Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve

Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve is situated just off the N2 about 35km west of Port Elizabeth.  This 450 hectare reserve is probably the best place close to Port Elizabeth to go and marvel at the wonders of fynbos and to see flowering proteas.  The reserve covers both a large plateau area covered mostly in Fynbos as well as the slopes of the Van Stadens gorge consisting of indigenous coastal forest.  The main purpose of the reserve is to protect and propagate the…

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Protea bug

When I was doing a bit of research for the post on Pin Cushion Proteas, I found the following information: "Proteas aren't self-pollinating and depend on the small scarab beetles and the birds for pollination."  Now I don't think this little dude sitting on the King Protea is a scarab beetle, but if he does the job who am I to question what he's doing there.

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Pin Cushion Proteas

We headed out to the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve west of Port Elizabeth the other day and found lots of Pin Cushion Proteas (Leucospermum cordifolium) in flower.  Caroline has pointed me to the PlantZAfrica website which has great information on South African plants and flowers. Pin Cushion Proteas are part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, better known as the Fynbos biome.  The Cape Floral Kingdom is indemic to South Africa and found mainly between the Cape West Coast area and Port Elizabeth.  The…

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Fynbos display

The display hut at the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve west of Port Elizabeth has fresh cuttings on display of all the fynbos species and flowers that can be found in the reserve.  The display is situated very close to the gate, so a quick stop there is recommended to have a look for what is currently in flower throughout the reserve.

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Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve

The Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve is situated about 40 kilometers west of Port Elizabeth.  The reserve is 450 hectares in size and includes both pristine fynbos along the plateau and coastal forest in the gorge.  There are several hiking trails through the reserve and one of them will take you to the spot from where the Van Stadens Bridge is visible.  One of the magnificent flowers that grow in the reserve is the King Protea, South Africa's national flower.

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Heather (also Erica)

Erica flowers are also commonly known as Heather or Heath.Bursting forth in splendor, the Erica with its upright plumes of brilliant blossoms can be described as simply elegant. The colorful blossoms vary in size and shape (depending on the variety) from tiny to several inches in length but all the blossoms are exquisite in shape and detail. Ericas are native to South Africa with many species originating in the Southern Cape .

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Protea blooms

While waiting for Chaos Boy at trampolining the other evening (or actually late afternoon), I strolled around the church gardens to see if there were any flowers in bloom (what with it being spring and all). The light of the setting sun on the proteas were just perfect and I couldn't resist getting the camera out for a couple of shots. Both of these are about to blossom into full bloom, but isn't quite there yet. King ProteaPin cussion protea

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King Protea

Today is the 1st of September which means it SPRING DAY. YAY! Winter is over (even if its only on paper) and everybody is looking forward to summer. To celebrate the coming of spring I am posting a pic of the King Protea which is South Africa's national flower. And to make it relevant to Port Elizabeth, the picture was taken in the Van Staadens Wildflower Reserve. The reserve is about 25 minutes from town and a excellent spot to…

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Protea farming

In the area to the west of Port Elizabeth there are several protea farms, especially in the eastern part of the Tsitsikamma. Proteas (more here and here) form part of the Cape Floral Kingdom or Fynbos biome. There are 8500 different plan species in the Fynbos biome, more than all the plant types in the whole of Britain. It is the world's smallest biome and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site (natural site) a couple of years ago.On this…

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