Journal archives for September 2018

September 5, 2018

Broekskeur

HAT Report/ Tolberg in the Outeniquas
Amazing – twice in 10 days! Having reported on the MCSA visit to Vensterberg last week, it turned out that this week I would revisit the area. WAGS decided to do the same hike up from the Sputnik - however only hiking up as far as Tolberg, which is the Outeniqua Peak just before Vensterberg peak. It is an easier version of the hike as it avoids the very exposed rocky boulders of Vensterberg itself. The hike was very ably led by one of our members - Andre Roux. Andre is passionate about this hike and his photography skills are exceptional. A gorgeous day out – with continuous 360 ‘views all along the hike. Today there was a chequered view down towards Mosselbay – between the low scraggly clouds!

Good to be able to examine the same plants again – this time at a much more leisurely pace. Lobelia dichroma (DDT) was hiding under the rocks. Last week’s unusual hairy pink Erica- it turned out that the “stukkies” were still in bud. So today I searched along the saddle at the top Ridgeline and found 2 plants with a few open cups. They appear to be E. lehmannii?? The Fynbos on this hike is exceptionally thick with Restios. Clearly, without a path it would be difficult to make much headway. Outramps Ann spent some time along the lower levels of the mountain. She says there is an abundance of Elegia filacea, Elegia neesii, Elegia thyrsoidea, Rhodocoma gigantea and Rhodocoma fruticosa – to name but some!

Evie

Take One - Then Two - Eight Bells and Ruitersbos
Only one Protea cynaroides was seen, then Acmadenia tetragona (Near Threatened), and Serruria fasciflora (Near Threatened) - a bit later Erica unicolor subsp. mutica (Endangered). Only a few of these three plants were seen here and there. The large white flowers of robust Pseudoselago outeniquensis popped out on a south-easterly slope. Unfamiliar, unassuming cream bells made us stop. Sally tipped up the little cups and we gasped. Exquisite little flowers with blue markings inside. It is Heliophila elongata, which appears to have a wide distribution, but it is not a plant seen or really known by the Outramps. Without flowers or fruit the structure of the plant is stark and very similar to that of Montinia caryophyllacea, noted nearby. For sure there is convergence of strategies for these two plant species. Heliophila elongata status is given as Least Concern – though we are all wondering about that, considering how much time we spend in the veld.

Unfortunately pines and wattle are already showing their presence too amongst the lovely Fynbos

Three days later….

Fire also swept through some of the plantation exit areas at Ruitersbos. Alas, not all the burnt veld is destined to become mature Fynbos at Ruitersbos. Sally says the emerging vegetation was sprayed, followed by replanting with pines – extensively so! Sally noticed an unusual Aspalathus species during her regular forays and her iNat observation yielded the tentative identification of Aspalatus longifolia (Vulnerable).

Aspalathus expert Brian du Preez added this to Sally’s observation:
”Looks more or less right, quite a bit out of distribution and I have honestly never seen this species in flower and Dahlgren does not have a great sketch in his revision. Would love to see it sometime. Hoping to see some when I go to Garcias in the next few weeks.” https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/15868881.

Obviously this needed some investigation. Despite iffy weather we went out on Sunday to collect a specimen for the Southern Cape Herbarium. A grey patch across the valley on a slope above a remnant forest seemed to be a group of these plants, though we had to walk a bit further to where we could access plants closer to the track. Meeting it up close showed upright, single-stemmed plants, many standing well above the general cover canopy at 1,5 - 2m tall. Long and very soft leaves make it lovely to touch (this is very unAspalathus-like!), with the palest of yellow flowers, drying to brown. For now these plants were clear winners in the post-fire race of the reseeders. How will they fare when the planted pines grow up around them? What is the life-span of this plant? Only time will tell, and Sally – we hope, will tell.

We noted the same enthusiastic ‘Trappe van Vergelyking’ of the three Rhynchosia species around us, but the weather closed in, bringing welcome rain. No more photographs. Time to head home. Sandra with Sally, Gail and Rusell… and other family members!

Broekskeur
There was an interesting start to Friday, when the Buchu Bus refused to start. I was met with stony silence when I turned the key. So I kicked her wheel, cursed her roundly and in a vile temper transferred the goods and chattels to Bloody Mary. (Bill reports that she started first time a little later. Maybe she has changed her allegiance from me to Bill – FMC!). We drove towards De Rust for our annual monitoring trip to the area. The veld is looking good, but is very dry. We are just hoping that the good rains forecast for the week will materialize. Heavy rain is forecast for the coastal plain, Oudtshoorn and the Swartberg and they could just give us a slightly better Spring than anticipated.

At the base of the Conglomerates, Dave went off on his own to explore the higher reaches. Startlingly beautiful on the valley floor was a Passerina sp. in full flower. Not sure which one it is. Nymania capensis in flower is always a show-stopper and Euphorbia mauritanica was sunshine yellow. Sometime later, as we laboured up the steep scree slopes to the open cave, we noticed that Dave had come down to the valley again, which was a bit puzzling. A short while later, 2 local youngsters joined our party. It was rather unnerving. We had the distinct feeling that we were being herded to a destination. We weren’t terribly keen to pull out cameras for our usual crop of photos, but eventually Sandra did and managed to get some pics of Machairophyllum brevifolium. But the fun had gone out of the day. When we joined up with Dave, he had a similar story to tell and had bailed out of his ridge walk, with the feeling that he was being chased to a destination. Although the two youngsters were no real threat, we were wondering whether some more dangerous adults were waiting somewhere for the unwary. Next time we go to de Rust, we will need to make sure that we have a larger party and just maybe, the Turner’s German Shepherd as well.

After that, we restricted our exploration to the side of the road between De Rust, Oudtshoorn and George and managed to find some real treasures. Sandra got hooked up on a fence to the detriment of her hiking pants, giving me the title for the Reportback. Another interesting interlude – at one of our road sites, a white Bakkie stopped next to Bloody Mary and a young woman climbed out and walked towards us with determination, obviously to ask what we were about. As she got nearer, I recognized Marianne de Villiers and she recognized me. She is in charge of stewardship for Cape Nature. It is good to see that Cape Nature is keeping eyes open for “skelm” plant collectors. Marianne also has plans for us to visit some of the stewardship sites in the future. We look forward to that. So another plus for the day, although without the two youngsters, our tally would have been doubled. A sign of the times?

Rares we saw
Arctotis sp. nova (vlokii) - Rare
Lachenalia haarlemensis - Vulnerable
Manulea derustiana - Vulnerable
Machairophyllum brevifolium - Vulnerable
Conophytum truncatum. - ? not sure of the species
Haworthia emelyae – Data Deficient
Babiana radiata – Critically Endangered
Glottiphyllum carnosum - Endangered

tanniedi

HAT report
SarahsriviersBerg in the Langeberg
On Sat 1 Sept, for the start of spring, I joined the South Cape MCSA on an “up and over” hike in the Langeberg. We started from a private farm near Montagu. Looking up at the route to the peak – I thought, “Golly, am I going to make it? Are there going to be any plants in what looks like sheer rock faces”? It certainly proved to be one of my toughest hikes –a long day on difficult terrain - no path with an accent over rocks and more for 1000m. The hike was a first for our group of 5, and very well led by our capable leader Ed, directing us according to his GPS. Exciting!! Yes, there were plenty of plants on the northern side – all on rocky ledges and shelves hidden from the overall view.

To begin with a burn area – mostly resprouting Protea nitida, then gradually some good greenery and colours on Leucadendron eucalyptifolium, Metalasia sp & other daisys (??), ground cover-like Lachnaea pencillata( R) , ovata-like(?) Agathosma sp, pretty Lobostemon sp, Adenandra sp, Paranomus dispersus, Paranomus spathulatus(NT), Leucospermum calligerum and Protea lorifolia . On a steep section between the rocks there was Lobelia pinifolia.

The overall mountain was an ocean of Restio sp. So far there were only Ericas with old flowers, while higher up a riot of colourful Ericas were dominated by patches of bright red Erica plukenetii . Close to, and along the top ridge there were numerous Protea trees- with old flowers on Protea grandiceps(NT) in various spots.

