by Zoë Poulsen - Cape Town Botanist | May 15, 2014 | Cape Floristic Region, Forest, Fynbos, Garden Route, Hiking, Landscape History, Mountains, Travel
In early January of this year we decided to abandon the Mother City and take a long overdue holiday. What better than to hike the Tsitsikamma Trail, one of the classic trails of the Garden Route? This stunning six day 60 km hike begins in the small village of Nature’s Valley, wending its way from close to the lagoon mouth up through the spectacular afrotemperate forests typical of the region onto the plateau above before weaving its way through the peaks and forested valleys of the Tsitsikamma Mountains. Sounds idyllic. What could go wrong?
by Zoë Poulsen - Cape Town Botanist | May 1, 2014 | Cape Floristic Region, Ecology, Fire, Fynbos, Hiking, Mountains, Travel
One of the greatest joys of Capetonian life is the ease with which one can escape the intensity of the city into pristine mountain wilderness. Just an hour out of town over Sir Lowry’s Pass lies the stunning, rugged and achingly beautiful Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve. It is here we chose to spend the Easter weekend.
by Zoë Poulsen - Cape Town Botanist | Apr 7, 2014 | Ecology, Mountains, Namaqualand, Research, Succulent Karoo, Travel
So what do a tuna tin, a paint scraper and several thousand sosatie sticks have in common? Confused? The answer is elementary my dear Watson: all are important tools of the trade in undertaking research into Biological Soil Crusts. Last year I spent two months in Namaqualand assisting a German colleague with her research work and discovering that there is far more than meets the eye to these tiny members of the Succulent Karoo plant community.
by Zoë Poulsen - Cape Town Botanist | Apr 3, 2014 | Ethnobotany, Landscape History, Mountains, Succulent Karoo, Travel
Instructions were clear and to the point. “The first rule is not to leave the door open otherwise the mice will come in. The second rule is not to leave the door open otherwise the snakes will follow the mice in”. We’d just arrived at Tandskoonmaak, translated literally from Afrikaans meaning the place to keep your teeth clean. Clean teeth or otherwise, we were feeling as though we’d arrived in a different world, one that was only three hours drive from the bustling city of Cape Town.
by Zoë Poulsen - Cape Town Botanist | Nov 2, 2012 | Cape Floristic Region, Conservation, Ecology, Endangered Species, Fynbos, Mountains, Orchids, Plant Profiles
The photo above shows Drosera regia, the King Sundew, growing wild in its natural habitat. It is incredibly rare, only occurring in one valley in the Cape Fold Mountain Range of South Africa. There are just two populations with a small number of individuals, making this the most endangered species of Drosera in the world and it is threatened with extinction in the wild. Despite this, the species remains absent from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
by Zoë Poulsen - Cape Town Botanist | Oct 31, 2012 | Cape Floristic Region, Cederberg, Conservation, Ecology, Endangered Species, Fire, Fynbos, Landscape History, Mountains, Plant Profiles, Travel
A bitterly cold winter weekend in June brought us to the Cederberg Mountains which lie three hours drive to the north of Cape Town. This beautiful and rugged range is 100km in length and is known for its spectacular sandstone rock formations (such as the Maltese Cross and the Wolfberg Arch), ancient San rock art and being the home of rooibos tea! The shy Cape leopard is fairly common here but rarely seen. The highest peak in the area is Sneeuberg at 2,026m asl. which is one of only two mountain peaks in the area that is home to the Cederberg endemic Snow Protea (Protea cryophila).
