Diario de outramps-tanniedi

Hot Air

Outramps CREW Diaries
Tuesday
18th February 2020

"Success comes in a lot of ways, but it doesn't come with money and it doesn't come with fame. It comes from having a meaning in your life, doing what you love and being passionate
about what you do."
Tim Tebow

Our dearly beloved Buchu Bus has moved to pastures new after a long life of distinguished service with the Outramps. She is sadly missed, but she was becoming altogether too unreliable for safety.

Nowadays, we mostly have to take 2 cars and the transport expenses are becoming prohibitive. We currently have 3 students, who join us on a regular basis. If you enjoy the Diaries and feel that our work is worthwhile, please consider a donation to our petrol fund. The email address is
di@strawberryhill.co.za
and I will send you the Outramps bank details

Album Tuesday 18th February 2020

For captions or info click on i on the top right-hand side. A good way to go - the slideshow is found at the top of the page on the rt hand side by clicking on the 3 dots. Featured this month -The Boys were in Town, Start-Up Meeting 2020, Platberg in the Swartberg, Kat River Circular to Pepsi Pools, Planning Meeting with Ismail , Hartenbos Heuwels with LOT, Out and About in the Southern Cape and some tips for using iNat.

For names and captions of the photos used on this version of the Diaries - see the Album.

For earlier versions of the Outramps CREW Diaries

https://us17.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=be2accf3de565e1297257f79e&id=8113ba68c6

The Boys were in Town
Watsonias on Cradock Peak:
We wondered what the pink haze was on the top of Cradock Peak and just had to find out. It turned out to be a mass of Watsonias, larger than any display I've ever seen. We were also delighted to see Cyrtanthus elatus (George Lily) around every corner and a real highlight was the discovery of a population of the stunning Geissorhiza outeniquensis (Near Threatened) by Werner.

Other noteworthy trips:
We had a wonderful time on the St. Blaize trail (Cyrtanthus sp.), the Koumashoek Circuit (Erica georgica, Mimetes pauciflorus Vulnerable, Cyrtanthus elatus), Addo (a rooikat kill and lions) and a trip up the eastern ridge of the Swartberg Pass to Oliewenberg (Protea rupicola - Endangered, Protea venusta - Endangered), Leucadendron dregeii Endangered) and the first iNat observation of Erica jugicola - Rare), thanks to Werner.
Peter

Start-Up Meeting 2020
A very successful start-up meeting was held at Evie's attractive home "Woodcutters" on Wilderness Heights. It was ably chaired by Jenny Potgieter, as she takes over the reins of the Outramps from the retiring matriarch Di Turner. There was a good turnout and lots of enthusiasm for the work that needs to be done in 2020.

Goals

The search for Rare and Endangered plants and their monitoring remains our core function
Collection of specimens for the Southern Cape Herbarium
Seed Collection for MSBP (Millenium Seed Bank Partnership)
Engagement with local Municipalities on conservation issues.
Recording data on iNaturalist in order to provide a comprehensive checklist of all the flora and fauna that we find wherever we are in South Africa and beyond, with our main focus being the Southern and Western Cape.
Training and inspiring youngsters who show an interest in the environment.

We will continue with our weekly SIM field trips and the HAT trips with the Mountain Club. Our young in the Western Cape will be climbing the highest mountains and exploring all over the place. We are hoping that LOT will also be revitalised in 2020. We plan 4 major Overnighters for the year.
tanniedi

Platberg in the Swartberg
It was cool and overcast, which made for pleasant walking on the northern side of the Swartberg. It's a while since we did Platberg and we had an excellent turnout. Nicky and Karol did a short loop and took thousands of photos. Jenny, Rebecca and Di did the whole loop on the northern side and Evie and Dave explored the tops of the hills and found Erica zwartbergensis (Rare) along the way.

Syncarpha ferruginea was a shimmerimg golden colour and Tritoniopsis antholyza was gorgeous in burnt-orange. There were lots of stunning pink Vygies, particularly when we got down on to the Swartberg Pass. We were delighted to find both Leucadendron barkerae and Protea canaliculata, which we haven't seen for ages. The views all along were spectacular.

The find of the day was a small Crassula. Niels Jacobsen of the Southern Cape Herbarium has confirmed that it is a new species in a Group that he is busy revising. Jen had fortunately taken a specimen.

After a lovely day fossicking over a wide area, we returned home very satisfied. The recent rains are already making a big difference to the regeneration of the vegetation on the Swartberg.
Tanniedi

Kat River Circular to Pepsi Pools
Budgetary constraints and very high temperatures have combined to keep us local for some of January and early February. The Kat River Circuit is a very pleasant and reasonably cool walk, with the option of a swim at the popular Pepsi Pools higher up the Swart River, before it tumbles down into the Garden Route Dam that is almost full after some good rains. The last part of the walk is a pleasant meander along the northern shore of the Dam. On the downside, this whole area is a striking example of post-fire degradation. Black Wattle is coming up like grass all over the place. This ground is administered by the George Municipality. The size of the problem is daunting and with limited resources, we have no idea of how they are going to tackle it. It would need an army to win this battle.

In between the mess of aliens, some Fynbos is trying to establish itself. Without major intervention, it is doomed to failure. The area immediately around Pepsi Pools is indigenous forest and is holding its own. Just at the entrance to the forest, we saw our only Rare of the day, Erica unicolor subsp. georgensis (Rare).

Joining us for the first time was Nicolette, (she and her husband recently bought Strawberry Hill) and Fred, who is doing his Nature Conservation prac at the Botanical Gardens. We are delighted to welcome them to the ranks of the Outramps and are hoping that they will enjoy the field trips and find them as interesting as we do. The average age of the Outramps is gradually sliding downwards, despite one or two ancients in the ranks.
tanniedi

Putting the Garden Route on the biodiversity map!
Diarize: 24-27 April 2020
City Nature Challenge 2020 on iNat

iNat Training for & Garden Route City Nature Challenge (CNC) 2020 kicks off…
A curious and interactive group came to the formal information and training session for the CNC in Mossel Bay. The members of BotSoc, WESSA, CREW, the Dana Bay and Great Brak River Conservancies; Point of Human Origins scientists; local tour guides who provide for German tourists, birders and the cruise liners visiting Mossel Bay; retirees and the fundraiser/education outreach facilitator for Oceans Research were clearly dead keen to know more and get on board.

