Sunday in the Park

On Sunday evening I went to the Park and found it abuzz with activity. People relaxing, picnicing, kids playing, and many people strolling through the Biodiversity Garden.






In the Khoikhoi fire hearth area kids were playing with bones, shells and other artefacts - as the display was intended, as if they had read the script!



I noticed some new bones and porcupine quills in the fire hearth area.
It is wonderful to see how members of the public have responded to the invitation:
"Are you a strandloper at heart? Please bring bones, feathers, quills, tortoise shell and ostrich shells to help maintain this display."
Thank you for helping!


At this sign 'If Signal Hill could speak..." I could see the man looking up at Signal hill, and chatting to his partner. On queue - this is interpretation in action.



Visitors reading text on leaves in the Make a Difference display. And the empty signboards? They will feature case histories of Cape Tonians who are doing great biodiversity work in their communities.


That little hand reaching up to the balustrade...too cute.

The spillway in action: moving water and pebbles....a child's paradise.

Father and son strolling in the wetland

Green Point Park - a Tribute

There has been a wonderful positive response to the Park. Here are some pics taken by happy residents.

Above: Pic by B.Washkansky - www.livecapetown.co.za
And below: pics by G.Wainer





The over-riding theme in the Visitor Comments book is that people feel proud of Cape Town. It's true: we can feel proud of what has been achieved.

The Green Point Park is a City of Cape Town initiative, and the redevelopment of the Common and roads was made possible by the World Cup and Stadium. The Biodiversity Garden is one of 41 Green Goal projects aimed at greening the World Cup and intended to be 'a legacy for Cape Town'.

All of this was made possible by a team of committed City officials and professionals who worked hard in a complex project environment and under tight deadlines to make it all happen. Thank you to all!

That said, it is worth knowing that the Park is not yet complete. Still to be installed are: the waterwheel; a tot's play park; a kids adventure play area; the opening of the tea room; and in the future a Smart Living / Eco Centre. Watch this space.

Fynbos in the suburbs

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My garden in May last year. In the foreground: an Erica hybrid with salmony pink flowers and Leucadendron 'Blush'.

I have about 4 m2 which receives enough sun for growing proper fynbos - the space is more precious than real estate. At present there are a few Agathosma, Phylica ericoides, Scabiosa incisa, grasses, Cotyledon orbiculata, Gazanias, Geranium incanum and the red leucadendrons. We won't talk about turnover - that would be telling.

Just water?

I took these pics of kelp in the intertidal zone at Cape Point. Upon closer examination of the sparkly reflections, I see pretty geometric shapes. Hexagons. Are they water crystals or a clever play on reflected light?


Dunno, but maybe Emoto was onto something after all.

Limestone Fynbos - post fire

To me fynbos after a fire is... um, er... yum!

I'm not a pyromaniac but fynbos requires fire to maintain species diversity, and the rejuvenation after a burn is magical. Take for example the pretty Fire Lily (Cyrtanthus fergusoniae), only seen after fire:



Basically fire clears all the big bushes and makes space for a host of annuals, geophytes and so-called fire perennials - short-lived perennials which flower only in the first few years after a burn. Like the yellow Bobartia macrospatha, seen below:

Carpets of Prismatocarpus sp.

Apart from being pretty in a monochromatic kind of way, the burnt skeletons of Protea and Leucadendron bushes provide clues about the age of the veld prior to the burn, and the intensity of the fire.

Looking at the unburnt leaves and seed heads on these pincushion (Leucospermum) bushes tells me it was a cool fire of low heat intensity. Considering the high fuel load of the adjacent veld which was clearly old and woody, and the well maintained fire breaks this was clearly a controlled burn. These are typically done on cool, windless days so that it's easier to 'manage'.



Considering the danger of uncontrolled wild fires, this practise is understandable. However cool fires favour the germination and success of certain plant species (those with small fine seeds), so one does need occasional hot fires to maintain species diversity.

Veld fires vary in a number of ways - viz. season of burn, intensity and frequency (how often). It is thought that the resulting patch mosaic of different fire types - in space as well as time - is one of the main factors that drove the evolution of species, and which has resulted in the incredible diversity of fynbos.

(end of lecture - or at least, I'll try)

Seedling of Leucospermum with characteristic red nectaries on the leaves (above) and Protea seedlings (below).

Walking through the veld (the south african word for 'bush'), Koensrust farm appears to be well managed: there were no alien invasive plants (which form thickets elsewhere around Vermaaklikheid); and there were well maintained firebreaks. I started my walk in newly burnt veld and ended up going through very old / mature limestone fynbos, which made a fascinating comparison. More about the latter in another post.

A blister beetle foraging pollen on Bobartia sp. This unsual plant looks just like a reed with long thin stem-like leaves. It reveals its geophyte identity only when in flower.

Aristea sp.

Beach walks and limestone fynbos

On the last day of December we joined friends on a farm 'Koensrust' - between Puntjie and Vermaaklikheid. We camped on the farm, went for beach walks and spent time on the river. Here is a sneak preview:

The Duivenhoks River

Ah - but it was beautiful.

Biodiversity Garden Update

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Today I went to check on the Biodiversity Garden and to trial a visitor survey - more about that later in another post. The Green Point Park finally opened its gates on the 20th December and there has been a steady trickle-flow of visitors since. My fear that hoards of unsupervised children and dogs would over-run the garden and trample the plants were thankfully unfounded. Security reports there have been no problems to date.


However the number of visitors will be increasing soon: the City is planning an official opening late in January accompanied by media and publicity and the intention is to host regular events in the Park. In addition the Biodiversity Garden will be marketed to schools - so my fears are not entirely unfounded. Fortunately the City is committed to making this a success and the Operations Manager supports the need for effective visitor management.

Even though it's another hot day in Cape Town (33 C), there was a lovely cool breeze - it felt more like 26 C. The lakes were full and water was flowing down the spillway making a gurgling gushing sound - really the Park is wonderful place to hang out.



Wandering through the Biodiversity garden I found it gratifying to see the coastal thicket is starting to fill out, here seen partially obscuring the huts (below). The thicket areas are an important component in the design: they will provide wind protection; create a neutral backdrop to the displays; and will add depth and interest to the landscape. In a few years one may only get partial views and glimpses of the art and structures - hopefully just enough to tickle your curiosity and entice you to enter...


Climbers are racing up the shade dome. For those following the Amazing Race, Dipogon lignosus is still in the lead, and it's reached the second cross-bar. And notice the teeny bit of shade on the wall - we sat in it. Shade works.


There have been some lovely unexpected design surprises in the Biodiversity Garden. Who would have thought of shade patterns, and the movement of shade as a design element?

The Lawn types display is coming along nicely. On the flowering front, here are some species in flower:

Phygelius capensis at the pond display.

Crassula coccinea (Klipblom) is doing it's crazy red thing in the Mountain Fynbos display. They are typically associated with rocks, so every rock has a red flag at the moment.

Senecio crassulifolius - I love the translucent lines in the blue-grey foliage.

A small mauve-brown butterfly was pollinating Muraltia mitior. If I knew what it was, I could add it to the biodiversity list.

Erica cerinthoides or Rooihaartjie ('red hair') as it is called in Afrikaans.

Looking back over the garden towards Signal Hill and Lion's Head.


In the Make a Difference display the leaves are flapping gently in the breeze. So all is well en ce moment in the Garden - long may it last.