. And this is what one sees from many kilometers away on a clear day. Impressive!


Almost forgot, today was a day filled with ticks. We found them on us all day long. I even found one on my hat when I took it out of my bag later this evening. Ishmail said we were not in an area that had any problems with tick-borne diseases. That was good to hear.

Wednesday: Today was the day for the trip to Saron, more east-northeast from Cape Town than yesterday. At least that was where Ishmail and I were headed. Caitlin and her crew were headed further north and west from Saron. Didn’t get quite as early a start as on Tuesday, and in addition there was considerable road work that lengthened our drive. We arrived at Saron and waited at the Municipal Building as there was a possibility someone was joining us. As it turned out that didn’t happen. So off we headed to look at what was labeled municipal land. Maybe on paper, but the local farmers had other ideas and what we found was clearly grazed. There were a few interesting plants but not many. But there were some naturally wet areas that had some different species. And there were more species of Drosera. By the time the day was done I had seen little pinwheel species and multi-branched upright species, and some had large showy flowers.


In one of the wetter areas Ishmail found specimens of Isoetes, quite a find given how small it is and how much it looks like the sedges in the area. And then he found this tiny little toad. The caterpillars continued!

Then we headed up the hillside in a stonier and drier area. Numerous species of proteas seen — Protea, Leucospermum, Mimetes at least—among other species not seen before. Interesting site but with the wind not very strong we were attacked by little gnats and nasty ants that dropped on us from the vegetation as we walked past. Interesting plants but not so much fun with the insects. One plant did get much attention and a specimen was taken to verify its identification.

From there we headed to one more location. Ishmail found the general area but the details didn’t match. He stopped at a small store/postal office to ask directions. We headed further up the side road and eventually stopped at a residence to ask again. After some discussion out came a woman who jumped in the vehicle with us to show us the site she and her neighbors had set aside as a conservation reserve. We never would have found this on our own. Over the fence we went and around the site she led us. Ishmail seemed very pleased we found this site and he took notes about a number of plants found, and a specimen or two. The bugs here were even worse than at the previous site, with something similar to a horse fly to go along with the gnats. But there were enough interesting plants to keep us occupied.

When we headed out we realized what time it was, after 4:30. There was no way we were going to make it back to Cape Town by 5. Ishmail was able to call the switchboard and get connected with Philip Ivey. He passed a message to Marcia to sit tight. We were on our way but would be a little while in getting there. Look at what the view of Table Mountain was this evening.There it was with its tablecloth in place! When we did arrive it was almost 7. A long day for her and a long day for me. We quickly packed up and headed home.

When we arrived at home Jenny was out and greeted us. She said she had just done some roasted vegetables and would bring over a plate for us. Not only did she bring over a bowl of roasted vegetables but also roasted chicken breasts and homemade meringues with whipped cream. Everything was great. What a nice thing for her to do. As I said before, we have been provided with a guardian angel!

Guess I won’t finish the week’s review tonight. I need to wrap this up and head to bed. More will be done tomorrow.

Edward

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Just a quick note as we have learned more about how this blog thing works. Entries are dated by when they are first created and saved as drafts, not when they are actually posted if they are worked on over a period of days. That explains why there are two entries for Sunday, September 10, 2006. The second, More catch-up..., was started on the 10th but not actually posted until the night of Saturday, September 16. That would explain some of its content, I hope. We will do better about dating and posting so that things flow more logically. So if interested look back over the blog and read that second entry dated Sunday, September 10, 2006.

Edward