Jude calls for Wild flowers in May; though it’s spring in the northern hemisphere, the autumn months in the Cape also bring a wealth of showy species. It’s the start of the rainy season and the plants in flower tend to be structural and sturdy like the aloes, sugarbush, red hot pokers. Varieties of erica are also flowering, and the blombos continues to add it’s piquant fragrance. Not to be too boastful about our incredible wild flower heritage, the Cape has some 9000 flowering species and falls under the Cape Floristic Region – one of the world’s six floral kingdoms. It’s a stunning wealth and nowhere else in the world is there such profusion of endemism and concentration of species. How fortunate we are to have so many different species flowering throughout the year. I’ll be back with more!
Nature on the Edge 
I love the colour of your pokers!
That first photo, wow! you live in paradise Liz.
Feel very blessed to live in this inspirational natural world 🙂
Oh, yes! These are beauties. Love the sight of all those aloes flowering and the proteas. I’m very keen on South African flora and aim to get as much as I can in my new garden. Thanks for these Liz 🙂
Thanks Jude – good luck with your planting – guessing you’re choosing the more temperate varieties? Had good rain these past couple of days so we’re smiling at this end.
At the moment I am just watching what is coming up in the garden. Then I shall have some idea of what to keep and what to remove. It is very windy up here though so I need to take that in to account.
What a feast for the eyes!
For sure and we’re dining in style 🙂
Magnificent! i ❤
Thanks Daisy 🙂
Thanks Liz it is beautiful to get an autumn show like this as winter approaches. The winter weather has been taking a long time to come here, as it is only just getting cool at the end of May, maybe it is the same there. Some birds are renesting as if it is spring. It is always lovely to see flowers in their natural habitat rather than in someones garden.
Yes, we’re truly lucky to have such a varied show of wild flowers through the different seasons. Here we’re crying out for rain; a low pressure system is bringing some relief, but we need a whole winter’s worth to top up the dams. Hope nature’s calendar sorts itself out, confusing for the poor birds.
Yes, both our countries are in drought at present. We are also having a very late winter. It’s getting very dry and reduction burning is still going on because the chance of major fires will follow next summer.
9000 species of flowers- wow! You are so blessed. 🙂 Love the red-hot-pokers – they’re stunning.
Beautiful photos Liz! Indeed a natural treasure we can be very proud of.
Thanks! True this floral kingdom may be the smallest in area, but so hugely diverse.
I love this time of the year; I can’t wait till this spectacle erupts full scale over here in WA! Looking forward seeing more spectacular Cape wildflowers soon Liz (proteas please!)
Oh right – having similar climates and a Gondwanaland share of botanical species…. i’m guessing you have a fair number of protea too? The black-bearded variety are flowering here at the moment – looking gorgeous… will post. Had a lovely browse through your Australian plants section Maurice; intriguing species 🙂
We do have a similar climate indeed Liz, and once we were part of Gondwona, but there is no Suikerbos is Australia. I guess I got excited because I just love those flowers – the Margaret River winery I work for also has a Protea farm, supplying lovely cut flowers for Pe
We do have a similar climate indeed Liz, and once we were part of Gondwona, but there is no Suikerbos is Australia. I guess I got excited because I just love those flowers – the Margaret River winery I work for also has a Protea farm, supplying lovely cut flowers for Perth and beyond. I look forward to the Swartbaard!
Allesome
How fabulous to have such exotic blooms on your doorstep. Funnily enough, last week I bought a bouquet of S African flowers, including Proteas in our local Lidl supermarket!
A happy coicidence – a long distance distribution :). Hope they lasted well.