The iNaturalist phone App is the ideal tool for the CNC. Training will be given to use the smart phone App to interested
parties in the various Garden Route towns. Follow the Facebook page for updates: https://web.facebook.com/Garden-Route-City-Nature-Challenge-101835558021716/ or https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-garden-route

The CNC Core Committee on the Garden Route are volunteers and still need: Champions for CNC in Hessequa, Kannaland and Oudtshoorn. Anyone wishing to record the biodiversity in their immediate area can take the initiative to coordinate a bioblitz. Posters and information fact sheets are available too. Ask! For further information or requests for iNat training on the handy phone App or an overview of the powerful, versatile computer version, contact Christine: wessageorge@isat.co.za.
Advice from last year’s winner, Cape Town: ‘Sign Up to www.iNaturalist.org NOW - and practise, practise, practise’!
Sandra

Planning Meeting with Ismail
It was a steaming, hot day. All thoughts of Flanagans Rock on the northern side of Cradock Peak had fled, with forecast temperatures in the area reaching the upper 30's. So we opted for a shortie on the lower slopes of George Peak. An old Pine plantation provided shade and we had a good view of the unbridled takeover of the area by a host of alien plants. Magnificent Hedychium sp. (Ginger Lily) was in full flower, Solanum mauritianum (Bugweed) was all over the place, Cyathea cooperi (Aussie Invader Fern) was in its element and Sambucus canadensis (Elder) with its showy white flowers against the deep green foliage under the Pine canopy created a cool, green environment in stark contrast to the sizzling heat outside. Little streams coming off the mountain criss-cross the cycle tracks and trails, that are widely used by the locals.

It wasn't exactly the ideal walk to choose for Ismail, who is in charge of CREW in the Western Cape and our dearly-loved boss, but it was short and cool and was followed by the planning meeting at Jen's house. Sumptuous eats, coffee and tea and then we were straight into the meeting. Ismail always brings us a list of target plants for the year and most of them are in impossible places, or haven't been seen for 100 years, or are so inconspicuous that they have largely been ignored. Occasionally he even slots in a couple that are "Presumed Extinct". This time there were about 111 plants on the list. In Cricket parlance that number is called "Nelson" and it is amazing how many wickets fall when the score reaches 111. Are the Outramps going to be bowled out? I wouldn't bet on it. We're a tough old bunch and we've got a whole lot of newies to help us with the search.

It was great to see Ismail again and we are hoping that he was able to find a suitable venue for the CREW Workshop in May. It will be wonderful to have it in our neck of the woods for the very first time.
tanniedi

Hartenbos Heuwels
LOT had their first airing of the year when Gail, Rusell, Wendy and Sally met up at Hartenbos Heuwels for a little perambulation and looksee.

The first plants to get us excited were the delightful Crossyne guttata (I was especially thrilled with these, never having seen the flowers before). They looked like Christmas decorations against the renosterbos. Nearer the dam they were interspersed with showy Boophone disticha in bright pinks. Also in pinks and purples were various Indigofera spp., including the sturdy I. nigromontana.

At the reservoir I was surprised to see a Karoo Scrub Robin, perhaps lured to the coast by the dry conditions. Even more surprising was discovering that there is an indigenous species of Lantana (viz. rugosa) and it's living very happily in the Heuwels.

Rusell collected a bagful of specimens to keep the herbarium volunteers honest and some new species for the area were noted. When a wind with driving rain suddenly picked up, we abruptly called it a day.
Sally
LOT will be visiting the Herbertsdale Road on Thursday

STOP PRESS
News just in - Peter Thompson has just heard that he achieved his MSc Mathematics (cum laude). His thesis was on Protea recognition and he and his supervisor were authors of a paper that will be presented in Colorado in the next couple of weeks. So another one of our young is doing incredible work. We are so proud.

What's On - at the Cape Town section, Mountain Club of South Africa
Brian du Preez: A Rare Bud - Returning to Old School Botany in the 21st Century
Date: Friday 21 February 2020
Time: 20:00 - 21:00
Success is usually only achieved through hard work and perseverance, and botany is no different. We have been blessed with a plethora of talented botanical explorers in the Cape Floristic Region over the past few centuries, many of whom were members of the MCSA. Over the past few decades there has however, been a decrease in botanical exploration in the region. Botanists now spend most of their time in the herbarium or office, leaving very few individuals to gather specimens and species data in the field.

As a young botanist, I aspire to return to old school, "boots on the mountain" botany, with the help of some 21st century luxuries. My journey into botany is only 7 years old, but I have been rewarded with some incredible discoveries and some great stories to tell. Please join me for an overview of my journey towards becoming a botanist for the 21st century.
(Bill is a member of the Cape Town section and saw this flyer. Brian is another of our young that makes us immensely proud - Ed)

Out and About
Bergplaas
We were lucky with the weather. A strong southeaster and cloudy conditions combined to make near-perfect conditions at Bergplaas. Accompanied by our 3 interns, Corné Brink, Rebecca Ryen and Frederick Munro, we set off on the most southerly tracks that look north over the Bergplaas settlement up towards Kleinplaat.

There must have been a stunning display of Watsonias a couple of weeks ago, but only isolated Watsonia fourcadei plants were still flowering. The (Southern Honey Teabush) Cyclopia subternata is growing apace and there has been a huge regeneration of Proteaceae. Schizostephium umbellatum has its first flowers post-burn 2018 and a variety of Ericas were coming into bloom. Notably, we saw Erica glomiflora, discolor, uberiflora and densifolia.

It was a most enjoyable day with our enthusiastic and keen youngsters, but not one single "Rare" was found. This is an unusual occurrence on an Outramps field trip.

Fortunately the "Hot Air" has disappeared for the moment. The temperature in George on Sunday was 42 degrees. Currently it is a glorious 18 degrees.
Hamba Kahle
Groete en dankie

Di Turner
Outramps CREW Group
Southern Cape
South Africa

All id’s subject to confirmation by Doc AnneLise and Jan Vlok, Steven Molteno, Dr Tony Rebelo, Nick Helme, Prof Charlie Stirton, Dr Robert Archer, Dr Robert McKenzie, Dr Ted Oliver, Dr Christopher Whitehouse, Adriaan Grobler, Prix Burgoyne, Dr Kenneth Oberlander, Dr Pieter Winter, Dr David Gwynne-Evans, Malthinus and Mattmatt on iNat. Thank you all for your ongoing help and support.

Outramps Places on iNaturalist – You can browse through the observations or refer to the checklist which is in alphabetical order eg. Animals, birds etc.

