Mulch Love
My mother has built an interesting garden at the front of our house. For the most part, it consists of cacti and succulents… I came across this strange, blooming beauty the other day. It seems to flower on a single stalk with a cluster of bulb-shaped flowers. Does anyone know what it is?
It has been an exceptionally rainy November in Durban. The last few days have been wet with the rain forecast to continue until well past the weekend. The ferns in my garden, pictured below, have been loving all the rain.
While the rainy season in this part of the world normally starts in November and continues until March, it has also been unseasonably cool for the start of summer, sparking debate on climate change. Has anyone else noticed strange weather patterns in their part of South Africa, or the world?
On our last trip to Mkhambathi Nature Reserve we also came across these wild orchids, growing on the coastal grasslands. I wouldn’t know where to start on a botanical or common name… Any takers?
We were in the Transkei a few weeks ago and had the good fortune of hanging out at the Mkhambathi Nature Reserve. It rules! Grasslands next to the sea, waterfalls flowing into it, hiking, birdlife, migrating whales, baboons and no-one else (aside from staff) in the whole reserve.
The reserve is also know for the Mkhambathi Palm (Pondoland Palm or Jubaeopsis caffra). The palm is a flowering plant species in the palm family (Arecaceae) and belongs to the monotypic genus Jubaeopsis. It is only found only in South Africa where it is becoming rare due to habitat loss . It is apparently a living fossil, the last remaining lineage of palmtrees that were widespread in southern Africa in prehistoric times.
While we saw a load of palms I’m not sure if we came across the Mkhambathi Palm (which has distinctive yellow branches). I think the last pic might be a baby one… Anyone know?
