A very clever fool
It is generally known as the April Fool but this strikingly beautiful flower is no fool. I was leading a group from KE Adventures UK. We were wading through a sea of fynbos when we came across this flower that stopped us in our tracks. If you look closely you will notice that the leaves of the plant have died-back but the flower is in full bloom. Right now we are experiencing the driest, harshest period of the year with dessicating South-Easterly winds. The leaves of these plants are broad and strap-like and have...
Passing the baton in the Kogelberg
My brothers Joel B & Dovi K and I have walked together in the mountains of The Cape, in the bush of Zimbabwe, in Yosemite in California, in Yellowstone in Wyoming, The Trinity Alps, The Sierra Nevadas, The Kenai Peninsula, The Stikine River . . . And so last week it was a very special day when Joel B & I are were able to walk in the exquisite Kogelberg Mountains with two representatives of the next generation - my firstborn Dylan and my nephew Joel K. What a pleasure (and...
Not Walking in Africa
My friend Patrick from Belgium shared some beautiful photographs taken by Lief Keuppens in the Kempen region of Belgium, close to the border with Holland. Pat has walked with me in various parts of Africa and I think that he wanted to prove to me that Africa is not the only beautiful place in which to walk. Point taken Pat. I think that this photograph is beautiful. Thanks to Lief for permission to share it. ...
Hamba Kahle Tata Madiba
The regular readers of my column have become accustomed to subject matter ranging from Table Mountain and Flowers to Big Game and Safaris. I deviate this week because like most South Africans I am preoccupied with the death of Nelson Mandela. I feel a great sadness at his passing and I ask myself why. I never met the man personally and he has been absent from politics for almost a decade, so why should his death affect me so? The name and idea of "Nelson Mandela" has been a presence in...
Snow in The Cape in November!
Right now the Everlastings (Syncarpha vestita) are flowering in profusion in The Table Mountain National Park. The name "everlasting" is derived from the fact that they produce dry flowers which retain their shape and colour for years and they are therefore popularly used in dry-flower arrangements. Their Afrikaans name "Sewejaartjie" (Seven Year Plant) refers to the intriguing feature that after germinating the plants persist for seven years before dying. The seeds produced during the lifespan of the parent plants, lie dormant in the soil awaiting the stimulus of a fire before...
The Masters of Table Mountain
I hike up Table Mountain on a regular basis. And I get to meet many special people. Yesterday I hiked on Table Mountain with a very special couple - Chris & Margot Brauchli. They are special because they are the most senior people ever to hike The Mountain with me. Chris hiked the entire route - Tafelberg Road to the highest point on Table Mountain and down to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. What is more, the temperatures in Cape Town hit 32 degrees C yesterday (for those of you left behind in the...
November is the new Pink
In this floral wonderland that is currently my home I notice temporal patterns in the colours of the flowers. In mid-summer we have a predominance of red flowers and this is certainly correlated with the emergence of the Mountain Pride Butterfly (Aeropetes tulbaghia), which is attracted to the colour red. Right now as we pass from Spring into Summer I see the hills covered in beautiful flowers, with a definite preponderance of the colour PINK (or variations thereof - Cerise, Rose, Fuchsia, Magenta, Lavender). I went for a short walk this evening...
Half man, half goat – entirely flower
The Cape Peninsula is home to an astonishing number of indigenous plant species. It is believed that there are approximately 2,285 species on The Peninsula. Amongst this ridiculously large diversity of plants are over 100 species of orchids. Right now is the time for the members of the genus Satyrium. This genus is named after the mythological hedonistic Greek creature the Satyr, because it too has two horns in the form of spurs on the lip of the flower. Unlike the classic ostentatious flower that most people associate with orchids, the...
Why are the rhino poachers still out there?
This morning I was fortunate enough to be watching three of the surviving square-lipped rhino in the wild. It was simultaneously a thrill and a time of sadness and dread. I wondered whether these three magnificent animals would still be alive next week or next month. This is no melodramatic hyperbole! At the current rate of slaughter of these remarkable and iconic beasts, the survival of these three, beyond the next year, is slim indeed. I have been involved in the wildlife & conservation arena for most of my life and...
The sweet smell of fresh water
Elephants have a remarkably well developed sense of smell. In fact the acuity of their sense of smell is beyond our comprehension and it is only through observing them in the wild that we can begin to imagine how sensitive is their olfactory ability. They also have a preference for fresh water and their remarkable sense of smell allows them to detect where the underground water is closest to the surface. In order to reach the sweet sand-filtered subterranean water they regularly dig holes in dry river beds. The length of...