Outramps CREW Stellenbosch HAT node
Jonkershoek created by Vynbos - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/jonkershoek-cv
Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mont-rochelle-nature-reserve
Papegaaiberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/papegaaiberg

Outramps Projects on iNaturalist

Outramps CREW Group - all postings
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/outramps-crew-group
Ballots Heights - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=143599
Ericas of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ericas-of-the-southern-cape
Fungi of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fungi-of-the-southern-cape
Geraniaceae of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/geraniaceae-of-the-southern-cape-of-south-africa
Lianes and Creepers in the Southern Cape and Little Karoo - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lianes-and-creepers-of-the-southern-cape-and-little-karoo
Veg Types of South Africa (Tony Rebelo)- https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/vegetation-types-of-south-africa

Flowers of the High Drakensberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/flowers-of-the-high-kzn-drakensberg

Outramps CREW Group - iNaturalist stats
64 892 observations
8868 species
20 Observers
115 492 id's given
(Updated Monthly)

Abbreviations Glossary

MCSA – Mountain Club of South Africa
MSB - Millenium Seed Bank based at Kew in the UK
WIP – Work in Progress
HAT – High Altitude Team
LOT – Lowland Team
SIM – Somewhere in the Middle Team
WAGS – Wednesday Adventure Group
VB – Vlok Boekie “Plants of the Klein Karoo” and our Plant Bible
ITRTOL – Another thread “In The Rich Tapestry Of Life”(It describes a challenging situation, usually to do with the Buchu Bus)
ITFOT – In the fullness of time
WOESS – Fair Weather Hiker
FMC and JW – too vulgar to translate, but the equivalent is “Strike me Dead” - An expression of surprise and delight on finding a new “Rare”
Kambro – same as above
Fossick – A meter per minute, scratching around looking for rares
SIDB – Skrop in die Bos – Another name for a field trip, this one coined by Prix
BAFFING – Running round like a blue-arsed fly
SYT – Sweet Young Thing - Anyone under the age of 40
TOMB – Get a move on
Mayhem - Needless or willful damage or violence
SESKRYNG – “Sit en staan kry niks gedaan” ,with thanks to Brian
SOS – Skelms on Scramblers
FW – Idiot
BOB – Another name for the Buchu Bus when she’s misbehaving.
CRAFT – A symptom of Old Age
DDD - Metalasia tricolor (Damned Diabolical Daisy)
VP – Vrekplek – Retirement Village
Qàq – Self-explanatory Inuit word describing some of our local problems
Mr Fab – Our Fabaceae specialist, Brian Du Preez – originally Boy 1
Muisvoel -The Mathematician – Peter Thompson
Boy 2 – Kyle Underwood who works on Orchids and is still at school
Sharkie – Finn Rautenbach – Our latest SYT is a surfer in his spare time and is now the Curator of the Garden Route Botanical Garden
Sicko – Someone who suffers from Car Sickness. With 4 in the Group, allocating seating in the Buchu Bus is tricky
VAG – Virgin Active Garage, which is our meeting place when we head north
MATMUE – Meet At The Mall Under E - Meeting place when we head West
WG – Waves Garage in Wilderness East. - Meeting place when we’re going east.
VU- Vulnerable
DDT – Data Deficient and Taxonomically ?
NT – Near Threatened
EN – Endangered
CR – Critically Endangered
PE – Presumed extinct
LC – Least Concern
TBC – To be Confirmed
TLC – Tender loving care
JMS – An expression of absolute disdain
FOMO – Fear of Missing Out
Milk – the fruit of the vine
Condensed Milk – Scotland’s finest export
Full Cream Milk or Fat Milk – Any product of Humulus lupulus eg. Milk Stout
Milk of the Gods – Rooibos and Brandy
Milk Shake - Sparkling Wine
NS – Species of conservation concern new to the Outramps
PS -Priority Species allocated to the Outramps by our CREW Cape Co-ordinator , Ismail Ebrahim
iNatFD – iNaturalist for Dummies as compiled by Sally
Mizzle – Mist and drizzle combined. A regular feature of George in the ”good old days”.
FE – Fire Ephemeral – only appears immediately or after a couple of years after fire
Squirrel – aka President Ramaphosa
WOG – Wrath of God – eg. incurred when you put a young Pine tree on iNat as Leucadendron album
Skedonk - A banger - old, battered motor car more than 30 years old
Hoedown - redneck gathering, usually involves shouting catchy phrases like "yee-haw" and "the south will rise again"
VHF - Vat Hom Fluffie - our nickname for furry or woolly plants
SA - Stay Attractive is Google's translation of "Mooi Bly"
OTL - Out To Lunch is used to describe the Buchu Bus when she's taking a break after she's behaved badly
DFKIAA - A very funny video in Afrikaans is doing the rounds. It refers to the recent power outages.
Walkie Talkies - Botanical walks that include more talking than walking

Our mailing address is:
di@strawberryhill.co.za

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CREW Outramps · PO Box 2991 · Mossel Bay, WC 6500 · South Africa

Publicado el febrero 18, 2020 06:09 MAÑANA por

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Summer Holidays

Here we Go Again

Outramps CREW Diaries
Tuesday, 21st January 2020

"Of all the things that humanity remembered about itself in 2019, there was one that for millions of us felt like an entirely new truth: the living planet had a threshold beyond which it would refuse to support further extraction, combustion and abuse."
Kevin Bloom, Our Burning Planet/Greta Thunberg

Summer Holidays
For captions or info click on i on the top right-hand side. A good way to go - the slideshow is found at the top of the page on the rt hand side by clicking on the 3 dots. Featured this month - The Railway Children, Geissorhizas for Evan, Kammanassie for Geissorhiza elsiae, Seed Collection with Solly and Naomi for MSB, End-of-Year Celebrations and Out an About in the Southern Cape

For names and captions of the photos used on this version of the Diaries - see the Album.

For earlier versions of the Outramps CREW Diaries

https://us17.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=be2accf3de565e1297257f79e&id=8113ba68c6

The Railway Children
It was in late November that we took a chance on finding a flowering Geissorhiza outeniquensis (Near Threatened). In a later article, Jen explains about Evan, the Ph.D student from USA and his need for specimens for DNA testing. We usually visit this particular site in very early January. We decided to park on the northern side of the Montagu Pass, go up to the nek, descend via the old Cradock Pass and come back along the railway line to the cars parked just above North Station. This included a sortie south of the Cradock Pass crossing to just before the long tunnel that precedes it.

The veld was looking gorgeous after some significant rain - the first in ages. (It has been remarkably absent since then, but it all changed this last weekend - Ed.). Standout plants were about 13 different Orchids, Wachendorfia thyrsiflora, Aristea bakeri and fields of Disa racemosa in the seeps. We were fortunate to find Geissorhiza outeniquensis in early flower and in late flower was Erica stylaris (Vulnerable). The slog along the railway line was very hot, but we did find a new population of the Geiss and lots of young seedlings of Leucadendron conicum (Near Threatened). The knowledge that there was no power van to catch us in one of the tunnels, or on one of the swaying bridges was reassuring, even if a little spice of danger was absent.

