A Weekend Walk at Bhungani
It’s barely been 9 months since the veld at Bhungani was reduced to ashes after a massive fire swept through the area, however, the fynbos had been waiting 20 years for this opportunity to regenerate, to resprout, to seed and for bulbs to emerge after a long dormancy with spectacular magnificence.
Some bulbs will only flower in the first year after fire, so this is a rare opportunity to find and record them and to marvel at their beauty. It is a search, a treasure hunt with incredible rewards!
At present, the upper slopes of Bhungani are ablaze with orange Watsonia stenosiphon while the brilliant yellow of Bobartia indica stand out in contrast to blackened stems of proteas.
While doing follow up work on an area recently cleared by the amazing biodiversity stewards, I came across an unusual orchid which turned out to be a rare and endangered Disa hallackii – a very special find!
Who knows what else is out there just waiting to be discovered?! It’s such a privilege to observe the miraculous recovery and regeneration of the fynbos after fire.
Related Discoveries
Persistence is key – ask the fynbos.
Persistence is key. That counts for invasive alien clearing too. Commitment to protecting a landscape becomes evident when walking through the veld and seeing the resilience of fynbos. Where clearing of invasive alien vegetation was done a decade ago at a conservation servitude site on Farm 215, with consistent effort to do follow-up […]
Fight for the Light: Fynbos vs Invasive Alien Plants
Silent battles rage on slopes and in valleys of the Walker Bay area. A race for light, nutrients and space is underway within the ever-changing landscape. This mosaic consists of pristine vegetation, anywhere between 5 and 20 years old, mixed with swathes of young veld undergoing ecological succession after the fires gave the landscape a […]
Vyfpondbos, thin twinleaf, spekbossie — Roepera flexuosa’s weight related names
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