Finally, we reached the Peak – known as Sarahsriviersberg peak- Hooray! There were amazing views over the Langeberg down to the little Karoo side on the north, and the heavily farmed southern sides. Protea sp were all over the southern side of the high ridge. The descent proved to be tricky, with loads of loose rocks hidden in the thick Fynbos, followed by “real live rolling stones” on the lower previously burnt area. Further along the ridge there were some orangy/red Erica vestita, and my first sighting of some low growing Liparia splendens subsp comantha (LC) – exceptionally pretty and known as the ‘Mountain Dahlia”.

For the downhill run – HAT Evie was rather ‘flowered out” and the loose rocks took a great deal of concentration. I did notice some pretty purple Ixia’s, the odd small blue Disa sp, an interesting Agathosma sp , white flowered Psoralea sp in the rocky crags and there are numerous Pincushion reseeders underway.

A big thanks to Ed for directing us from the car on the north, and back to our car on the South of the Langeberg. An amazing day out in mountain Fynbos.

Evie

Forthcoming Field Trips
On Thursday we will be meeting Charl Wade (FPA) at Gourikwa to help with the alien clearing around Lobostemon belliformis and hopefully to find Erica baueri ssp gouriquae in flower. On Friday we will be doing some plant monitoring for the Great Brak Conservancy.
Groete en dankie
Di Turner
Outramps CREW Group
Southern Cape

All id’s subject to confirmation by Doc Annelise and Jan Vlok, Steven Molteno, Dr Tony Rebelo, Nick Helme, Prof Charlie Stirton, Dr Robert Archer, Dr Robert McKenzie, Dr Ted Oliver, Dr Christopher Whitehouse, Adriaan Grobler, Prix Burgoyne, Dr Kenneth Oberlander, Dr Pieter Winter, Dr David Gwynne-Evans and Mattmatt on iNat. Thank you all for your ongoing help and support.


Outramps Projects and Places on iNaturalist – You can browse through the observations or refer to the checklist which is in alphabetical order eg. Animals, birds etc.
Cola Conservancy - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/cola-conservancy
Dune Molerat Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/dune-molerat-trails
Featherbed Nature Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/featherbed-nature-reserve
Gouriqua - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/gouriqua-private-nature-reserve
Heaven in the Langkloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/heaven-in-the-langkloof
Herolds Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-herolds-bay
Kammanassie - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kammanassie-reserve
Langeberg Grootvadersbosch - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/grootvadersbosch-nature-reserve
Kranshoek - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kranshoek-
Masons Rust - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/masons-rust-32-ptn-4-gezwinds-kraal-41-ptn-0
Mons Ruber and surrounds - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mons-ruber-and-surrounds
Mossel Bay Diosma Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/diosma-reserve
Mossel Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/erf-14072
Mossel Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/erf-19201
Mossel Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/st-blaize-trail
Natures Valley - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/nature-s-valley-south-cape-south-africa#page=2
Outeniquas Bobbejaanberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-bobbejanberg-in-the-outeniquas
Outeniquas Camferskloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-camferskloof
Outeniquas East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-eastern-outeniquas-from-bergplaas-to-gouna
Outeniquas Flanagans Rock - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/flanagans-rock-rsa
Outeniquas Lange Berg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/lange-berg-112
Outeniquas Paardepoort East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-paardepoort-east
Outeniquas Paardepoort West - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-paardepoort-west
Outeniquas Southern Traverse - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-outeniqua-southern-traverse
Rooiberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-rooiberg-reserve
Spioenkop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ruigtevlei-plantations
Strawberry Hill - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/strawberry-hill-7-passes-road-wilderness-south-africa
Swartberg Spitskop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-spitskop-to-meiringspoort-swartberg
Uitzicht Portion 39 - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/uitzigt-216-portion-39
Uitzicht - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/uitzigt-216-ptn-65
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-1-buffalo-bay
Western Head – https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-2-buffalo-bay
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-3-buffalo-bay
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/western-head-knysna
White Heather - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/white-heather
Wilderness Brown Hooded Kingfisher Trail – https://www.inaturalist.org/places/brown-hooded-kingfisher-trail
Wilderness Kingfisher Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/kingfisher-trails
.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abbreviations Glossary

MCSA – Mountain Club of South Africa
MSB - Millenium Seed Bank based at Kew in the UK
WIP – Work in Progress
HAT – High Altitude Team
LOT – Lowland Team
SIM – Somewhere in the Middle Team
WAGS – Wednesday Adventure Group
VB – Vlok Boekie “Plants of the Klein Karoo” and our Plant Bible
ITRTOL – Another thread “In The Rich Tapestry Of Life”(It describes a challenging situation, usually to do with the Buchu Bus)
ITFOT – In the fullness of time
WOESS – Fair Weather Hiker
FMC and JW – too vulgar to translate, but the equivalent is “Strike me Dead” - An expression of surprise and delight on finding a new “Rare”
Kambro – same as above
Fossick – A meter per minute, scratching around looking for rares
SIDB – Skrop in die Bos – Another name for a field trip, this one coined by Prix
BAFFING – Running round like a blue-arsed fly
SYT – Sweet Young Thing - Anyone under the age of 40
TOMB – Get a move on
Mayhem - Needless or willful damage or violence
SESKRYNG – “Sit en staan kry niks gedaan” ,with thanks to Brian
SOS – Skelms on Scramblers
FW – Idiot
BOB – Another name for the Buchu Bus when she’s misbehaving.
CRAFT – A symptom of Old Age
DDD - Metalasia tricolor (Damned Diabolical Daisy)
VP – Vrekplek – Retirement Village
Qàq – Self-explanatory Inuit word describing some of our local problems
Mr Fab – Our Fabaceae specialist, Brian Du Preez – originally Boy 1
Muisvoel -The Mathematician – Peter Thompson
Boy 2 – Kyle Underwood who works on Orchids and is still at school
Sharkie – Finn Rautenbach – Our latest SYT is a surfer in his spare time
Sicko – Someone who suffers from Car Sickness. With 4 in the Group, allocating seating in the Buchu Bus is tricky
VAG – Virgin Active Garage, which is our meeting place when we head north
MATMUE – Meet At The Mall Under E - Meeting place when we head West
WG – Waves Garage in Wilderness East. - Meeting place when we’re going east.
VU- Vulnerable
DDT – Data Deficient and Taxonomically ?
NT – Near Threatened
EN – Endangered
CR – Critically Endangered
PE – Presumed extinct
LC – Least Concern
TBC – To be Confirmed
TLC – Tender loving care
JMS – An expression of absolute disdain
FOMO – Fear of Missing Out
Milk – the fruit of the vine
Condensed Milk – Scotland’s finest export
Full Cream Milk or Fat Milk – Any product of Humulus lupulus eg. Milk Stout
Milk of the Gods – Rooibos and Brandy
Milk Shake - Sparkling Wine
NS – Species of conservation concern new to the Outramps
PS -Priority Species allocated to the Outramps by our CREW Cape Co-ordinator , Ismail Ebrahim
iNatFD – iNaturalist for Dummies as compiled by Sally
Mizzle – Mist and drizzle combined. A regular feature of George in the ”good old days”.
FE – Fire Ephemeral – only appears immediately or after a couple of years after fire
Squirrel – aka President Ramaphosa
WOG – Wrath of God – eg. incurred when you put a young Pine tree on iNat as Leucadendron album
Skedonk - A banger - old, battered motor car more than 30 years old
Hoedown - redneck gathering, usually involves shouting catchy phrases like "yee-haw" and "the south will rise again"
VHF - Vat Hom Fluffie - our nickname for furry or woolly plants
OTL - Out To Lunch is used to describe the Buchu Bus when she's taking a break after she's behaved badly

Posted on September 5, 2018 07:28 AM by outramps-tanniedi outramps-tanniedi | 0 comments | Leave a comment

September 11, 2018

Broekskeur

Outramps CREW Diaries
Broekskeur
Tuesday 11th September 2018

Here is the ALBUM For captions or info click on i on the top right-hand side. A good way to go - the Slideshow is found at the top of the page on the rt hand side by clicking on the 3 dots. Featured this week – Tolberg, Ruitersbos, De Rust, Oudtshoorn, Sarahsrivierberg near Montagu and a newie from last Spring at Mons Ruber.