It was a very successful day on all fronts to end the 2019 official activities for the Outramps CREW Group. As you will see, there were a whole lot of other trips slotted in later for various reasons. The Outramps are gluttons for punishment. I missed all these, as Bill and I made the difficult and life-changing move from Strawberry Hill to Bishopslea in early December.
tanniedi

Kammanassie for Elsie's Geiss
Towards the end of November HAT Evie decided that unless we visited our distant Kammanassie Mountains speedily, we would be unable to find the promised samples of Geissorhiza elsiae (Rare). This endemic bulb is only known in the Kammanassie and normally flowers in October. Outramps had agreed to hunt for leaf specimens needed for DNA testing by Evan, a Ph.D researcher in the USA. Luckily, Nicky and Fred were able to join me, as well as my visiting sister Rosie. With Nicky in tow the specimen hunt was successful!

After leaving our vehicle at a safe corner, the 4 of us hunted all around the track up towards Mannetjiesberg for pink Geissorhiza flowers . We certainly found numerous bright pink flowers. They were Chironia melampyrifolia in flower instead! Pelargonium ovale was also covered in bright pink flowers. Nicky, who returned earlier set off with great determination. On the downhill, she did eventually manage to find some rather unrecognizable leaf samples, seeds and old bracts of spent flowering G. elsiae at one of her previous sites. Hooray!!

Later in the day at higher altitude, HAT Evie did spy a pink flower on a higher terrace - seen while having a “cool off bath’ in a little stream. Getting up close proved to be too difficult – a rather muddy and slippery uphill route next to a small waterfall. A rather vague photo does seem to indicate that it was also G. elsiae (Rare). No doubt our trip was well after this flower’s general flowering season – I had seen numerous bulbs during a trip in Oct 2015.

The 4 of us managed to spend 2 full days hiking and fossicking in these very precious, pristine mountains. The first day along the Mannetjiesberg track on the eastern Kammanassie mountains, while the second day took us up the track from Buffelsdrif into the Kleinrivier catchment area in the central Kammanassie.

Some of the other plants seen :-
Protea eximia was making a good display; Protea punctata with flowers all over; numerous, sticky-stemmed, flowering Bobartia paniculata (Rare) were in full flower; Leucadendron album and Phylica meyeri ; after the fires 2 ¾ years ago there are numerous Psoralea sp. showing off in their pretty blues; we saw several Orichids including Disa lugens (Rare) ; Otholobium candicans and acuminatum; white Tritonia flabellifolia; and a few very strange, white Ericas. Nicky suspected they were deformed flowers on Erica glomiflora.

On our return along the Mannetjiesberg track, we met a car full of botanists! A good time to chat!! Amongst them was Ross Turner, who confirmed that the weird Erica sample probably had a genetic disorder (fasciation) of some type or other.
Evie

The Geissorhiza Hunt for Evan
November 2019

Having been asked by a Ph.D student, Evan from America to try and find certain Geissorhizas from our area and to obtain leaf material for DNA, 4 of us set off for Rust and Vrede and the Swartberg Pass. We were armed to the teeth with silica gel, zip-lock packets, GPS co ords from iNat and lots of hope.

Luckily we got to the Pass before the traffic jams started. We parked and proceeded to walk to the sites where Nicky and another had found a small Geissorhiza which Evan thinks is not G. nigromontana as posted. Just about to give up after a long search, Nicky spotted the plants. There was a small clump of them which most people would not even have noticed. We were thrilled and proceeded to collect our samples.

Then it was off to Rust and Vrede, with many photographic stops on the way. This was another kettle of fish altogether. A huge waterfall greeted us with many hanging green leaves wherever you looked and not a flower in sight. Luckily Nicky knew where she had found them before and we were able to collect leaves for Evan. The plants are in bud ,so we may have to return in January to see them flowering.

In the next few weeks we continued with the hunt. Evie remembered seeing G. inconspicua on the southern side of the Camferskloof Nek, so Sandra and Evie set off to find it. The plants were fortunately in full flower and prolific. Evie and Nicky then took themselves off to the Kammanassie to try to find G. elsiae and managed to find a plant in seed. (Article by HAT Evie) .

Lastly Di and I set off to have a look at the G. outeniquensis site on the railway line. Luckily for us the Geissorhizas were in glorious full flower. So happily we now had 4 specimens for Evan. All in all a very successful mission. (article by tanniedi).

In due course the specimens were posted off to Evan and he has received them. He is very grateful to the team for their help with his project. He promised to let us know the results in the fullness of time.
Jenny
Seed Collection with Naomi and Solly from MSB
Friday 13th with Santa’s Helpers
It was Friday 13th December and I had been waiting for nearly an hour at our meeting place at Margaret’s view point on the Brenton Road, trying to find out what had happened to Naomi Mdayi and Solly Modimola, who were in the area collecting seeds for the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership - MSBP South Africa. Thank goodness for cell phones, or we might never have connected, but when the two green-clad collectors emerged from the Kirstenbosch bakkie, I found that they had erroneously headed up Phantom Pass … after all it was Friday 13th!

Luckily that was the only mishap of the day. After scouring the road verge for interesting seeds to collect, they did the same at Mooi Uitzicht, Endlovana and Ocean View. Seed collecting is a time-consuming activity, but once again modern technology came in useful, so that they did not collect seed that had already been banked. Nearly ten hours later, with snacks on the move, we had visited all the properties, where they had been given permission to collect, many collecting forms had been completed, paper bags filled with seeds, photos taken and herbarium specimens safely stored away. Walking behind these two keen collectors, in their green overalls with bags of collections tossed over their shoulders I commented that they looked just like Santa’s helpers. The MSBP will be the recipient of their seasonal gifts.

It was very satisfying to spend a day with these enthusiastic youngsters who care so much for the environment. They keenly carried out their allocated task, working together with care, knowledge and all important humour. I hope they achieve their targets.

Thank you again, to Susan, Johan and Christa for giving us permission to wander across their properties and to collect seeds for the MSBP.
Nicky

Putting the Garden Route on the biodiversity map!
Diarize: 24-27 April 2020
City Nature Challenge 2020 on iNat

City Nature Challenge
Garden Route – City Nature Challenge (CNC202-GR) 24-27 April 2019
Is what?
It is four days of people running around like crazy – taking photographs like mad!
Of plants, fish, mushrooms, snakes, frogs, goggos, wildlife, fish, trees – in the veld, around towns, schools, in the mountains, at the beach, under water, in parks and gardens – everywhere!

