6-month review
I thought it might be interesting to write down some of my observations relating to this project, which I started about 6 months ago.
I have had a very interesting year walking around Table View and Blouberg and seeing what there is to be seen in the various open spaces. I would say we could classify these in 5 ways:
- Completely denuded areas, mostly with Cynodon dactylon or other turf grass cover.
- Areas with geophytes, coppicing shrubs and annuals which are mowed often.
- Areas around canals/retention ponds where shrubs can be found.
- Areas with some cover of natural mature shrubs.
- Areas that have clearly been landscaped with plants brought in.
Of course, no park fits any of these descriptions perfectly and may contain elements of more than one but I think it captures the range of variation. This also doesn't include the areas in the reserves, which are much closer to a natural state.
Highlights so far
Based on the observations on iNaturalist, I was able to apply for no-mow status in T-Shape Park and Circle Road POS, in Parklands, essentially the two parks closest to me. T-Shape park has a lot to offer, with many shrubs still hanging on. Interesting plants here include Ruschia tecta (EN) and tumidula, Lampranthus explanatus (NT), Aspalathus albens, a strange population of Calobota angustifolia, 3 species of Lachenalia and Wahlenbergia longifolia (NT). Circle Road looks more unassuming but is actually also quite respectable with some really nice finds like Pelargonium multiradiatum and a very southern population of Gladiolus orchidiflorus. Between these two parks we can count about 120 species. For me, the next steps here is to get the community involved in the maintanence of these two parks so that they can really start to flourish.
Another area I have been lucky to get to explore is Woodford POS, by Blouberg ridge. This large open area hosts some ephemeral pans within a Strandveld remnant. Besides a great display of bulbs such as Babiana tubiflora, Gladiolus cunonius, Romulea obscura and tabularis and Moraea setifolia, this park also has a large population of Hermannia procumbens procumbens (CR) and a handful of plants of Lessertia argentea (EN). It's not clear who owns all of the land and so this may be something to keep an eye on.
Areas which were previously associated with the ephemeral pans in the Blouberg area have also been fascinating. Many of these have hundreds or in some cases thousands of plants of Lachenalia reflexa (EN). An unusual record of Lachenalia reflexa in one of these areas turned out to be most likely Lachenalia ensifolia (aka Polyxena ensifolia), of interest as it is one of very few records from the Cape Town area for this species. Similarly, in the clays along the canal under the powerlines there is a population of Gnidia spicata (VU) and either Cliffortia brevifolia (LC) or ericifolia (EN). Although the statuses of the Cliffortia options are so different, both are considered extirpated in the Cape Flats. Sadly these plants are threatened by the instability of the slopes, which are eroding into the canal.
I'll leave it there for now but I hope that this project will continue to gather all these interesting observations and that it can help to catalyse some improved management where it is needed. If I can make some change happen in the two parks closest to me then I am sure this can act as a catalyst for similar changes elsewhere.
