Snapshots of Recovery
A picture paints a thousand words. As part of their efforts to document post-fire recovery of the fynbos landscape, the conservation team on Grootbos Private Nature Reserve selected sites for fixed-point photography and have already witnessed a striking transformation.
From bare, sandy soil dusted with ash in mid December, to the first signs of fresh new life in January, to a soft carpet of green draped over charred branches by May, these images capture the vital relationship between fynbos and fire. This project will demonstrate which plant species respond strongest to the burn and how community composition changes over time.
Related Discoveries
Vyfpondbos, thin twinleaf, spekbossie — Roepera flexuosa’s weight related names
Where fire raged through six months ago, Roepera flexuosa puts on a wonderful show of yellow flushes across patches of dune strandveld in the Walker Bay area. This plant is known by a few interesting common names: thin twinleaf, maerbossie, spekbossie and vyfpondbos. The origins behind these names are as special as the nature of […]
Glad to see you!
Many members of the Iris family, Iridaceae, are stimulated to flower after fire. In the last month, three species of Gladiolus have erupted from the ground like fireworks across the burnt landscape, each telling a story of resilience and recovery. The Kaneelpypie, also known as the Fragrant Afrikaner or Rock Afrikaner (Gladiolus guthriei), was the […]
Fire and Fynbos on the Global Stage
The Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show is the world’s foremost garden show, featuring a beautiful array of plants and designs from around the world. This year, the award-winning South African team, led by Leon Kluge, presented “Life After Fire” – a garden inspired by the recent, severe wildfires that swept through large areas of […]