Four days of frenzy, recording the biodiversity on the Garden Route. Then followed by a week to upload the photos, videos, sound bites and camera trap images onto iNaturalist. During all of this, a bunch of (very nice) nerdy and (also) normal, nice people are to identify the observations.
It is a competition!
The Garden Route District Municipal biodiversity versus that of global cities. Òr maybe just the Garden Route versus Cape Town (last year’s winner)!
We can have: The Most Observations – the Most Species – the Most Observers!
Have you registered on iNaturalist yet? Hurry, hurry….
Watch this space!!
Sandra
www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-garden-route-district-municipality

Out and About in the Southern Cape
Puffie at Dune Molerat
We saw a monstrously huge Puffie on Dune Molerat. I passed it about 30 minutes before WAGs and it was still lying in a shady spot when they passed by. In all the years, this is only the second specimen we have seen there. The first one was in 1996 and Jenny almost stood on it.

Willem Botha of the GCBR
We were very sorry to hear of the sudden passing of Willem Botha who was the very able Chairman of the GCBR. He will be sadly missed. All our sympathy goes to his family.

End of Year Celebrations
The last weeks of November and early December were very festive with end-of year celebrations with WAGS, MCSA and Outramps CREW. This last party was in the Botanical Gardens at the newly-opened restaurant "The Botanist". An excellent time was had by all.

Doringrivier East
We went Orchid Hunting in Doringrivier in late November. It was either too dry or too long post-fire, because it was an abortive trip. Our main targets were Eulophia platypetala (Vulnerable),Ceratandra atrata and grandiflora and there was no sign of any of them. If only we would get significant rain, the veld and flowers would be a whole lot better.

A new Leader for Outramps CREW
Jenny Potgieter takes over the reins of the Outramps CREW Group for 2020. In her youth, Jen was the Theatre Matron at Greys Hospital in Pietermaritsburg. That experience in handling a large organisation filled with prima-donna surgeons will stand her in good stead for the future. She has been a member of the Outramps during both Protea Atlas and CREW since 1996, so she comes with a wealth of experience. She is already discovering that it is a very "busy" job, which I'm sure she'll do very well. It was definitely more than time for the 81 year old matriarch to bow out. All our best wishes go with her. I will continue doing a monthly edition of the Diaries and will help Jen with the organising of the SIM field trips.
Hamba Kahle
Groete en dankie
Di Turner
Outramps CREW Group
Southern Cape
South Africa

All id’s subject to confirmation by Doc AnneLise and Jan Vlok, Steven Molteno, Dr Tony Rebelo, Nick Helme, Prof Charlie Stirton, Dr Robert Archer, Dr Robert McKenzie, Dr Ted Oliver, Dr Christopher Whitehouse, Adriaan Grobler, Prix Burgoyne, Dr Kenneth Oberlander, Dr Pieter Winter, Dr David Gwynne-Evans, Malthinus and Mattmatt on iNat. Thank you all for your ongoing help and support.

Outramps CREW Stellenbosch HAT node
Jonkershoek created by Vynbos - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/jonkershoek-cv
Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mont-rochelle-nature-reserve
Papegaaiberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/papegaaiberg

Outramps Projects on iNaturalist
Outramps CREW Group - all postings
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/outramps-crew-group
Ballots Heights - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=143599
Ericas of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ericas-of-the-southern-cape
Fungi of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fungi-of-the-southern-cape
Geraniaceae of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/geraniaceae-of-the-southern-cape-of-south-africa
Lianes and Creepers in the Southern Cape and Little Karoo - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lianes-and-creepers-of-the-southern-cape-and-little-karoo
Veg Types of South Africa (Tony Rebelo)- https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/vegetation-types-of-south-africa
Flowers of the High Drakensberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/flowers-of-the-high-kzn-drakensberg

Outramps CREW Group - iNaturalist stats
63,779 observations
8755 species
20 Observers
113,633 id's
(Updated Monthly)

Abbreviations Glossary
MCSA – Mountain Club of South Africa
MSB - Millenium Seed Bank based at Kew in the UK
WIP – Work in Progress
HAT – High Altitude Team
LOT – Lowland Team
SIM – Somewhere in the Middle Team
WAGS – Wednesday Adventure Group
VB – Vlok Boekie “Plants of the Klein Karoo” and our Plant Bible
ITRTOL – Another thread “In The Rich Tapestry Of Life”(It describes a challenging situation, usually to do with the Buchu Bus)
ITFOT – In the fullness of time
WOESS – Fair Weather Hiker
FMC and JW – too vulgar to translate, but the equivalent is “Strike me Dead” - An expression of surprise and delight on finding a new “Rare”
Kambro – same as above
Fossick – A meter per minute, scratching around looking for rares
SIDB – Skrop in die Bos – Another name for a field trip, this one coined by Prix
BAFFING – Running round like a blue-arsed fly
SYT – Sweet Young Thing - Anyone under the age of 40
TOMB – Get a move on
Mayhem - Needless or willful damage or violence
SESKRYNG – “Sit en staan kry niks gedaan” ,with thanks to Brian
SOS – Skelms on Scramblers
FW – Idiot
BOB – Another name for the Buchu Bus when she’s misbehaving.
CRAFT – A symptom of Old Age
DDD - Metalasia tricolor (Damned Diabolical Daisy)
VP – Vrekplek – Retirement Village
Qàq – Self-explanatory Inuit word describing some of our local problems
Mr Fab – Our Fabaceae specialist, Brian Du Preez – originally Boy 1
Muisvoel -The Mathematician – Peter Thompson
Boy 2 – Kyle Underwood who works on Orchids and is still at school
Sharkie – Finn Rautenbach – Our latest SYT is a surfer in his spare time and is now the Curator of the Garden Route Botanical Garden
Sicko – Someone who suffers from Car Sickness. With 4 in the Group, allocating seating in the Buchu Bus is tricky
VAG – Virgin Active Garage, which is our meeting place when we head north
MATMUE – Meet At The Mall Under E - Meeting place when we head West
WG – Waves Garage in Wilderness East. - Meeting place when we’re going east.
VU- Vulnerable
DDT – Data Deficient and Taxonomically ?
NT – Near Threatened
EN – Endangered
CR – Critically Endangered
PE – Presumed extinct
LC – Least Concern
TBC – To be Confirmed
TLC – Tender loving care
JMS – An expression of absolute disdain
FOMO – Fear of Missing Out
Milk – the fruit of the vine
Condensed Milk – Scotland’s finest export
Full Cream Milk or Fat Milk – Any product of Humulus lupulus eg. Milk Stout
Milk of the Gods – Rooibos and Brandy
Milk Shake - Sparkling Wine
NS – Species of conservation concern new to the Outramps
PS -Priority Species allocated to the Outramps by our CREW Cape Co-ordinator , Ismail Ebrahim
iNatFD – iNaturalist for Dummies as compiled by Sally
Mizzle – Mist and drizzle combined. A regular feature of George in the ”good old days”.
FE – Fire Ephemeral – only appears immediately or after a couple of years after fire
Squirrel – aka President Ramaphosa
WOG – Wrath of God – eg. incurred when you put a young Pine tree on iNat as Leucadendron album
Skedonk - A banger - old, battered motor car more than 30 years old
Hoedown - redneck gathering, usually involves shouting catchy phrases like "yee-haw" and "the south will rise again"
VHF - Vat Hom Fluffie - our nickname for furry or woolly plants
SA - Stay Attractive is Google's translation of "Mooi Bly"
OTL - Out To Lunch is used to describe the Buchu Bus when she's taking a break after she's behaved badly
DFKIAA - A very funny video in Afrikaans is doing the rounds. It refers to the recent power outages.
Walkie Talkies - Botanical walks that include more talking than walking

