The renowned orchid expert shared his knowledge with a mostly young group. Doug McMurtry, one of South Africa’s leading orchid experts, kindly agreed to lead a field trip to Verloren Valei on 26 February 2022. Accompanied by fellow expert, Shane … Read more
Work by Steve Johnson and his team at the School of Life Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal expands our knowledge of how this plant is pollinated. Streptocarpus dunnii is associated with mistbelt grasslands, and grows on Verloren Valei, so … Read more
Take advantage of these opportunities to visit the beautiful Verloren Valei Nature Reserve near Dullstroom in the company of experts. Verloren Valei is a pristine wetland reserve northeast of Dullstroom, and is renowned as a biodiversity hotspot. Rare indigenous orchids … Read more
This beauty is one of the standout blooms at Verloren Valei despite the fierce competition. By Gerrit van Ede When in flower, this orchid is very noticeable in the sour-grass veld of Verloren Valei, and is one of the beauties … Read more
The Birds and Flowers field trip led by Susan Abell and Geoff Lockwood was a great success, but the second day had to be cancelled owing to heavy rain. By James van den Heever The two-day field trip focusing on … Read more
Gerrit van Ede led a small group on an orchid exploration between Christmas and New Year—the first day of the new lockdown. By James van den Heever For a moment, it seemed as though the immediate amended Level 3 lockdown … Read more
No orchid-spotting trip is complete without finding one Disperis, writes Gerrit van Ede. There is one genus that looks so different from a traditional orchid that most people will not recognise it as an orchid: genus Disperis. For those of … Read more
Colloquially known in English as Ice Plants, two genera from this family exist on Verloren Valei. By Gerrit van Ede Ice Plants—or vygies, as most South Africans and, apparently, many New Zealanders, would call them—form part of the scientific family … Read more
Proteas are particularly associated with the Western Cape, but some members of this family can also be found on our high-lying ground. Protea parvula is one of the hidden gems of the Reserve. By Gerrit van Ede When you mention … Read more
Some interesting sightings over two days in late December 2019. At the end of December, Susan Abell and Geoff Lockwood co-led an enthusiastic group on a guided visit to explore the diversity of this little-known gem of a reserve. Saturday … Read more
