Kogelberg June 2021

I've hiked Kogelberg 24 km circular route a couple of times before, but never with an inaturalist mindset.

I am a keen hiker in the western cape mountains, absolutely in love with fynbos, but really, a novice as far as plants goes. My professional training and expertise is in a different field.

With that said, I enthusiastically joined ispot, the predecessor mid 201x, uploading fynbos pics in my free time. I didnt enjoy the human interactions and stopped.

Then late 2019/early 2020 became aware that the platform had changed to inaturalist and now available on phone app . I joined and in Oct 2020 started adding historic observations, and also new observations from all my rendevouz' in the cape mountains. What an uplifting and educational experience it has been!

So that brings me to this past weekend's hike in Kogelberg Nature Reserve. 2.5 y since the fire, the veld is recovering and with my new knowledge and awareness, a real wonder! Baboon, rock agama and was it a Klipspringer's spoor.. all returned.. protea cynaroides, every 5 to 10m?! pink and pale yellow ones in full bloom and plenty plenty 'youngsters' getting ready to flower, probably summer 2022.

then finer detail... swamp daisies, tiny tiny erica cyranthoides? 'baby' leucadendrons, tritoniopsis, skyscraper heath, oxalis, sundew, etc etc etc abounding! Protea lepidocarpodendrum, tree pincushions, serruria, was it fasciflora?, mimetes, rooiels, yellowwood.. a true miracle of nature to witness all of this in one single day

how special. such bliss..

may I just add... a year ago I could distinguish more or less between king protea and disa uniflora, erica, blushing bride and pincushion..the range is expanding and I am enjoying every minute!

Posted on 06 June, 2021 15:25 by dryfveer