Publicado el enero 21, 2020 06:35 MAÑANA por

outramps-tanniedi | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

Slithery Encounters

Outramps CREW Diaries
Tuesday
29th October 2019

“Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion.” ― Anatoli Boukreev

ALBUM 29th October 2019
For captions or info click on i on the top right-hand side. A good way to go - the slideshow is found at the top of the page on the rt hand side by clicking on the 3 dots. Featured today – Rabiesberg, IUCN Leaders' Meeting, Herbertsdale West, Van Kerwelsvlei at Ruigtevlei, A Thesium for Daniel and the Swellendam Hiking Trail.

For names and captions of the photos used on this version of the Diaries - see the Album.

For earlier versions of the Outramps CREW Diaries

https://us17.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=be2accf3de565e1297257f79e&id=8113ba68c6

Rabiesberg
The Sore-Edge Subarbush:
For years I've wanted to see Protea holosericea (Saw-Edge Sugarbush - Endangered) and given that it flowers during September and October, it is the perfect Protea to be hunting for one's 24th birthday!

MO, Werner and myself (upon recommendation of the Worcester MCSA) decided to climb Rabiesberg, rather than Saw-Edge peak. We had been told there are a number of plants on Rabiesberg, as well as a path halfway up the mountain. We set off on the Saturday into Smalblaarkloof, which is a narrow and overgrown kloof to the south of Rabiesberg. We struggled to find the path out of the kloof and managed to waste a great deal of time scrambling up a somewhat dangerous scree slope. Finally, we found the path which led us to the ridge below Rabiesberg. This ridge turned into something of a nightmare!

With no extra water and a boulder-strewn ridge, we struggled up the mountain in scorching heat. We had been warned that there was no water on the mountain, so the excess of water in our packs didn't make the trip any easier. After many hours and an ever increasing slope, we reached the ridge leading to the peak. With the slope being less steep and the boulders and vegetation clearing, we decided to set up camp. Exhausted, we enjoyed the sherry Werner had carried up, with a spectacular sunset marking the end of being 23.

The next morning the 2km to Rabiesberg was easy going and we successfully found one measly Protea holosericea in flower. This lifted our spirits and set us on a mission to get back down as soon as possible. Along the way we saw Gladiolus debilis, Serruria dodii, a beautiful Lachnaea and the striking Hypocalyptus sophoroides. To end off the trip, we had well-earned burgers at the Saggy Stone brewery, with MO deciding the name of P. holosericea should be changed to the Sore-Edge Sugarbush, for all the sore edges you have after climbing up Rabiesberg!

Peter

IUCN Leaders' Meeting

SSC Deputy Chair, Dr Domitilla Raimondo
Domitilla Raimondo is the Threatened Species Programme Manager at the South African National Biodiversity Institute. She is responsible for the species assessments for South Africa’s National Biodiversity Assessment and has extensive experience assessing the threat status for South Africa’s animal and plant species. Domitilla is the lead author of the “Red List of South African Plants” (2009) and has co-ordinated the Red List assessments for many animal groups. She is dedicated to ensuring that species information feeds into landuse decision-making. Domitilla is also involved in species conservation work internationally and serves as Deputy Chair on the IUCN SSC Red List Committee.

Tilla started the CREW Programme in 2003 as part of the Threatened Plants Programme and the Outramps were conscripted in 2004. The rest is history.

Van Kervelsvlei in Ruigtevlei Plantations
From the first day that we saw it, we were fascinated by Van Kervelsvlei. There didn't seem to be a water-source and it was filled with grass. In one of the Diaries, I mentioned that we would be very interested to know more about it. Heine Muller is the manager of the Ruigtevlei plantations and he picked up on the query. Recently, there has been a lot of research done on the vlei and Heine sent me the scientific papers. These were duly passed on to Mike Cameron, with the request that he turn it into a readable article. Below is the result
tanniedi

A hydropedological assessment of the van Kervelsvlei wetland
Van Kervelsvlei wetland is situated about 2.5 km north of the N2 on the Ruigtevlei plantation managed by PG Bison. After the 2017 fires, which burnt most of the plantation, concerns were raised by the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation re the replanting of the area surrounding the vlei. They suggested that a hydropedologic assessment be done to determine future management of the vlei (study of the interface between soil and water relations). PG Bison appointed a team of scientists to carry out this assessment.

The following questions were raised:
Where does the water in the vlei originate?
What are the boundary limits of the vlei?

What is the importance of the vlei?
What was the effect on the vlei of aerial spraying of herbicide on the surrounding areas to be re-established with plantations? The vlei itself was not sprayed.
How should the vlei and its surrounds be managed in the future, especially regarding re-establishment of plantations?

The assessment determined the following:
The vlei is formed by a sealed base of CaCO3 and peat in a basin filled with about 11 m of peat formed over thousands of years. The environmental history of the vlei and its surrounds can be analysed using e.g. the very rich pollen records.

The team used a series of soil pits and auguring, as well as instruments to measure water inflow. The inflow into the vlei is only from precipitation and from the immediate catchment of old dunes surrounding the vlei and not from underground water sources, making it a perched vlei and not an aquifer. The water in the vlei will fluctuate in depth and leave chemical clues to the extent of the vlei boundary
.
This type of wetland is rare in South Africa and van Kervelsvlei wetland is environmentally near pristine, with relatively little human interference. This rarity and the historical significance make it of high conservation importance. Chemical analysis of the water in the vlei showed no traces of any herbicide (glyphosate and its carrier AMPA).

Future management
The team used a combination of aerial photography, presence of vlei specialist plants and chemical soil indicators to delineate the wetland margin. They suggest an additional 30m buffer zone where all but the most important management roads can rehabilitate to their natural state.

