Highlights of the Spring at the Cape Tour 2024 – by Paul Cardy

Always one of my favourite tours, the Western Cape in Spring tour was especially enjoyable this year. It’s nearly 300 Greentours I’ve led now, and this tour will remain one of the most memorable.

I’ve just completed the full trip report and it’ll be on the website soon, but here I want to emphasise just some of the highlights in a trip full of them. My plant list is now some 60 pages long. A feature of this tour is that such is the variety that even at the last site on the last day almost every plant seen is new.

The first highlight was as usual the very rare Moraea aristata. At Cape Point striped mouse pollinated Liparia parva wasin perfect flower, and the special proteas Mimetes fimbriifolius, Mimetes hirtus, Serruria glomerata, and Serruria villosa were at their best.

At the Darling reserves, Gladiolus gracilis was new for the tour, and the stunning Geissorhiza radians was in fine flower among the wonderful shows of petaloid monocots. The sunbird pollinated Babiana ringens was as always amazing. The West Coast floral displays attracted even more visitors than usual, Postberg a mass of colour. For us Ferraria crispa, and striking red Pelargonium fulgidum were highlights among many. Dunes to the north were red with Babiana hirsuta.

In southern Namaqualand were Ferraria variabilis, Lapeirousia angustifolia, and Moraea serpentina, and the usual Argyroderma delaeti was numerous. The floral show at Nieuwoudtville was superb, with swathes of orange Bulbinella latifolia dolomitica, yellow Bulbinella nutans, pink Hesperantha pauciflora,stunning Romulea monadelpha, Romulea sabulosa, Hesperantha vaginata, and Sparaxis elegans. At the Quiver Tree Forest Hoodia gordonii was in fine flower, the best we’d ever seen it, and we just had to have a group photo next to it. Lapeirousia oreogena was in fine flower, and even after all these years, Lapeirousia plicata was new for the tour. Secretarybird was a bonus, and we saw as usual many Ludwig’s Bustards, hundreds of Blue Cranes, and Bat-eared Fox. In the Cederberg, the lovely Pelargonium magenteum and strange Paranormus bracteolaris were among the great variety.

Ceres and Tulbagh burn sites were remarkable, with Gladiolus quadrangularis, Moraea fugacissima, Moraea macronyx, Babiana villosa, Gladiolus alatus, Ferraria divaricata, Spiloxene capensis, Babiana villosa, Bartholina burmanniana, Pterygodium alatum, Pterygodium catholicum, Disa biflora, Drosera cistiflora, Drosera trinervia, and Nemesia barbata in stunning displays.

Worcester Botanic Garden karoo had Haworthia arachnoidea in flower, and the very local endemic Lachenalia steyneri.

At Houwhoek were stunning pink Phaenocoma prolifera,beautiful Geissorhiza schinzii, Disperis capensis, Paranormus bolusii, Serruria flagellifolia, andground flowering Protea scabra in bloom. At Hermanus highlights were Erica sessiliflora, Grubbia tomentosa, Serruria elongata, and Retzia capensis. The African Penguin colony at Betty’s Bay was a late highlight.

Lunch at Napier Farmstall was greatly enjoyed, roadsides in the area having fine Gladiolus tristis and Gladiolus liliaceus. At De Hoop, amongst the floral wealth the scarce Cytinus sanguineus, and red tubular Erica mariae were stand outs. Here were more Eland than ever, Cape Mountain Zebras, Bontebok, and great views ofSouthern Right Whales as always.

Superb guesthouses and hotels and delicious food characterized the tour.