For names and captions of the photos used on this version of the Reportback - see the Album

HAT Report/ Tolberg in the Outeniquas
Amazing – twice in 10 days! Having reported on the MCSA visit to Vensterberg last week, it turned out that this week I would revisit the area. WAGS decided to do the same hike up from the Sputnik only hiking up as far as Tolberg, which is the Outeniqua Peak just before Vensterberg peak. It is an easier version of the hike as it avoids the very exposed rocky boulders of Vensterberg itself. The hike was very ably led by one of our members - Andre Roux. Andre is passionate about this hike and his photography skills are exceptional. A gorgeous day out – with continuous 360 ‘views all along the hike. Today there was a chequered view down towards Mosselbay – between the low scraggly clouds!

Good to be able to examine the same plants again – this time at a much more leisurely pace. Lobelia dichroma (DDT) was hiding under the rocks. Last week’s unusual hairy pink Erica- it turned out that the “stukkies” were still in bud. So today I searched along the saddle at the top Ridgeline and found 2 plants with a few open cups. They appear to be E. lehmannii?? The Fynbos on this hike is exceptionally thick with Restios. Clearly, without a path it would be difficult to make much headway. Outramps Ann spent some time along the lower levels of the mountain. She says there is an abundance of Elegia filacea, Elegia neesii, Elegia thyrsoidea, Rhodocoma gigantea and Rhodocoma fruticosa – to name but some!

Evie

Take One - Then Two - Eight Bells and Ruitersbos
Only one Protea cynaroides was seen, then Acmadenia tetragona (Near Threatened), and Serruria fasciflora (Near Threatened) - a bit later Erica unicolor subsp. mutica (Endangered). Only a few of these three plants were seen here and there. The large white flowers of robust Pseudoselago outeniquensis popped out on a south-easterly slope. Unfamiliar, unassuming cream bells made us stop. Sally tipped up the little cups and we gasped. Exquisite little flowers with blue markings inside. It is Heliophila elongata, which appears to have a wide distribution, but it is not a plant seen or really known by the Outramps. Without flowers or fruit the structure of the plant is stark and very similar to that of Montinia caryophyllacea, noted nearby. For sure there is convergence of strategies for these two plant species. Heliophila elongata status is given as Least Concern – though we are all wondering about that, considering how much time we spend in the veld.

Unfortunately pines and wattle are already showing their presence too amongst the lovely Fynbos

Three days later….

Fire also swept through some of the plantation exit areas at Ruitersbos. Alas, not all the burnt veld is destined to become mature Fynbos at Ruitersbos. Sally says the emerging vegetation was sprayed, followed by replanting with pines – extensively so! Sally noticed an unusual Aspalathus species during her regular forays and her iNat observation yielded the tentative identification of Aspalatus longifolia (Vulnerable).

Aspalathus expert Brian du Preez added this to Sally’s observation:
”Looks more or less right, quite a bit out of distribution and I have honestly never seen this species in flower and Dahlgren does not have a great sketch in his revision. Would love to see it sometime. Hoping to see some when I go to Garcias in the next few weeks.” https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/15868881.

Obviously this needed some investigation. Despite iffy weather we went out on Sunday to collect a specimen for the Southern Cape Herbarium. A grey patch across the valley on a slope above a remnant forest seemed to be a group of these plants, though we had to walk a bit further to where we could access plants closer to the track. Meeting it up close showed upright, single-stemmed plants, many standing well above the general cover canopy at 1,5 - 2m tall. Long and very soft leaves make it lovely to touch (this is very unAspalathus-like!), with the palest of yellow flowers, drying to brown. For now these plants were clear winners in the post-fire race of the reseeders. How will they fare when the planted pines grow up around them? What is the life-span of this plant? Only time will tell, and Sally – we hope, will tell.

We noted the same enthusiastic ‘Trappe van Vergelyking’ of the three Rhynchosia species around us, but the weather closed in, bringing welcome rain. No more photographs. Time to head home. Sandra with Sally, Gail and Rusell… and other family members!

Broekskeur
There was an interesting start to Friday, when the Buchu Bus refused to start. I was met with stony silence when I turned the key. So I kicked her wheel, cursed her roundly and in a vile temper transferred the goods and chattels to Bloody Mary. (Bill reports that she started first time a little later. Maybe she has changed her allegiance from me to Bill – FMC!). We drove towards De Rust for our annual monitoring trip to the area. The veld is looking good, but it is very dry. We are just hoping that the good rains forecast for the week will materialize. Heavy rain is forecast for the coastal plain, Oudtshoorn and the Swartberg and they could just give us a slightly better Spring than anticipated.

At the base of the Conglomerates, Dave went off on his own to explore the higher reaches. Startlingly beautiful on the valley floor was a Passerina sp. in full flower. Not sure which one it is. Nymania capensis in flower is always a show-stopper and Euphorbia mauritanica was sunshine yellow. Sometime later, as we laboured up the steep scree slopes to the open cave, we noticed that Dave had come down to the valley again, which was a bit puzzling. A short while later, 2 local youngsters joined our party. It was rather unnerving. We had the distinct feeling that we were being herded to a destination. We weren’t terribly keen to pull out cameras for our usual crop of photos, but eventually Sandra did and managed to get some pics of Machairophyllum brevifolium. But the fun had gone out of the day. When we joined up with Dave, he had a similar story to tell and had bailed out of his ridge walk, with the feeling that he was being chased to a destination. Although the two youngsters were no real threat, we were wondering whether some more dangerous adults were waiting somewhere for the unwary. Next time we go to de Rust, we will need to make sure that we have a larger party and just maybe, the Turner’s German Shepherd as well.

After that, we restricted our exploration to the side of the road between De Rust, Oudtshoorn and George and managed to find some real treasures. Sandra got hooked up on a fence to the detriment of her hiking pants, giving me the title for the Reportback. Another interesting interlude – at one of our road sites, a white Bakkie stopped next to Bloody Mary and a young woman climbed out and walked towards us with determination, obviously to ask what we were about. As she got nearer, I recognized Marianne de Villiers and she recognized me. She is in charge of stewardship for Cape Nature. It is good to see that Cape Nature is keeping eyes open for “skelm” plant collectors. Marianne also has plans for us to visit some of the stewardship sites in the future. We look forward to that. So another plus for the day, although without the two youngsters, our tally would have been doubled. A sign of the times?

Rares we saw
Arctotis sp. nova (vlokii) - Rare
Lachenalia haarlemensis - Vulnerable
Manulea derustiana - Vulnerable
Machairophyllum brevifolium - Vulnerable
Conophytum truncatum. - ? not sure of the species
Haworthia emelyae – Data Deficient
Babiana radiata – Critically Endangered
Glottiphyllum carnosum - Endangered
tanniedi

P.S. The rain finally arrived and there was lots of it. An extra bonus - snowfalls on all the surrounding mountain ranges and even on the ground in the Langkloof. Yippee!!!

HAT report
SarahsriviersBerg in the Langeberg
On Sat 1 Sept, for the start of spring, I joined the South Cape MCSA on an “up and over” hike in the Langeberg. We started from a private farm near Montagu. Looking up at the route to the peak – I thought, “Golly, am I going to make it? Are there going to be any plants in what looks like sheer rock faces”? It certainly proved to be one of my toughest hikes –a long day on difficult terrain - no path with an accent over rocks and more for 1000m. The hike was a first for our group of 5, and very well led by our capable leader Ed, directing us according to his GPS. Exciting!! Yes, there were plenty of plants on the northern side – all on rocky ledges and shelves hidden from the overall view.

To begin with a burn area – mostly resprouting Protea nitida, then gradually some good greenery and colours on Leucadendron eucalyptifolium, Metalasia sp & other daisys (??), ground cover-like Lachnaea pencillata( R) , ovata-like(?) Agathosma sp, pretty Lobostemon sp, Adenandra sp, Paranomus dispersus, Paranomus spathulatus(NT), Leucospermum calligerum and Protea lorifolia . On a steep section between the rocks there was Lobelia pinifolia.

The overall mountain was an ocean of Restio sp. So far there were only Ericas with old flowers, while higher up a riot of colourful Ericas were dominated by patches of bright red Erica plukenetii . Close to, and along the top ridge there were numerous Protea trees- with old flowers on Protea grandiceps(NT) in various spots.

Finally, we reached the Peak – known as Sarahsriviersberg peak- Hooray! There were amazing views over the Langeberg down to the little Karoo side on the north, and the heavily farmed southern sides. Protea sp were all over the southern side of the high ridge. The descent proved to be tricky, with loads of loose rocks hidden in the thick Fynbos, followed by “real live rolling stones” on the lower previously burnt area. Further along the ridge there were some orangy/red Erica vestita, and my first sighting of some low growing Liparia splendens subsp comantha (LC) – exceptionally pretty and known as the ‘Mountain Dahlia”.

