More Info/Pics


Observations / historical notes etc

SHIPWRECK TRAIL CAPE POINT


arrest Table Mountain December 2023

Latest Notes on Crime in Table Mountain National Park 2023/2024 here


26 January '24

THOUGHTS ON A TABLE MOUNTAIN CRIME FATALITY


May 2023

Load-shedding Nature?

dragon fly Middelberg, Cederberg, Jan '23

Considering a dire report by the Endangered Wildlife Trust on The State of South African Provincial Reserves


April 2023

fungus in fynbos

Fungal beings nestling in sundew, autumn, somewhere back-Mountain, Cape Town.


March 2023

carnivorous plant in fynbos

The Roridula, a rare insectivorous plant, has a symbiotic relationship with an insect it doesn't devour. More here.


Oct '22

CLOUDING THE MOUNTAIN: MUSIC & GRAFFITI

music grafiti polluting the mounatin

Sweeping the issue from under the table cloth


Asking for it

pretty pre-fire tinder, upper campus

UCT upper campus, pre-fire tinder for raging flames that ripped through treasure held in a revered library.


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Rock that rocked Darwin


shhh / peaceful

disa gorge

take a non-verbal hike


Video:

Deep Intimacy on Table Mountain

Protea Beetle  Trichostetha fascicularis

See more here


on the mountain's Front Face

table mountain cave find

midwinter cave litter


JUNE '21

RAVAGED:

TABLE MOUNTAIN'S PORCUPINE RAVINE

quagmire

Should we hike it?


April '21

Can you do Shinrin Yoku in Cape Town?

woody ravine

How, where, and why not?


Feb '21

Cedar Forest

cederberg tree


Hike The Cedar Plantation Trail.


DOING IT OUTDOORS:

1 January 2021

back of table mountain from south

Safe outdoor toilet etiquette in Cape fynbos


Spring, Cederberg 2020

sky and spring flowers cederberg


BEYOND THE PANGOLIN

16 May 2020

WILD CHANGE TO MEAT SAFETY

eland at Cape of Good Hope

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development's plans to expand the list of species including eland (above) for mass consumption despite experts' warnings. In here.



4 April

Cedar Trees

ceder tree reflected, cederberg

Notes on Widdringtonia cedarbergensis (now wallichii)



16 Jan

RED-D SEASON 2020

disa uniflorared disas 2020

The Cape's iconic flower currently in bloom, thrives only in certain high mountain conditions. Read on here ...


DEPARTMENT OF JETSAM & FLOTSAM

Beached dead whale at Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

Condoms and dead whale litter the Cape of Good Hope Reserve - What's going on?


BOOK

DANCE OF THE DUNG BEETLES

ON THEIR HISTORY, BIOLOGY, AND & CULTURAL MEANING

Table_Mountain_dung_beetle_33.png

Scarabs bewitched ancient Egypt. Now their existence is under threat. Two local academics entwine biology and history in a book - about belief in magic, scientific discovery, and how Scarabaeodea have continued to inform our view of the natural world. An unusual and informative read.


June 2019

THE LOCAL 'INSECTAGEDON'

insect at Cape of Good Hope

South Africa, like many other places, is also experiencing a sharp decline in insects numbers. How bad is it?



Of Termites & Fungi ...

and Eugene Marais

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An Interesting Discovery in the Cederberg



BOOK:

All that glisters ...

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POACHER: IN THE ABALONE UNDERWORLD

Local environmental / social stories rarely get told as well as they do in this book.



April 2018

TABLE MOUNTAIN HISTORY:

A brief history of Cape Town's early laundry workers at the Platteklip Stream & creation of its Wash-houses.


Early Cape Laundry Worker

The Wash-houses on Platteklip Stream are now a National Park guest house close to the heart of the city. Read their backstory here.


