Some of the wild flowers blooming in the fields at the moment
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Spring 2006
In a few days it will officially be Spring here in Cape Town.
We've hardly had a winter this year and except for the few storms which have hit us over the past month it seemed as if we had summer in the middle of winter.
Since the beginning of August the winter weather which normally starts in April has been upon us. We have had plenty of rain and the areas which normally get flooded have had their annual floods.
This year the Black River and the Liesbeeck Rivers also flooded their banks causing major roads such as the N1 and the main roads in Paarden Eiland to be closed.
This of course caused major traffic jams and many people to spend hours in traffic struggling to get to and from work.
The rains however have brought some relief to our dams with the average levels having increased from about 34% a few weeks ago to 52% this week.
Good news, but not good enough to stave off water restrictions that will apply from the beginning of October if the dams do not fill up more.
Theewaterskloof Dam
The Theewaterskloof dam situated at Villiersdorp is one of Cape Town's main storage dams.
There is talk in the newspapers that the dam should be deepened by about a metre to enable it to store more water.
It is calculated that if only half the dam was dredged there would be 2.7 billion cubic metres of reclaimed material to be disposed of.
The problem however would be where to dump the material that has been dredged from the dam.
The dam is situated inland and nowhere close to the sea to make disposal easy.
With the coming of Spring however many things in Cape Town start to change.
The first thing one notices is that it gets light a lot earlier than it did in the middle of winter.
When I started driving to Newlands every day in April it was pitch dark at 6.45 am when I left home.
These days it is already getting light and soon the sun will be up by that time.
In other parts of the world daylight savings would be instituted and the time moved forward by an hour or two.
Were that to happen here everybody would be leaving for work an hour earlier and would have at least four hours of daylight after work for pleasure.
In summer it gets dark at about 8.30 pm.
In Newlands the streets are lined with oak and plain trees. The annual shedding of their leaves has not yet been completed and one can already see the influence of Spring.
Many of the trees are starting to sprout their new foliage and soon the trees will be beautiful and green again.
Of course the leaves have been the cause of some of the flooding that has taken place as they have been swept down the drains and blocked them.
Up the west coast about 90 kilometres north of Cape Town is the Postberg nature reserve which is closed for the major part of the year.
At the beginning of Spring it opens its gates for wild flower lovers to visit and see the sea of white and coloured flowers that grow in the area.
With the rains that we have recently experienced there should be a wonderful show this year.
Langebaan Lagoon with the Postberg in the background
The Nature Conservation people in Langebaan have laid on a new tour this year for visitors wanting to see the flowers.
They have instituted a boat trip that starts in Langebaan and takes one across the lagoon to Kraalbaai from where you are taken to see the flowers.
This is a guided tour so you should see some of the best flowers available.
In this reserve one can also see a number of animals such as buck, ostriches, and even small cats.
This tour will be very popular as it will take you across one of the most beautiful lagoons in South Africa.
Fortunately, here in Cape Town you do not have to travel far to see flowers.
Anywhere in the Cape Peninsula where there is a bit of open ground you will see seas of white and yellow daisies.
At present the proteas are in bloom and a trip along Ou Kaapse weg will take you into the middle of their habitat.
Later on in the year along this same road you will come across seas of purple and yellow flowers, so bright that they hurt your eyes.
Cape Town is not known as the floral kingdom for nothing.
As the northern hemisphere starts preparing for winter we are preparing for a long and hot summer.
Why not arrive here early befor the main rush of tourists and explore Cape Town at your leisure.
When visiting Cape Town most visitors take a tour of the Cape Peninsula.
No matter which road you take you will always travel close to the Table Mountain range of mountains which extends south towards Cape Point.
This whole range of mountains has been declared a Nature Reserve and falls under the control of the Cape Nature Conservation.
It is home to the Cape Floral Kingdom and houses more species of plants than the whole of England does.
Of late the authorities have become worried that alien plants are taking over on the mountains and in their campaign to save water for South Africa have cut down many alien trees that have sprung up or been planted on the slopes of the mountain.
What this has done for the mountain is that where there were once plantations of pine trees the fynbos has once again started to take over.
One place that one can really experience the difference that has been made is at Silvermine on top of the Ou Kaapse Weg.
After the large bush fires that were experienced in the area two or three years ago the area was cleared of pine trees and where they once grew the fynbos has come back.
Flowers that had not grown there for years have suddenly re appeared and are once again putting on a show.
The roads leading to Cape Point around Kommetjie give one some fantastic views over the sea but the real beauty is actually on the mountainsides at this time of the year with all the spring flowers coming into bloom.
Port Jackson tree in bloom
One of the alien trees that grow on the Cape Peninsula is the fast growing Port Jackson tree.
It seeds itself and each year hundreds of thousands of small trees sprout.
Authorities have their hands full in keeping this tree at bay.
Not only does it grow fast but in springtime it flowers.
It puts on a a show of yellow flowers that is extremely beautiful to see but of course the menace of this tree is in its beauty.
The yellow flowers give off much pollen which is the bane of many a hayfever sufferers life at this time of the year.
It's also very messy when it drops its flowers and seeds.
In the Table View area many sites have been cleared to allow building to begin.
Take a walk over these fields a week or two after they have been cleared and you will see thousands of these small trees sprouting there.
When the larger trees are cut down the wood is cut up for firewood.
Although Rooikrantz another alien bush here in Cape Town is the favourite wood for braais Port Jackson can also be used.
Normally as a last resort as it does not make decent coals .
These days the wood is cut into logs and is sold as wood for use in fireplaces in the home.
If you visit Cape Town in the next two months you should be able to experience some of the floral beauty that is to be found here at this time of the year.
You don't want to miss this show.
July 2008.
This year we are having an icy winter with plenty of rain and snow on the high mountain peaks. Many parts of Cape Town
and the West Coast have been flooded which means that we should have a fantastic flower display in Spring. Our fields of flowers have to be seen to be believed so book your tours now if you want to see them.
Tour the spectacular
Cape Peninsula
Click here
to book or enquire about our tours
Phone (Local) 0836651065
(International) +27 836651065
Hire a car for your Cape Town holiday
Cape Town Car Hire
Find your
Cape Town Accommodation
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Contact Details
Email Geoff Fairman
6 Bothma Street, Monte Vista 7460 South Africa
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