For the downhill run – HAT Evie was rather ‘flowered out” and the loose rocks took a great deal of concentration. I did notice some pretty purple Ixia’s, the odd small blue Disa sp, an interesting Agathosma sp , white flowered Psoralea sp in the rocky crags and there are numerous Pincushion reseeders underway.

A big thanks to Ed for directing us from the car on the north, and back to our car on the South of the Langeberg. An amazing day out in mountain Fynbos.

Evie

STOP PRESS

Eriocephalus tenuipes
On Friday, while the rain was pouring down, I decided to look at some of the pictures I took on Spring Day last year when the Outramps visited Mons Ruber, near De Rust. Included in the pictures were those of an Eriocephalus which looked a bit different. After some bookwork, I thought E.tenuipes. I posted the pictures on INat with the very tentative ID and sent the link to Jan Vlok who came back very quickly with the following: “I would agree with Eriocephalus tenuipes as it has the typical equal, short leaves and short peduncles. Well done, this is now the westernmost locality known."

It is redlisted Rare and is another newy for the Outramps!
Nicky

Congratulations Nicky and thank you Jan - Ed

Forthcoming Field Trips
On Thursday we will be meeting Charl Wade (FPA) at Gourikwa to help with the alien clearing around Lobostemon belliformis and hopefully to find Erica baueri ssp gouriquae in flower. On Friday we will be doing some plant monitoring for the Great Brak Conservancy.
Groete en dankie
Di Turner
Outramps CREW Group
Southern Cape

All id’s subject to confirmation by Doc Annelise and Jan Vlok, Steven Molteno, Dr Tony Rebelo, Nick Helme, Prof Charlie Stirton, Dr Robert Archer, Dr Robert McKenzie, Dr Ted Oliver, Dr Christopher Whitehouse, Adriaan Grobler, Prix Burgoyne, Dr Kenneth Oberlander, Dr Pieter Winter, Dr David Gwynne-Evans and Mattmatt on iNat. Thank you all for your ongoing help and support.


Outramps Places on iNaturalist – You can browse through the observations or refer to the checklist which is in alphabetical order eg. Animals, birds etc.
Cola Conservancy - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/cola-conservancy
Dune Molerat Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/dune-molerat-trails
Featherbed Nature Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/featherbed-nature-reserve
Gouriqua - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/gouriqua-private-nature-reserve
Heaven in the Langkloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/heaven-in-the-langkloof
Herolds Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-herolds-bay
Kammanassie - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kammanassie-reserve
Langeberg Grootvadersbosch - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/grootvadersbosch-nature-reserve
Kranshoek - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kranshoek-
Masons Rust - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/masons-rust-32-ptn-4-gezwinds-kraal-41-ptn-0
Mons Ruber and surrounds - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mons-ruber-and-surrounds
Mossel Bay Aalwyndal - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/aalwyndal
Mossel Bay Diosma Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/diosma-reserve
Mossel Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/erf-14072
Mossel Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/erf-19201
Mossel Bay St Blaize Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/st-blaize-trail
Natures Valley - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/nature-s-valley-south-cape-south-africa#page=2
Outeniquas Bobbejaanberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-bobbejanberg-in-the-outeniquas
Outeniquas Camferskloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-camferskloof
Outeniquas East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-eastern-outeniquas-from-bergplaas-to-gouna
Outeniquas Flanagans Rock - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/flanagans-rock-rsa
Outeniquas Lange Berg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/lange-berg-112
Outeniquas Paardepoort East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-paardepoort-east
Outeniquas Paardepoort West - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-paardepoort-west
Outeniquas Southern Traverse - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-outeniqua-southern-traverse
Rooiberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-rooiberg-reserve
Spioenkop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ruigtevlei-plantations
Strawberry Hill - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/strawberry-hill-7-passes-road-wilderness-south-africa
Swartberg Spitskop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-spitskop-to-meiringspoort-swartberg
Uitzicht Portion 39 - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/uitzigt-216-portion-39
Uitzicht - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/uitzigt-216-ptn-65
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-1-buffalo-bay
Western Head – https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-2-buffalo-bay
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-3-buffalo-bay
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/western-head-knysna
White Heather - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/white-heather
Wilderness Brown Hooded Kingfisher Trail – https://www.inaturalist.org/places/brown-hooded-kingfisher-trail
Wilderness Kingfisher Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/kingfisher-trails
.
Outramps Projects on iNaturalist
Lianes and Creepers in the Southern Cape and Little Karoo - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lianes-and-creepers-of-the-southern-cape-and-little-karoo

Veg Types of South Africa - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/vegetation-types-of-south-africa

Abbreviations Glossary

MCSA – Mountain Club of South Africa
MSB - Millenium Seed Bank based at Kew in the UK
WIP – Work in Progress
HAT – High Altitude Team
LOT – Lowland Team
SIM – Somewhere in the Middle Team
WAGS – Wednesday Adventure Group
VB – Vlok Boekie “Plants of the Klein Karoo” and our Plant Bible
ITRTOL – Another thread “In The Rich Tapestry Of Life”(It describes a challenging situation, usually to do with the Buchu Bus)
ITFOT – In the fullness of time
WOESS – Fair Weather Hiker
FMC and JW – too vulgar to translate, but the equivalent is “Strike me Dead” - An expression of surprise and delight on finding a new “Rare”
Kambro – same as above
Fossick – A meter per minute, scratching around looking for rares
SIDB – Skrop in die Bos – Another name for a field trip, this one coined by Prix
BAFFING – Running round like a blue-arsed fly
SYT – Sweet Young Thing - Anyone under the age of 40
TOMB – Get a move on
Mayhem - Needless or willful damage or violence
SESKRYNG – “Sit en staan kry niks gedaan” ,with thanks to Brian
SOS – Skelms on Scramblers
FW – Idiot
BOB – Another name for the Buchu Bus when she’s misbehaving.
CRAFT – A symptom of Old Age
DDD - Metalasia tricolor (Damned Diabolical Daisy)
VP – Vrekplek – Retirement Village
Qàq – Self-explanatory Inuit word describing some of our local problems
Mr Fab – Our Fabaceae specialist, Brian Du Preez – originally Boy 1
Muisvoel -The Mathematician – Peter Thompson
Boy 2 – Kyle Underwood who works on Orchids and is still at school
Sharkie – Finn Rautenbach – Our latest SYT is a surfer in his spare time
Sicko – Someone who suffers from Car Sickness. With 4 in the Group, allocating seating in the Buchu Bus is tricky
VAG – Virgin Active Garage, which is our meeting place when we head north
MATMUE – Meet At The Mall Under E - Meeting place when we head West
WG – Waves Garage in Wilderness East. - Meeting place when we’re going east.
VU- Vulnerable
DDT – Data Deficient and Taxonomically ?
NT – Near Threatened
EN – Endangered
CR – Critically Endangered
PE – Presumed extinct
LC – Least Concern
TBC – To be Confirmed
TLC – Tender loving care
JMS – An expression of absolute disdain
FOMO – Fear of Missing Out
Milk – the fruit of the vine
Condensed Milk – Scotland’s finest export
Full Cream Milk or Fat Milk – Any product of Humulus lupulus eg. Milk Stout
Milk of the Gods – Rooibos and Brandy
Milk Shake - Sparkling Wine
NS – Species of conservation concern new to the Outramps
PS -Priority Species allocated to the Outramps by our CREW Cape Co-ordinator , Ismail Ebrahim
iNatFD – iNaturalist for Dummies as compiled by Sally
Mizzle – Mist and drizzle combined. A regular feature of George in the ”good old days”.
FE – Fire Ephemeral – only appears immediately or after a couple of years after fire
Squirrel – aka President Ramaphosa
WOG – Wrath of God – eg. incurred when you put a young Pine tree on iNat as Leucadendron album
Skedonk - A banger - old, battered motor car more than 30 years old
Hoedown - redneck gathering, usually involves shouting catchy phrases like "yee-haw" and "the south will rise again"
VHF - Vat Hom Fluffie - our nickname for furry or woolly plants

OTL - Out To Lunch is used to describe the Buchu Bus when she's taking a break after she's behaved badly

Our mailing address is:
di@strawberryhill.co.za

Posted on September 11, 2018 02:11 PM by outramps-tanniedi outramps-tanniedi | 0 comments | Leave a comment

September 17, 2018

The Kleintramps

Outramps CREW Diaries
The Kleintramps
Tuesday 18th September 2018
Here is the ALBUM. For captions or info click on i on the top right-hand side. A good way to go - the Slideshow is found at the top of the page on the rt hand side by clicking on the 3 dots. Featured this week – Bizarre weather patterns, Barrydale, Gerickes Punt, Gourikwa, some Muraltias from De Hoop and the Kleintramps.