All invasive and alien plant species present are to be removed from the vlei, its edges and the buffer zone using methods which will cause minimum disturbance, yet still adhering to safety precautions. The water flow should be monitored and all alien species invading the vlei and its buffer zone should be removed.

PG Bison will manage the vlei and the buffer zone as a conservation management area, thus ensuring it maintains its high conservation status.

Mike Cameron

Herbertsdale West
Die Stappers at Herbertsdale, 11 Oct 2019
‘Die Stappers!’ – is how Dewald greets us when we meet at Herbertsdale. He leads us west to a private nature reserve in the foothills of the Langeberg. The Fynbos is mature and dense, so this does not allow for off the path exploration. I’m a little alarmed when I hear crackling sounds coming from the thick stand of Protea neriifolia as we start our walk! Nicky and Ann walk west towards the stream. Nicky finds Dioscorea burchellii (VU) and Ann finds a well camouflaged Western Natal Green Snake (Philothamnus occidentalis). Its belly is bulging with a recent meal.
Trail-running Dave crosses the stream to explore the top of a hill and reports back that the pink tinge on the higher slopes is Erica melanthera. He also finds Acmadenia trigona, Leucadendron spissifolium ssp. fragrans, Watsonia fourcadei, and Moraea bulbullifera ssp. bulbullifera.

Seen as splashes of pink all over the site is Acmadenia tetragona (NT), often with Erica copiosa and Erica unicolor subsp. mutica (EN) closeby. Jenny and I hike the circuit trail which follows the stream. Here Serruria fasciflora (NT) is flourishing and Psoralea asarina (NT) creeps onto the path from under the plant cover. The landscape is quite beautiful and tall trees of Leucadendron eucalyptifolium are a feature of the mountain slopes. Some of the male plants are in flower. They are magnificent and we stop to admire them.

As Jenny yelps and leaps backwards, a snake flies off the path and into a protea bush. Its charcoal back matches the size and colour of the branches exactly. So much so, that I struggled to find it in my photographs later. Jenny breathes out ‘cobra’ and with that the snake lifts its head and turns, giving us a big-eyed, indignant glare before slipping down into the undergrowth. There is a last glimpse of the barred underside. Unmistakably a boomslang (Disphilidus typus ssp. typus).

We are chuffed with the Erica haul: Erica caffra var. caffra, E. cubica, E. curviflora, E. glandulosa subsp. glandulosa, E. glomiflora, E. imbricata, E. nutans, E. quadrangularis and E. triceps. Some other plants: Aspalathus florifera, Psoralea arborea, Empleurum unicapsulare, Protea nitida, Protea cynaroides, Mimetes cucullatus, Leucadendron salignum, Disa sagittalis, Holothrix cernua, Agathosma bifida and Cliffortia graminea.

At the end we all arrive at the car together. The usual excited plant chatter is somewhat elbowed out by nervous snake encounter jabbering this time, although the plants win soon enough

At Fynbos Forum Gregory Nicolson suggested this as a fieldtrip. Thank you to Greg and his family for the arrangements, Sue Davidoff for permission and Dewald for taking us there.
Sandra

Although there are lots of snakes on Strawberry Hill, we don't often see them. But in the last 10 days, we have had close encounters with 2 huge boomslangs that shot across the path straight in front of us, 2 monstrously big Puffies, a Night Adder and a Slugeater. Needless to say, we are watching where we put our feet. -Ed

A Thesium for Daniel
There was a brief flurry of excitement when Prof Charles Stirton saw a photo of a tall Thesium growing in the Ruitersbos area in a recent Album. He suggested that we get a specimen for Daniel, who is doing a Ph.D revising the Thesium genus.

At the same time, Mr Fab had seen this gorgeous tall Thesium at Romanskraal in the Langeberg. He collected a specimen and duly delivered it to Daniel at UCT. The latest news is that it could be Thesium fruticosum and we decided that we'd collect another specimen to make sure that it was the same plant.

We finished early and decided to explore the area near the top of the Pass where Acamdenia rupicola (Vulnerable) grows. But with lots of chatting and my mind genrally occupied with the big move from Strawberry Hill to Bishopslea, I turned down instead of up and only realised the mistake, as we passed Eight Bells. So instead of doing some work, we dropped into the Boerqui Bistro for a quick bite and some drinks.

It was there that we met Kobus and spent a fascinating hour listening to his stories. A retired major in the Police Force, he and his wife decided on a new direction, living and working in the "slow lane". His Boerqui Bistro is a result of this decision. We were enchanted by the place and the people that work there. Do yourself a favour next time you drive on the Robinson Pass and pop in. You will not be disappointed.

It was an interesting, if unusually short day for the Outramps

tanniedi

Swellendam Hiking Trail
HAT Evie - Report on Swellendam Hiking Trail 14 to 18 Oct 2019
This super trail is at last open. We ( South Cape section of the MCSA) have had a booking with numerous changes over the last 18 months. Cape Nature have now completed various rebuilding /upgrades etc. to the trail and the huts. Parts of the trail were badly burnt at least 6 years ago. It is a wonderful trail, has loads of variety and provides a special experience in the Langeberg Fynbos with its numerous endemic plants. The trail lasts for 5 days allowing for a maximum of 10 hikers to participate.

Day 1 was very long, with exhausting uphill sections under the weight of a full backpack, while a very hot day didn’t ease our rather sweaty discomfort! Somehow, I survived. The last 3 days are short in terms of hiking hours - so an easy 2 afternoons to enjoy the surrounds and some river swimming. Along the trail at high levels there were signs of some reasonable ground seepage, however numerous plants are very drought-distressed. At lower levels, the ground is exceptionally dry, while numerous side streams don't even have a trickle of running water. The hiking path is excellent, very well laid out, especially the descent in and out of rocks along the north-facing Langeberg slopes into the Klein Karoo.

It was so enjoyable to be immersed in “real mature “ Erica and Protea Fynbos again, considering that during the past year our field trips have been into many areas in the South Cape recovering from recent burns. Having said that, some of the mature areas are very ready for a new fire.

On the second day, 2 of our group undertook the long ridge walk/climb to reach the top of Misty Point over 1700m. Apparently, they encountered a wonderful high-altitude wetland along the way. A few of us managed to explore a section of this ridge line. There, in a small amphitheatre among the rocks – an enormous stocky Berzelia abrontanoides. This tree must have escaped numerous fires – 4 dense trunks, at least 2 of them well over 12 cm diameter. Also, in a niche of its own, there was an interesting purple Agathosma sp. with axillary flowers. I feel pretty sure it is not yet another A. ovata type!

Returning to the main path, we encountered a rather angry, large Cape Cobra. With a flared chest and few more ‘hisses', it did eventually whip itself off into the thick undergrowth. We literally shivered!! After all, we had just spent the previous 2 hours off the path, bush-whacking in and out of deep soft vegetation.

