WALK REPORT FOR JANUARY 2017

–Tim Attwell

An easy walk, circumnavigating the Palmiet Estuary is one of our area’s most beautiful routes. With a brilliant blue sky overhead, eleven members and guests set off from Fairy Glen, dart across the R44 and duck under the forest canopy hiding the steps down to the popular picnic spot on the rocky riverside. The holiday crowd is already gathering, we say hello but don’t linger.

The path along the east bank of the Palmiet River, in the direction of the river mouth, takes us through a tiny patch of Afrotemperate forest, an outlier of the little ‘Feetjiesbos’ forest patch higher up the river. We pause to figure out the difference between Podocarpus elongatus (Breede River Yellowwood, a riverside inhabitant and smallest of the yellowoods) and Podocarpus latifolius (Real Yellowwood). It’s comforting that Braam van Wyk’s Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa concedes that they are similar. Silky Bark (Maytenus acuminata) has us finding silky threads in the leaves when broken.

The little forest patch becomes confused. The yellowwoods give way to streamside Phylica species (could that be P. buxifolia or P. paniculata?), some Widdringtonia nodiflora, which really should be up there in the mountains, a stand of Yellow Pincushions (Leucospermum conocarpodendron) that belong in sand and sandstone fynbos and a collection of dune strandveld (coastal thicket) Searsia species (S. crenata, S. indica, S. laevigata). What are we looking at? Goes to show that trees don’t read books when choosing a home.

The path rises above the riverside, Rock (false) Candlewood, Maytenus oleoides, clambers among the rocky cliffs and challenges us to tell them apart from Candle/Cherry wood (Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus) until we find remnants of P. tricuspidatus’s charismatic spiky orange  fruit. The ‘Candle’ versus ‘Cherry’ Wood controversy is explained by the Afrikaans common name, ‘Kershout’ or ‘Kersiehout’. A ‘kers’ is a candle and a ‘kersie’ is a cherry. The tree could be either or both, as you like.

Three chambered, spiky fruit of Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus

By now we are in the open. Rooisewejaartjie, Phaenocoma prolifera, is, well, proliferating en masse, rich pink papery bracts glistening in the sunlight.

Orange and yellow Overberg Pincushion, Leucospermum oleifolium, is still surprisingly blooming this late in summer. Then we are heading downhill to the shore. A flock of Swift Terns, Sterna bergii, has spotted a school of fish and is diving spectacularly into the river while three African black ducks, Anas sparsa, fly past, showing their iridescent blue-green speculum on the wing.

The mouth of the river is mercifully little more than a trickle. Andreé Henning finds some stepping stones and we don’t get our feet wet as we cross. Tea time. The monument on the rocks poignantly tells of the loss of nine-year-old Ryan Swartz to heavy surf.

The vegetation on either side of the path on the west bank is older than on the east bank. Large yellow pincushion bushes, Leucospermum conocarpodendron, are eight to ten years old, the age determined by counting the number of times the bush has branched. Member of the family Proteaceae, Aulax umbellata (broad-leafed featherbush) is blooming, bright yellow spikes on the males, posy like flowerheads on separate female plants nearby.

We make short work of the two kilometres back to Fairy Glen. It’s been three hours, but it seems shorter. Must visit this route more often.