For names and captions of the photos used on this version of the Reportback - see the Album

The Barrydale hiking trail - a few hours along
HAT Evie’s Report
While in the Langeberg, I managed to convince Tony and 2 other fellow hikers to undertake a short sortie along the Barrydale hike. What with thick black clouds and icy wind and the hope of some rain for the Little Karoo this was indeed short. It did mean I never made it further on to higher ground around the corner, where the stunning Langeberg, with its very lush Fynbos and high valleys, comes into view. It is quite unlike many of the other northern aspects of the Langeberg between Montagu and Barrydale - which are very rocky and dry. Here the clouds, rainfall and geographic arrangements have created a super niche area for Fynbos.

The walk reminded me of my last time along this trail. In Sept 2014 we arrived to do the hike, Brian( Mr Fab) with all sorts of requests for this and that rare Fabacea sp, only to find a 2- day old burnt section! At least this burn has shown good recovery. Numerous new Protea seedlings are growing and a pretty “wand like” deep purple Muraltia sp.is in full swing. There was also Felicia sp (possibly Felicia filifolia subsp bodkinii), Acmadenia nivenii (VU), Adenandra mundiifolia, Podalyria biflora, Leucospermum calligerum and new growth on Berzerlia abrotanoides. Obvious bright red spots all over the fields turned out to be Erica plukenetii and cerinthoides.

Later on in the day at a Langeberg roadside Cheese Farm stop, wandering along a farm track, we found two bulbs- Moraea karooica (LC) and Gladiolus floribundus.

Evie

The Weather Gods gone Crazy
As I write this on Friday, Florence is causing chaos, widespread flooding and power failures in North Carolina in the USA. It is being described as "The Storm of a Lifetime". Closer to home, the rain finally arrived last week, after many empty promises. It was also unseasonably cold. The Outeniquas had plenty of snow and the Swartberg Mts were transformed into a winter wonderland with heavy falls. There was snow on the ground in the Langkloof and the Potjies Pass to Uniondale was closed.

It was more than time. Our hopes for a good spring had all but evaporated, but this welcome rain and snow might just be in time to save the plants. Most reports talk of 55mm of rain and counting. We could be heading to the Langkloof on Friday to see what we can see. This is the first decent rain that they've had there in over two years.

Tanniedi

De Hoop Muraltias
Dave confirmed his status as a botanical masochist when he decided to try and identify all the Muraltias found during the Whale Trail in August. After dissection of the ridiculously small flowers and much head scratching - five species have been proposed and posted on iNat. Thank you Margaret Levyns for your clever id guide. To date no fellow masochists have taken up the challenge.......

Muraltia pottebergensis (Vulnerable) - Sandstone - Lower slopes
Muraltia collina - (LC) Sandstone Mid to Upper Slopes
Muraltia splendens (Near Threatened) - Limestone Hills near Sea
Muraltia calycina (Vulnerable) - Limestone near Sea
Muraltia satureoides - (LC) Dune Sand

Dave

Gerickes Punt
Various problems at Strawberry Hill have made it impossible for us to join WAGS for the last couple of weeks. A thereandback hike and a latish start opened the door for us on Wednesday. It was a sparkling champagne kind of day with bright blue skies and a turquoise sea. It was wonderful to see old friends again and at the entrance to the beach we were treated to a stunning floral display.
Nemesia bicornis
Gladiolus cunonius
Searsia crenata in full flower
Felicia amoena ssp latifolia
Dischisma ciliatum
Anemone vesicatoria ssp vesicatoria
Dimorphotheca fruticosa
Felicia echinata
Senecio elegans
Osteospermum moniliferum
These and many more were all in a short stretch of about 50m.

Further along, beyond the Sphinx and Gerickes Punt, there have been fresh sand-falls from the high overhanging cliffs. I am always intrigued by the Vygie curtains, which are draped at strategic points on these cliffs. Someday I must get an id for it. There were a number of Oyster Catchers around, but I never got close enough to take a photo. It was a very pleasant morning out on a beautiful stretch of coast.

tanniedi

Safe at Last
A couple of weeks ago, I did a presentation featuring the Outramps CREW work at the Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve AGM. As a result of that, Charl Wade of the Fire Protection Association in Riversdale approached me re clearing the Rooikrantz around Lobostemon belliformis (Critically Endangered) at Gourikwa. Since about 1996 we have been anxious about this plant and suddenly out of the blue, a solution has been found.

Charl and I did a site inspection last Thursday and he has proposed a plan for the way forward. Later we were joined by Hugo and Japie of Gourikwa and they are keen to get started with the project. The Rooikrantz trees around the Lobostemon are huge and will have to be felled with a power saw. When they are cut, Charl intends to move them away from the site. This will be done in order to prevent damage by a very hot burn because of the excessive fuel load. Inevitably some of the plants will be damaged, but the utmost care is going to be taken during this felling and removal process. Charl has promised that there will be high levels of supervision.

The recent change of ownership at Gourikwa has contributed to a change of focus from farming and development to conservation. This property is teeming with rares and it is a huge relief to know that the plant welfare has become a priority. When I left, Charl and Japie were inspecting another block for alien clearance and working out a quote. We are so grateful.

The veld is looking gorgeous after the good recent rains. Charl says that they had 55mm at Riversdale. Leucospermum praecox (Vulnerable)is stunning in deep orange as the flowers age and in between, Osteospermum moniliferum was a glorious sunshine yellow. Magenta blooms on Pelargonium betulinum were breathtaking. The yellow Canola fields en route were a visual delight and the whole countryside has gone green. The Gouritz River is fuller than I've seen it for years.

There was still no sign of Erica baueri ssp. gouriquae (Endangered) in flower. This is very puzzling, as in 2017 it was covered with stunning pink flowers,which could be seen from a distance. Is it likely that the drought has caused it not to flower this year? We came early, on the date seen last year and then later, without any sign of flowers. I simply can't understand it.

But at least we have one big positive. The Beautiful One is in safe hands - at last! We will keep you posted on progress
Thank you All
tanniedi

P.S.Trip to Gourikwa - 18th August 2018
Nice rain fell during early August so the landscape was looking much better by the 18th. I took a slow trip to go and visit the ‘Beautiful One’ at Gourikwa. While the peak blooming time was past she was indeed still very beautiful. The sandy soils were nice and moist from the rain and the Proteas were also a sight to see. The Olifantsriet that occurs on the same hill is reason enough for a visit, but to see that at its best requires different timing. Must get there in April or May.

I was able to spend a leisurely hour plus at the site and found three strong Lobostemon seedlings tucked into the scrub (and A.cyclops). I look forward to seeing the area without all the A. cyclops. Sorry I couldn’t attend on the day.

Ann

The Kleintramps
What are the chances of this happening? We need a statistician or an expert on coincidence to work it out. The Outramps Group has 14 members. Within 16 hours of each other, two of our members became grandmothers - one for the first time and the other for the second.

This is what Sandra had to say
"Amazing, this new generation. I like the idea of the Kleintramps succession. Nicky is all fired up for us to schedule an Outramps baby and toddler indaba. It will auger well for the world if we can imprint good conservation ethics before consumerism grabs the mites!

Congratulations Marge and Sandra and welcome to the Kleintramps from the Outramps


Forthcoming Field Trips
On Sunday, I saw Tom Barry of Gamkaberg at the Yacht Club. We discussed a possible trip to Rooiberg, where they have had 30mm over a fairly new burn. There are a few logistical problems to sort out, so we may end up by going to Eseljacht with hope in our hearts after the recent good falls of rain and snow We are dreaming of a spring flush. The final destination decision will be made later in the week.
Groete en dankie
Di Turner
Outramps CREW Group
Southern Cape

All id’s subject to confirmation by Doc Annelise and Jan Vlok, Steven Molteno, Dr Tony Rebelo, Nick Helme, Prof Charlie Stirton, Dr Robert Archer, Dr Robert McKenzie, Dr Ted Oliver, Dr Christopher Whitehouse, Adriaan Grobler, Prix Burgoyne, Dr Kenneth Oberlander, Dr Pieter Winter, Dr David Gwynne-Evans and Mattmatt on iNat. Thank you all for your ongoing help and support.