Some of the plants seen:-
Langeberg rare endemics – Cliffortia grandiflora (R) trees in a few clumps along the trail; Bobartia parva (R) dotted on higher slopes.
Striking buds and flowers on Dilatris viscosa and Satyrium acuminatum.
Proteaceae with gorgeous flowers were: P. speciosa; P. magnifica; P. eximia; P. cynaroides and flowering Leucospermum calligerum, Serruria fasciflora (NT) and Spatella parilis.

Langeberg Ericas seen were: E. ovina; tall pink spikes on E. regerminans, striking red E. vestita, E.daphniflora, E.polifolia, E. dianthifolia and E. ardens.

Evie

Field Trips
Friday November 1st - Nicky will be organising something in Brenton-on-Sea
Friday November 8th - Eastern Ridge from the top of the Swartberg Pass
Hamba Kahle
Groete en dankie

Di Turner
Outramps CREW Group
South Africa

All id’s subject to confirmation by Doc AnneLise and Jan Vlok, Steven Molteno, Dr Tony Rebelo, Nick Helme, Prof Charlie Stirton, Dr Robert Archer, Dr Robert McKenzie, Dr Ted Oliver, Dr Christopher Whitehouse, Adriaan Grobler, Prix Burgoyne, Dr Kenneth Oberlander, Dr Pieter Winter, Dr David Gwynne-Evans, Malthinus and Mattmatt on iNat. Thank you all for your ongoing help and support.

Outramps Places on iNaturalist – You can browse through the observations or refer to the checklist which is in alphabetical order eg. Animals, birds etc.

Outramps CREW Stellenbosch HAT node
Jonkershoek created by Vynbos - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/jonkershoek-cv
Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mont-rochelle-nature-reserve
Papegaaiberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/papegaaiberg

Outramps Projects on iNaturalist

Outramps CREW Group - all postings
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/outramps-crew-group
Ballots Heights - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=143599
Ericas of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ericas-of-the-southern-cape
Fungi of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fungi-of-the-southern-cape
Geraniaceae of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/geraniaceae-of-the-southern-cape-of-south-africa
Lianes and Creepers in the Southern Cape and Little Karoo - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lianes-and-creepers-of-the-southern-cape-and-little-karoo
Veg Types of South Africa (Tony Rebelo)- https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/vegetation-types-of-south-africa

Flowers of the High Drakensberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/flowers-of-the-high-kzn-drakensberg

Outramps CREW Group - iNaturalist stats
59 827 observations
8450 species
19 Observers

(Updated Monthly)

Abbreviations Glossary

MCSA – Mountain Club of South Africa
MSB - Millenium Seed Bank based at Kew in the UK
WIP – Work in Progress
HAT – High Altitude Team
LOT – Lowland Team
SIM – Somewhere in the Middle Team
WAGS – Wednesday Adventure Group
VB – Vlok Boekie “Plants of the Klein Karoo” and our Plant Bible
ITRTOL – Another thread “In The Rich Tapestry Of Life”(It describes a challenging situation, usually to do with the Buchu Bus)
ITFOT – In the fullness of time
WOESS – Fair Weather Hiker
FMC and JW – too vulgar to translate, but the equivalent is “Strike me Dead” - An expression of surprise and delight on finding a new “Rare”
Kambro – same as above
Fossick – A meter per minute, scratching around looking for rares
SIDB – Skrop in die Bos – Another name for a field trip, this one coined by Prix
BAFFING – Running round like a blue-arsed fly
SYT – Sweet Young Thing - Anyone under the age of 40
TOMB – Get a move on
Mayhem - Needless or willful damage or violence
SESKRYNG – “Sit en staan kry niks gedaan” ,with thanks to Brian
SOS – Skelms on Scramblers
FW – Idiot
BOB – Another name for the Buchu Bus when she’s misbehaving.
CRAFT – A symptom of Old Age
DDD - Metalasia tricolor (Damned Diabolical Daisy)
VP – Vrekplek – Retirement Village
Qàq – Self-explanatory Inuit word describing some of our local problems
Mr Fab – Our Fabaceae specialist, Brian Du Preez – originally Boy 1
Muisvoel -The Mathematician – Peter Thompson
Boy 2 – Kyle Underwood who works on Orchids and is still at school
Sharkie – Finn Rautenbach – Our latest SYT is a surfer in his spare time and is now the Curator of the Garden Route Botanical Garden
Sicko – Someone who suffers from Car Sickness. With 4 in the Group, allocating seating in the Buchu Bus is tricky
VAG – Virgin Active Garage, which is our meeting place when we head north
MATMUE – Meet At The Mall Under E - Meeting place when we head West
WG – Waves Garage in Wilderness East. - Meeting place when we’re going east.
VU- Vulnerable
DDT – Data Deficient and Taxonomically ?
NT – Near Threatened
EN – Endangered
CR – Critically Endangered
PE – Presumed extinct
LC – Least Concern
TBC – To be Confirmed
TLC – Tender loving care
JMS – An expression of absolute disdain
FOMO – Fear of Missing Out
Milk – the fruit of the vine
Condensed Milk – Scotland’s finest export
Full Cream Milk or Fat Milk – Any product of Humulus lupulus eg. Milk Stout
Milk of the Gods – Rooibos and Brandy
Milk Shake - Sparkling Wine
NS – Species of conservation concern new to the Outramps
PS -Priority Species allocated to the Outramps by our CREW Cape Co-ordinator , Ismail Ebrahim
iNatFD – iNaturalist for Dummies as compiled by Sally
Mizzle – Mist and drizzle combined. A regular feature of George in the ”good old days”.
FE – Fire Ephemeral – only appears immediately or after a couple of years after fire
Squirrel – aka President Ramaphosa
WOG – Wrath of God – eg. incurred when you put a young Pine tree on iNat as Leucadendron album
Skedonk - A banger - old, battered motor car more than 30 years old
Hoedown - redneck gathering, usually involves shouting catchy phrases like "yee-haw" and "the south will rise again"
VHF - Vat Hom Fluffie - our nickname for furry or woolly plants
SA - Stay Attractive is Google's translation of "Mooi Bly"
OTL - Out To Lunch is used to describe the Buchu Bus when she's taking a break after she's behaved badly
DFKIAA - A very funny video in Afrikaans is doing the rounds. It refers to the recent power outages.
Walkie Talkies - Botanical walks that include more talking than walking

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CREW Outramps · PO Box 2991 · Mossel Bay, WC 6500 · South Africa

Publicado el octubre 29, 2019 05:10 MAÑANA por

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