by KBergReserve

THE BATTLE OF BETTY’S BAY: HACK REPORT 648

A glorious day to tackle the intruding Rooikrans! The fynbos could almost be heard to say’ thank you’ as the enemy fell one by one. A huge difference could be seen at the end of the hack. Well done all. There are still a lot to eradicate so it will be back here next month. It was encouraging to experience a local resident that came to thank us for the clearing and to offer coffee and rusks! It was interesting to see that as we cut the Rooikrans, little gems like Haemanthus coccineus (some already…
read more
by KBergReserve

WALK REPORT: SATURDAY 18 MARCH 2017

-Tim Attwell It’s small comfort to those who lost so much to wildfire this summer that fires are part of the cycle of life in the Cape Floristic Region. We join many others in our heartfelt sympathy with those whose homes were lost or damaged in Pringle Bay and Rooi Els during this summer’s ‘fire season’. With fire and its aftermath in mind, thirteen members and guests set off on Saturday 18 March, from Fairy Glen, following the steep and rocky Kasteelkop path to the shale band, at an altitude of 200 metres, on the…
read more
by KBergReserve

WALK REPORT:
SATURDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2017

The path up Bobbejaanskop in the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden, sometimes called ‘the zig-zag path’, is often mentioned with a fearful quaver in the voice, induced by the prospect of a relentlessly steepening gradient and increasing exposure to height. But the dozen or so members and guests who tackled it showed that it’s eminently do-able if you take it slow, check out the flowers instead of the height and stop at the top bench for tea and self-congratulation. The view from the bench isn’t half bad either. The object of these heroics was Nivenia…
read more
by KBergReserve

TALK REPORT FOR DECEMBER 2016

10 December 2016: George and Margo Branch on “Creatures of the fynbos” This was a very well attended morning talk with some children present. It was a pity that there were not more children there to listen and learn and enjoy this presentation which George and Margo shared. Originally from Zimbabwe, George and Margo met at UCT while studying Zoology and Biology respectively. Being well qualified to talk on fynbos creatures, their talk was enlivened by personal experiences. On one occasion while diving near Hermanus, George had his leg playfully grabbed by an otter for…
read more
by KBergReserve

TALK REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 2016

10 November 2016:  Dr Candice-Lee Lyons on “Biological control of weeds - history, principles, and examples” This most informative talk by Candice-Lee Lyons (who was supported by her husband and young son) gave us all a broader perspective on how invasive alien plants are being controlled. There are three methods used to control invasive plants. The Betty's Bay Hack Group, which has been working in the area for over 40 years, uses mainly the mechanical method. This includes chain saws for the large, mainly acacia, species (e.g. rooikrans), and poppers and snickers for the smaller…
read more
by KBergReserve

NOVEMBER WALK REPORT

- Tim Attwell Botsoc Kogelberg Walk Report November 2016 It’s one thing to go for a walk in the garden, it’s quite another to really look and see what is going on there and begin to understand. Enthusiastic communicator and passionate about fynbos, Harold Porter National Botanical Garden guide Etienne Smith, welcomed upward of twenty members and guests into his world. In a slow ramble along pathways already well known to many in the party, Etienne revealed secrets they didn’t know. More than the names of plants, it was the stories that captivated; stories about…
read more
by KBergReserve

OCTOBER WALK REPORT

- Tim Attwell Botsoc Walk 15 October 2016 It was as we expected and much more. Twenty members and guests piled into high clearance vehicles at the Harold Porter National Botanical Gardens and set off for Kasteelkop Nek in the Kleinmond Mountain Nature Reserve. Today we would not be toiling up rocky mountain paths, but ambling down a jeep track to see Western Coastal Shale Band vegetation up close, interpreted for us by renowned botanist and botanical historian Dr John Rourke. Starting at a spot with splendid views of fold upon fold of mountains in…
read more
by KBergReserve

SEPTEMBER WALK REPORT

- Tim Attwell Botsoc Walk 17 September 2016 Rod’s Trail, named after Rod Smitheman, architect, conservationist and former mayor of Betty’s Bay, is a gem sometimes overlooked simply because it’s in our back yard. The trail follows a two and half kilometre contour along the front of Voorberg above Betty’s Bay. As a showcase for Kogelberg Sandstone Fynbos, Rod’s Trail has no equal, especially in spring. A dozen or so members’ and guests’ faith that the drizzle would clear and the sun come out was rewarded with increasingly sparkling sunshine. Only the botanically obsessed would…
read more
by KBergReserve

SEPTEMBER TALK REPORT

- Andrea Benn Saturday 17 September: Dr Peter Ryan, ornithologist, on “Oceans of plastic - impacts, sources and solutions to plastic pollution in marine ecosystems”. Plastic, plastic, plastic! Why do we use it? Because it’s versatile (soft plastic bags to hard kitchenware), cheap, lightweight, and has a very long lifespan. Have you ever thought that the plastic that was first produced is still around? Peter Ryan, our guest speaker for the September talk at Harold Porter Gardens, is based at the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute at UCT. With several publications to his name, his original interest…
read more