Outramps Places on iNaturalist – You can browse through the observations or refer to the checklist which is in alphabetical order eg. Animals, birds etc.
Cola Conservancy - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/cola-conservancy
Dune Molerat Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/dune-molerat-trails
Featherbed Nature Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/featherbed-nature-reserve
Gouriqua - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/gouriqua-private-nature-reserve
Heaven in the Langkloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/heaven-in-the-langkloof
Herolds Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-herolds-bay
Kammanassie - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kammanassie-reserve
Langeberg Grootvadersbosch - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/grootvadersbosch-nature-reserve
Kranshoek - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kranshoek-
Masons Rust - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/masons-rust-32-ptn-4-gezwinds-kraal-41-ptn-0
Mons Ruber and surrounds - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mons-ruber-and-surrounds
Mossel Bay Aalwyndal - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/aalwyndal
Mossel Bay Diosma Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/diosma-reserve
Mossel Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/erf-14072
Mossel Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/erf-19201
Mossel Bay St Blaize Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/st-blaize-trail
Natures Valley - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/nature-s-valley-south-cape-south-africa#page=2
Outeniquas Bobbejaanberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-bobbejanberg-in-the-outeniquas
Outeniquas Camferskloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-camferskloof
Outeniquas East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-eastern-outeniquas-from-bergplaas-to-gouna
Outeniquas Flanagans Rock - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/flanagans-rock-rsa
Outeniquas Lange Berg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/lange-berg-112
Outeniquas Paardepoort East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-paardepoort-east
Outeniquas Paardepoort West - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-paardepoort-west
Outeniquas Southern Traverse - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-outeniqua-southern-traverse
Rooiberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-rooiberg-reserve
Spioenkop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ruigtevlei-plantations
Strawberry Hill - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/strawberry-hill-7-passes-road-wilderness-south-africa
Swartberg Spitskop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-spitskop-to-meiringspoort-swartberg
Uitzicht Portion 39 - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/uitzigt-216-portion-39
Uitzicht - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/uitzigt-216-ptn-65
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-1-buffalo-bay
Western Head – https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-2-buffalo-bay
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-3-buffalo-bay
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/western-head-knysna
White Heather - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/white-heather
Wilderness Brown Hooded Kingfisher Trail – https://www.inaturalist.org/places/brown-hooded-kingfisher-trail
Wilderness Kingfisher Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/kingfisher-trails
.
Outramps Projects on iNaturalist
Lianes and Creepers in the Southern Cape and Little Karoo - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lianes-and-creepers-of-the-southern-cape-and-little-karoo

Veg Types of South Africa - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/vegetation-types-of-south-africa

Abbreviations Glossary

MCSA – Mountain Club of South Africa
MSB - Millenium Seed Bank based at Kew in the UK
WIP – Work in Progress
HAT – High Altitude Team
LOT – Lowland Team
SIM – Somewhere in the Middle Team
WAGS – Wednesday Adventure Group
VB – Vlok Boekie “Plants of the Klein Karoo” and our Plant Bible
ITRTOL – Another thread “In The Rich Tapestry Of Life”(It describes a challenging situation, usually to do with the Buchu Bus)
ITFOT – In the fullness of time
WOESS – Fair Weather Hiker
FMC and JW – too vulgar to translate, but the equivalent is “Strike me Dead” - An expression of surprise and delight on finding a new “Rare”
Kambro – same as above
Fossick – A meter per minute, scratching around looking for rares
SIDB – Skrop in die Bos – Another name for a field trip, this one coined by Prix
BAFFING – Running round like a blue-arsed fly
SYT – Sweet Young Thing - Anyone under the age of 40
TOMB – Get a move on
Mayhem - Needless or willful damage or violence
SESKRYNG – “Sit en staan kry niks gedaan” ,with thanks to Brian
SOS – Skelms on Scramblers
FW – Idiot
BOB – Another name for the Buchu Bus when she’s misbehaving.
CRAFT – A symptom of Old Age
DDD - Metalasia tricolor (Damned Diabolical Daisy)
VP – Vrekplek – Retirement Village
Qàq – Self-explanatory Inuit word describing some of our local problems
Mr Fab – Our Fabaceae specialist, Brian Du Preez – originally Boy 1
Muisvoel -The Mathematician – Peter Thompson
Boy 2 – Kyle Underwood who works on Orchids and is still at school
Sharkie – Finn Rautenbach – Our latest SYT is a surfer in his spare time
Sicko – Someone who suffers from Car Sickness. With 4 in the Group, allocating seating in the Buchu Bus is tricky
VAG – Virgin Active Garage, which is our meeting place when we head north
MATMUE – Meet At The Mall Under E - Meeting place when we head West
WG – Waves Garage in Wilderness East. - Meeting place when we’re going east.
VU- Vulnerable
DDT – Data Deficient and Taxonomically ?
NT – Near Threatened
EN – Endangered
CR – Critically Endangered
PE – Presumed extinct
LC – Least Concern
TBC – To be Confirmed
TLC – Tender loving care
JMS – An expression of absolute disdain
FOMO – Fear of Missing Out
Milk – the fruit of the vine
Condensed Milk – Scotland’s finest export
Full Cream Milk or Fat Milk – Any product of Humulus lupulus eg. Milk Stout
Milk of the Gods – Rooibos and Brandy
Milk Shake - Sparkling Wine
NS – Species of conservation concern new to the Outramps
PS -Priority Species allocated to the Outramps by our CREW Cape Co-ordinator , Ismail Ebrahim
iNatFD – iNaturalist for Dummies as compiled by Sally
Mizzle – Mist and drizzle combined. A regular feature of George in the ”good old days”.
FE – Fire Ephemeral – only appears immediately or after a couple of years after fire
Squirrel – aka President Ramaphosa
WOG – Wrath of God – eg. incurred when you put a young Pine tree on iNat as Leucadendron album
Skedonk - A banger - old, battered motor car more than 30 years old
Hoedown - redneck gathering, usually involves shouting catchy phrases like "yee-haw" and "the south will rise again"
VHF - Vat Hom Fluffie - our nickname for furry or woolly plants
OTL - Out To Lunch is used to describe the Buchu Bus when she's taking a break after she's behaved badly


Our mailing address is:
di@strawberryhill.co.za

Posted on September 17, 2018 01:46 PM by outramps-tanniedi outramps-tanniedi | 6 comments | Leave a comment

September 24, 2018

A rusty Horseshoe

Tuesday 25th September 2018
Midbrak Conservancy
Sandra arranged for the Outramps to collect data at Erf 271, Reebok, a neglected and disputed 44ha area of natural vegetation between the fairly busy Impala Road and the railway line. Nicky, Gail, Rusell and Sally met up with Wendy and two other local residents from the Midbrak Conservancy (Matthew and Robin) as well as Stuart from Great Brak. The morning was clear and calm and soon saw us stripping off outer layers as we fought our way through the sometimes prickly thicket. Getting to the centre of the property appeared to be especially awkward (there are no paths to speak of) so we worked our way down the western edge and along the southern side just above the railway. Progress was slow as we concentrated on snapping as many pics as we could, while Rusell was in charge of the tick list (prepared by previous surveyors).

Euchaetis albertiniana (EN) is thriving on the plot and we also came across Cullumia carlinoides (NT). We noted approximately 25 species not previously recorded, with several still needing confirmed identifications.

Highlights included an enormous yellow Hermannia bush, a baby angulate tortoise and a vast stand of Haemanthus albiflos happily growing under some very thick thicket.
Sally

Cyclopias and The Sport
The rain came pouring down on Saturday, topping up the good falls on Friday. We watched the Springboks inflict an inconceivable and little anticipated defeat on the mighty All Blacks and by lunchtime, we were suffering from Cabin Fever. So we loaded the hounds into the car and drove to the entrance of Bergplaas in the Outeniquas.

