October orchid hunt - and other stuff

On a beautiful cool morning last Sunday, Harvey and Kerryn joined us for a walk up Steenberg - and we met Paul and Pauline, Thea, Katrin, Matthew and Tessa as well. The mountainside was covered in blue flowers -

called Pseudoselago spuria,

and lots of other flowers (for example, Moraea neglecta) that the Food Lady busily photographed,

while I got hotter and hotter and tried to stop in every bit of shade I could find. Helloooo, what have we here? Movable shade. Thanks Mr Airedale. Not sure where he came from but it was handy to have some shade!

There were lots of white flowers - twining Bergbaroe (Cyphia volubilis), 

bunchy Gnidia pinifolia

and daintily painterly Painted Ladies (Gladiolus debilis).

Scuse me while I take a water break. Finding it a trifle warm.

 But don't mind us Food Lady, just carry on photographing ...

A Moerkappie orchid Pterygodium catholicum,

and an Aristea spiralis.

The Food Lady and I were so far behind that the Alph came to help chivvy us up the mountain,

and eventually we reached the top

where we had tea and Thea's amazing delicious German sandwiches

 which I could smell but not taste.

Luckily there was lots of dog biltong to go around so a good tea was had by all: Thea, Matthew, Katrin, Paul, Pauline, the Alph and Kerryn.

Tessa got down to some serious exploring in the fynbos,

I tried to get them to play hide and seek - I love hiding -  

but Food Lady wasn't interested and found some more pink and white flowers to photograph - China Flowers (Adenandra villosa)

so I found a look-out point for baboons and whales

with back up on the other front from Tessa and Harvey.

Laddie was too distracted by what Paul was doing to be much good as a watch dog.

After tea the Food Lady found some more orchids although not as many as there were last year after the fire. This is Disa cylindrica

and this is quite an unusual one - Disa fasciata.

Not an orchid  but a really pretty Aandblom (Hesperantha falcata).

Ok Food Lady - ONE more orchid - Disa bracteata.

Fields of Ursinia tenuifolia in the boggy bits which I like too - cool and delicious.

Even Tessa was feeling the heat.

Thea found some golden moss - basking in the sun in its sporophyte phase. 

Not sure how the Food Lady slipped this past me - another damn orchid - Satyrium bicorne.

Now what are these two looking at?

Moi? Bringing up the rear. But now that I am 10 I am entitled to be a bit slower.

On the way down Paul found a flowering Mountain Dahlia (Liparia splendens) which is actually a pea. You can read all about it in Alice's article here.

I found some shade under a posh car and was immediately befriended by a very nice lass who was sorry for poor hot little me. Tessa came to tell me that I was being left behind,

so I followed her back to the cars and the end of a long walk.

Pauline gave the Food Lady a very lovely present with a portrait of me on it. Thank you Pauline. We are very chuffed.

We were all really pooped that afternoon.