7 Feb 2018

Red Disa on Table mountain


5 Feb 2018

Update: Crime on Table Mountain

Although there's an alarming rise in recent incidents, there are still places in Cape Town to hike in relative safety. No hiking guide in their right mind would knowingly go into risky territory. But on any mountain safety is never guaranteed, even if you avoid the obvious, or even vaguely possible hot-spots. However, some of the nicest hiking areas are not among them.


TABLE MOUNTAIN WILDLIFE:

FOREST SHREW

table mountain forest shrew

Forest Shrew spotted above Skeleton Gorge. An unusual sighting. Known as nocturnal (others say they are active during the day) this one was quite unconcerned about the humans about. If it had, it would, apparently, have given off a strong diesel-like odour. But would that stop really hungry predators?

Food: insects, larvae, beetles, earthworms, small geckos and frogs

Nest in shallow burrows lined with soft grass

Four babies per litter, born in summer.


17 January 2018

Drill Baby, Drill: The Mother of all Problems

There will be an impact on the local environment from the various plans to stave off the water supply crisis. Desalination produces excess salt. With tapping into the aquifer the water-table will surely drop, with the high ground possibly hit first - meaning Table Mountain. The impact will not just be on biodiversity, but possibly on the availability of fresh food. It's an unenviable task for Cape Town's leaders. Read more here.


TABLE MOUNTAIN WILDLIFE:

A sit-and-wait predatory rock-dweller with a nasty bite. But retreat is its first mode of defence.

Cape Crag Lizard spotted on Devil's Peak while Cape Trekking

The Cape Crag Lizard, is a protected species.


15 January 2018

Crime on Table Mountain

Crime on the mountain needs to be dealt with urgently. Read more here ...


3 Jan 2018

Holly's Rescue

On Lion's Head a young adopted dog's enthusiasm for the walk got the better of her, leading her to danger and in need of rescue. She spent the night half way down a cliff on a precarious ledge, with her carers worried for her safety.


28 DEC 2017

VISIT THE ELAND BUSH-TAMERS OF CAPE TOWN

An Eland at the Gantouw Project, Cape Town


The Eland, an iconic Cape species, whose cultural significance stretching back into Khoi San culture, is experience a revival. An environmental & training programme, the Gantouw Project, has re-introduced them to the city.


October 2017

MOUNTAIN LIFE:

Post fire:

Insect Survivor & Floral Thriver

Fire on Table Mountain's western Twelve Apostles flanks, October 2017.

Nigh shot of Table Mountain's Twelve Apostles on fire October 2017

Cape vegetation needs periodic fires. They start naturally by sparks from rock falls; or lightning.

Nowadays humans start most veld fires in the city.

Here are some thoughts and pics taken in the weeks following this fire.


TABLE MOUNTAIN HISTORY:

Woodhead Reservoir & The Table Mountain Dams


reflection of Woodhead Dam Wall, Table Mountain

Cape Town's early water issues. The creation of the dams on Table Mountain.


GEOLOGY:

Flat Top


Hiker on Devil's peak above a sea of cloud, Table Mountain in the distance

My take on the story behind the Table Mountain's shape that, like the iconic landmark itself, is still evolving.


MOUNTAIN LIFE:

RASTAFARIAN WILD HARVESTERS ON TABLE MOUNTAIN


Refection of man and anemone in a Cape Town rockpool

Notes on the Cape's traditional medicine trade


MOUNTAIN LIFE:

Some invertebrate beings


praying mantis on someone's hand at Kirstenbosch

Cape mountain insects

grasshopper, Mont Rochelle hiking trail


MOUNTAIN LIFE:

Nature's Great Gap-Takers feeling the Squeeze


Illustration of a Cape Baboon

The Plight of Cape Town's Baboons


MOUNTAIN LIFE:

The Mountain's Limbless Reptiles

Table Mountain Berg Adder

A rare sighting of an adder. Video here.


21 Table Mountain Maps

to help better understand Cape Town


Mountain Mystery

On an early scramble - this shoe. There was no-one ahead of me ...

Woman's Pump shoe found on Table Mountain trail with Lion's Head in background




flecks of foam pattern water in a Table Mountain Stream