The Cyclopias are just emerging and there were splashes of gold all over the slopes. These combined with magenta Erica seriphiifolia to paint a colourful picture against the dark grey of the threatening clouds that scudded overhead. The green Erica nabea was an unusual sight. But it was towards the end of the afternoon that we spotted "The Sport". As far as I can recall, I have never seen a white Erica seriphiifolia before. The leaves too, were a much lighter green than the magenta plants. Does this coloration denote the presence of a defective colour gene and if so, do botanists really refer to it as a "sport"?

The only blot on an otherwise perfect day was the presence of many aliens. Apart from the Pines, there was Blackwood (profuse), Eucalyptus, Phytolacca, Bugweed and a number of other foreign invaders.
tanniedi

Paardeberg Farm, Attaquas, Western Outeniquas
This was a second trip to the Moore’s farm in the Western Outeniqua mountains. It was part of a South Cape MCSA weekend with a hike up to an unnamed Peak at 1215m , as well as a circular through the Attaqua mountain foothills as an alternative hike. Hat Evie was keen to undertake the peak – having done the traverse in August– however a niggling back issue made me decide to do the easier option for the day. Tony had to be on standby for HAT duty and he proved to be most diligent, returning with photographs and some specimens. The Peak area was full of blue Psoraleas, Othonna parviflora and the mighty prickly Cullumia aculeata. Geissorhiza rosealba(LC) and pink Acmadenia tetragona (NT) were dotted in various spots.

Evie and Nicky joined in to do the circular hike in the Attaqua foothills. A lovely day out – very relaxed and Nicky was able to participate in umpteen photographic moments – there were no time constraints! Acmademia tetragona (NT) was very obvious in the established Fynbos, with Serruria fasciflora (NT) in several spots. There were a few “blou tulps” – possibly ??Gladiolus rogersii (LC). Green Erica unicolor ssp unicolor was quite dominant, and pink Ericas were much in evidence - especially the very sticky and glossy Erica glomiflora with its longer conical flowers.

In the 20 month old burn area numerous Leucospermum cuneiforme were resprouting, as prostrate bushes with Phylica velutina (NT) were also resprouting. While Evie only recognized Hermannia angularis in the old burn areas, where it seems to be particularly dominant, Nicky of course noted at least 5 other different Hermannia sp

Evie

A Window of Opportunity
Groeneweide with WAGS on Wednesday
There was heavy rain on Tuesday evening and early on Wednesday morning. The proposed hike was Groeneweide, but the takers were few and far between - most people not believing the forecasts, which talked of a 'Window of Opportunity" from about 7am to lunchtime. Bill and I decided to walk directly from Strawberry Hill and the other Wagsites(?) went from Saasveld and did the Blue Route. We did the Red Route with some minor adjustments.

We thoroughly enjoyed the day and made it back in time before the gale-force south-westerly got really going and the rain pelted down again. The afro-temperate forest is looking good. There was lots of fungi and the forest floor is girding itself up to burst into flower. Along the path there was huge evidence of the mast-fruiting of Olea capensis ssp macrocarpa a few months ago. The fallen fruit is all over the place and the Bushpigs in particular, are making a meal of it.

On the short Fynbos section there was a wonderful clump of Senecio glastifolius, which we don't often see. Hippia frutescens was in full flower and Penaea cneorum ssp gigantea is looking spectacular. Just above the track that leads down to the magnificent pools and waterfall on the Silver River, an Agathosma had me puzzled. It smelt like Agathosma ovata, but it's leaves were a lot bigger than the usual plants. I will have to consult Dave, as this highly variable species has tripped me up many times before.

With Marge up in Jhb busy being a Granny, it was many thanks to Stewart for a really good morning.
tanniedi

Rooiberg
An ancient superstition says, "If you find an old horseshoe you should instantly spit on it, then throw it over your left shoulder making a wish at the same time". Unaware of this superstitious ritual, we didn't go through it. Despite this, Lady Luck was on our side.

On Friday, with permission from Tom Barry, we drove up the Rooiberg jeep track for about 5km in Mike's Landcruiser. This put the concrete road within walking distance for some of the faster walkers. After parking the car, we divided into 3 groups, Nicky opted to go east in the direction of the Rooiberg Pass, Mike and I went west, criss-crossing the jeep track to explore all the kopjes to the north and south and Evie and Sandra walked to the concrete road and a little beyond.

When we found the horseshoe on the jeep track, we knew it was going to be a good day. Some of the Leucadendron sp.nova (Rare) have escaped the fire and there are juveniles appearing in the burn.There were also some fire escapees in the Leucospermum pluridens (Near Threatened) and Leucadendron rubrum populations. Mike and I were also delighted to find juveniles on the Leucadendron tinctum (Near Threatened) site on the northern side of the jeep track. They were about 10cm high and bode well for the future. A stunning orange Romulea (maybe jugicola - Vulnerable) opened up as the sun moved overhead.

The first time that we saw Pteronia hutchinsoniana (Rare) was on the Rooiberg Jeep Track in about 2014. We never saw it again on Rooiberg, although we are now finding it all over the northern foothills of the Outeniquas post-fire. We were thrilled to find a small patch of about 10 plants this time. It obviously enjoys the post-burn conditions and lack of competition.

And we were even able to climb to the top of a kopje with a beacon, which satisfied my desire to get to the top.
tanniedi

The Concrete Roaders - from Sandra
When turnaround time came it was with great reluctance that I did so. Evie was waiting for me back at our lunch spot. Dramatic landscapes and views of gorges, rocky cliff faces, faraway mountains, deeply incised water ways - made for an intoxicating tug to carry on, but I had to seriously nudge myself off my dreamy little cloud to backtrack, regretful of missing the plants that were becoming more and more interesting with the gain in altitude.

As usual Evie darted on and off the track. Next to Erica syngenesia an almost brick red Oxalis charmed me to yet another photo stop. Pelargonium tricolor here and there, the odd Gladiolus rogersii, a shallow grassy valley lined in the yellows of four Hermannia species - H stipulaceae the main colour donor - past buchus, daisies (ID’s of these pending!), Erica melanthera, past the rocky koppie with the interesting Otholobium sp. and back to where we parked amongst a feast of PROTEACEAE which Di will no doubt report on.

O Rooiberg, jou mooi berg – I hope to be back, and soon!
Sandra
Mystery Otholobium
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/16786782
Oxalis
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/16786783

Down the Road
Leaving Mike’s car parked part of the way to the concrete Road, all the party except me headed west. I had decided to wander downhill to the east. This meant I would not be holding up anyone while I took photos, and I could walk until the car picked me up on the way home.

The weather was ideal for hiking, and I took the chance to try to photograph butterflies and other insects (most of them not very cooperative), peer into flowers and clumps of leaves and enjoy this patch of Rooiberg sandstone fynbos that burnt about 2 years ago. Although the area has experienced a dry spell, the recent rain has stimulated growth. It was obvious that spring had arrived! Muraltia dispersa, Carpobrotus mellei; Dianthus bolusii, Erica recta, Pelargonium fruticosum; Gladiolus floribundus, Paranomus dispersis, Oedera squarrosa, Dimorphotheca montana, Othonna quinquedentata, Heliophila elongata, Erica melanthera, Erica cerinthoides var. cerinthoides, Cyclopia intermedia, Pelargonium tricolor, Leucospermum pluridens, Cyanella lutea and Roepera fulva were only a few that I photographed. I don’t think the rest of the group were at all surprised when they picked me up not far from the drop-off point!
Nicky
It was approx.1km down the road, but wait for the photos. You'll find they are worth it. - ed

From Tony Rebelo
In our gardens in the Cape Peninsula, there is a mite attacking some Ericas - esp. E. baueri - it kills or weakens all the new growth. I will try and get details from Anthony Hitchcock (oleum works well in controlling it). But please keep an eye out for this in your rambles in the Southern Cape. It manifests as yellow or cream new leaves (instead of bright green) and the leaves drop off early (after a few months rather than a few years) and those stems don't flower.

It would be nice to get confirmation that this is not a problem (or to know when it appears in the botanical gardens). All the more reason to be aware of pathogens. CREW should promote hygiene far more. We really should walk through a sterilizing bath before any trip, esp. a visit to any rare species or isolated patch. They do it in Australia in the Phytophthora areas. And every botanical garden in the UK now has entrance mats. A 500X300mm plastic tray with a plastic mat, and 5mm of Jik or Dettol should do the trick. After all it just takes one case of garden boots and we could wipe out several rare species on our visits. This is probably FAR FAR more serious than bothering about people collecting plants posted on facebook and other websites.
Tony
Jeyes Fluid, a tray and a rubber mat are on my shopping list for Monday - ed

STOP PRESS
Just in - Muraltia knysnaensis (Endangered) has been found on Erf 271 in the Midbrak Conservancy. Previously only found between George and Plettenberg Bay.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/16692715

Well done Team and wonderful work to spot it and get the id, Nicky. Confirmed by Dave, who has masochistically taken on the Muraltias for the Outramps.

