It’s a visual “treat” when the first dusting of Cape snow arrives and we know that summer is just around the corner.
The flowers and their white papery bracts have adapted to coping with moisture loss during the hot, dry and windy conditions of the Cape summer.
And the “Ice” plants are looking good too:
We’re a fanciful lot down here at the southern end of Africa – when the sun beats down and the temperatures rise, we look over white veld and pretend that it is full of cool snow, catching the glint of winter through the shimmer of ice plants.
The post is in response to the WPC theme: “Treat”.
Nature on the Edge 
lovely photos 🙂
Thanks Jude. Remind you of the billowing S/Easterlies over Muizenberg mountains?!
Could do with some of those today to shift the fog!
😊
What a pretty strawflower – such a pure white. Love the ice plant, too. They must be stunning en masse.
Yes, white white it is 🙂 The papery texture has a reflective quality. They really do put on quite a show; was reading that they are best after fires; so we’re going to have a bumper flowering this season.
Beautiful Liz! Is the Cape Snow a type of everlasting?
Yes, correct … the ‘Sewejaartjies’. Was reading that there are 28 different species in the group. I love the pink ones, but the yellows are also buttery pretty 🙂 Judging from the blooms opening it’s going to be a bumper flowering season.
Nice to know that the fynbos is in full bloom! Would you say you received a “normal” amount of rain this past winter in the Cape? Up north we’re still waiting for the rain to come.
Dam levels are down, 72% full – compared with last year’s 100%. Farmers are worried and it sounds like we’ll go onto water restrictions over summer. But the Cape Point reserve has ‘blossomed’ after the fires and evidence of good rainfall. I’ve never seen the sundews looking so good and they like boggy conditions, swathes of them in wet soil, little white flowers bobbing.
Tough times ahead in the drought areas. Here’s hoping that the summer rains come.
Such gorgeous images Liz. The ice plants remind me of my childhood in California.
Thanks Mar. Nice to read that my post triggered your childhood memory of California! I like that we can break geographic boundaries in this global village 🙂
I have a version of Cape Snow in my garden, a variety of colours and they’ve been flowering since May!
How widespread is that!! Love it Gilly that plant species adapt across different climates. Their common name here is ” Sewejaartjies” or ” Everlastings”. They’re very rewarding in the garden or vase 🙂
Gorgeous images, Liz. 🙂
Thanks Sylvia.
Isn’t it amazing what nature produces in response to different environments? Beautiful!
It is!! How nature triumphs – ” genius of place” 🙂
Brilliant. Looks stunning
Thanks!
Wow – pragtig!
Thanks!! Nature’s floral artworks 🙂
Lovely flowers, must be quite a sight en masse! Your ‘imagined’ snow sounds way preferable to our impending real stuff!