Congratulations All!

Forthcoming Field Trips
Bill and I will be joining the Laings, the Vloks and Prof Richard and Shirley Cowling in the foothills of the Kouga at Kliphuis on the banks of the Kouga River for the weekend.This is a wonderful opportunity and I simply can't wait. Nicky and Evie will be going with the MCSA on a trip to the Klein Swartberg to climb Liggies, the trail on Elandsberg and to explore a nearby kloof over the same weekend.

Closer to home, Sandra is organising a field trip (to be determined) on Friday 28th September. On 1st October, she is also organising a Rooikrantz-pulling session at the Diosma Reserve together with the Fransmanshoek Conservancy and Cape Nature. I will be taking the Millenium Seedbank people up to Tierkop on Tuesday and Nicky will meet them on Wednesday at Endlovana on the Brenton Peninusla. We will decide on our destination for Friday 5th a little closer to the time, when we've had a chance to check weather forecasts.

There will be no Reportback on Tuesday 2nd, but expect a bumper version the week after.
Groete en dankie
Di Turner
Outramps CREW Group
Southern Cape

All id’s subject to confirmation by Doc Annelise and Jan Vlok, Steven Molteno, Dr Tony Rebelo, Nick Helme, Prof Charlie Stirton, Dr Robert Archer, Dr Robert McKenzie, Dr Ted Oliver, Dr Christopher Whitehouse, Adriaan Grobler, Prix Burgoyne, Dr Kenneth Oberlander, Dr Pieter Winter, Dr David Gwynne-Evans and Mattmatt on iNat. Thank you all for your ongoing help and support.
Outramps Places on iNaturalist – You can browse through the observations or refer to the checklist which is in alphabetical order eg. Animals, birds etc.
Cola Conservancy - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/cola-conservancy
Dune Molerat Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/dune-molerat-trails
Featherbed Nature Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/featherbed-nature-reserve
Gouriqua - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/gouriqua-private-nature-reserve
Heaven in the Langkloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/heaven-in-the-langkloof
Herolds Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-herolds-bay
Kammanassie - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kammanassie-reserve
Kranshoek - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kranshoek-
Langeberg Grootvadersbosch - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/grootvadersbosch-nature-reserve
Masons Rust - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/masons-rust-32-ptn-4-gezwinds-kraal-41-ptn-0
Mons Ruber and surrounds - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mons-ruber-and-surrounds
Mossel Bay Aalwyndal - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/aalwyndal
Mossel Bay Diosma Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/diosma-reserve
Mossel Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/erf-14072
Mossel Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/erf-19201
Mossel Bay St Blaize Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/st-blaize-trail
Natures Valley - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/nature-s-valley-south-cape-south-africa#page=2
Outeniquas Bobbejaanberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-bobbejanberg-in-the-outeniquas
Outeniquas Camferskloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-camferskloof
Outeniquas East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-eastern-outeniquas-from-bergplaas-to-gouna
Outeniquas Flanagans Rock - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/flanagans-rock-rsa
Outeniquas Lange Berg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/lange-berg-112
Outeniquas Paardekop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/paardekop-13
Outeniquas Paardepoort East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-paardepoort-east
Outeniquas Paardepoort West - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-paardepoort-west
Outeniquas Southern Traverse - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-outeniqua-southern-traverse
Rooiberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-rooiberg-reserve
Spioenkop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ruigtevlei-plantations
Strawberry Hill - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/strawberry-hill-7-passes-road-wilderness-south-africa
Swartberg Spitskop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-spitskop-to-meiringspoort-swartberg
Uitzicht Portion 39 - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/uitzigt-216-portion-39
Uitzicht - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/uitzigt-216-ptn-65
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-1-buffalo-bay
Western Head – https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-2-buffalo-bay
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-3-buffalo-bay
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/western-head-knysna
White Heather - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/white-heather
Wilderness Brown Hooded Kingfisher Trail – https://www.inaturalist.org/places/brown-hooded-kingfisher-trail
Wilderness Kingfisher Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/kingfisher-trails
.
Outramps Projects on iNaturalist
Lianes and Creepers in the Southern Cape and Little Karoo - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lianes-and-creepers-of-the-southern-cape-and-little-karoo
Veg Types of South Africa - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/vegetation-types-of-south-africa

Abbreviations Glossary
MCSA – Mountain Club of South Africa
MSB - Millenium Seed Bank based at Kew in the UK
WIP – Work in Progress
HAT – High Altitude Team
LOT – Lowland Team
SIM – Somewhere in the Middle Team
WAGS – Wednesday Adventure Group
VB – Vlok Boekie “Plants of the Klein Karoo” and our Plant Bible
ITRTOL – Another thread “In The Rich Tapestry Of Life”(It describes a challenging situation, usually to do with the Buchu Bus)
ITFOT – In the fullness of time
WOESS – Fair Weather Hiker
FMC and JW – too vulgar to translate, but the equivalent is “Strike me Dead” - An expression of surprise and delight on finding a new “Rare”
Kambro – same as above
Fossick – A meter per minute, scratching around looking for rares
SIDB – Skrop in die Bos – Another name for a field trip, this one coined by Prix
BAFFING – Running round like a blue-arsed fly
SYT – Sweet Young Thing - Anyone under the age of 40
TOMB – Get a move on
Mayhem - Needless or willful damage or violence
SESKRYNG – “Sit en staan kry niks gedaan” ,with thanks to Brian
SOS – Skelms on Scramblers
FW – Idiot
BOB – Another name for the Buchu Bus when she’s misbehaving.
CRAFT – A symptom of Old Age
DDD - Metalasia tricolor (Damned Diabolical Daisy)
VP – Vrekplek – Retirement Village
Qàq – Self-explanatory Inuit word describing some of our local problems
Mr Fab – Our Fabaceae specialist, Brian Du Preez – originally Boy 1
Muisvoel -The Mathematician – Peter Thompson
Boy 2 – Kyle Underwood who works on Orchids and is still at school
Sharkie – Finn Rautenbach – Our latest SYT is a surfer in his spare time
Sicko – Someone who suffers from Car Sickness. With 4 in the Group, allocating seating in the Buchu Bus is tricky
VAG – Virgin Active Garage, which is our meeting place when we head north
MATMUE – Meet At The Mall Under E - Meeting place when we head West
WG – Waves Garage in Wilderness East. - Meeting place when we’re going east.
VU- Vulnerable
DDT – Data Deficient and Taxonomically ?
NT – Near Threatened
EN – Endangered
CR – Critically Endangered
PE – Presumed extinct
LC – Least Concern
TBC – To be Confirmed
TLC – Tender loving care
JMS – An expression of absolute disdain
FOMO – Fear of Missing Out
Milk – the fruit of the vine
Condensed Milk – Scotland’s finest export
Full Cream Milk or Fat Milk – Any product of Humulus lupulus eg. Milk Stout
Milk of the Gods – Rooibos and Brandy
Milk Shake - Sparkling Wine
NS – Species of conservation concern new to the Outramps
PS -Priority Species allocated to the Outramps by our CREW Cape Co-ordinator , Ismail Ebrahim
iNatFD – iNaturalist for Dummies as compiled by Sally
Mizzle – Mist and drizzle combined. A regular feature of George in the ”good old days”.
FE – Fire Ephemeral – only appears immediately or after a couple of years after fire
Squirrel – aka President Ramaphosa
WOG – Wrath of God – eg. incurred when you put a young Pine tree on iNat as Leucadendron album
Skedonk - A banger - old, battered motor car more than 30 years old
Hoedown - redneck gathering, usually involves shouting catchy phrases like "yee-haw" and "the south will rise again"
VHF - Vat Hom Fluffie - our nickname for furry or woolly plants
OTL - Out To Lunch is used to describe the Buchu Bus when she's taking a break after she's behaved badly

Our mailing address is:
di@strawberryhill.co.za

Posted on September 24, 2018 09:12 AM by outramps-tanniedi outramps-tanniedi | 0 comments | Leave a comment