Vlakfontein Farm is blessed with a variety of flowers, lilies , and bulbous plants, eg. agapanthus, watsonia, gladioli, pineapple lily, etc.  The latter is a spectacular rare plant with a flower resembling a pineapple, the Eucomis Pineapple Lily, with the botanical name, Liliaceae eucomis, common name Pineapple Lily.  In spring flowers like small pineapples, with leaves on top like shields, in the opening stage erupt from a crown of broad succulent foliage lying close to the ground  becoming a cluster of small tubelike flowers yellow to orange in colour. Nature never fails to surprise :

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At Treeferns Trout Lodge at least two species of  Watsonia occur, Watsonia angusta, and Watsonia marginata or spp. The former grow abundantly near water sources and favours marshy spots of which there are plenty on Vlakfontein, home of Treeferns. The two species differ mainly in size and form and colour of flowers. The Watsonia angusta are taller and boasts red or crimson tubular flowers well sought after by sugar birds. Watsonia marginata on the other hand has more purple like flowers.

The plant Watsonia was named after Sir William Watson(1715-1787), a physician and naturalist, and the subspecies marginata comes from “marginate” referring to the thick leaf margins. As far as I could find out, the word “angusta” in Latin means narrow or narrowing (perhaps like in angina) to describe the flowers as little tubes.

As I am not absolutely sure of my identifications, I am open for correction, and if someone could ID them accurately, it will be appreciated.

The Agapanthus inapertus is a  very attractive tuberous plant occuring naturally on Vlakfontein in open grassland and also rocky areas. It blooms with very dark blue to violet drooping tubelike flowers as shown in the pictures.Flowering is normally January to March. Six (6 ) different species of Agapanthus occur endemic in South Africa.

The botanical name, Agapanthus, is derived from the Greek words agape (love) and anthos (flower), and inapertus in Latin means “closed” as in tubular.

The five subspecies of Agapanthus inapertus differ in the shape and size of their flowers.

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They are clearly distinquished from the Agapanthus africanus, one of South Africa’s popular garden plants, with striking blue or white flowers.

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Full moon on 10 November 2011, and its reflection on the water creating a fairyland  stage for a thunderous frogs’ concert.



Star Gazing Hot Spot …. only at Treeferns Trout Lodge, Dullstroom, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Our rainy season on the Highveld came with a ‘Big Bang’ to our province and Star Gazing for the past 3 months was difficult due to the weather.

Fortunately, seasons are changing and for the past 2 weeks we could set up our telescopes and enjoy the starry night.  It’s amazing to see the changes is the night sky since August 2010.  Luckily, objects like Orion’s Nebulae is now visible from early evening and with bigger telescopes and camera’s, things like the Horse Head nebulae is easier to find comparing to August last year.

And the 2 famous planets: Saturn and Jupiter….Oh what a sight!! .. and do not forget about galaxies like Andromeda, Tarantula, and the thousands of star clusters.

With your lap top and programmes like Red shift planetarium and ‘stellarium’in your one hand, and the scope in the other:  Star gazing is just one of those pleasures we have to offer.

My 11-year old son and I enjoy these quality times together and during October we both saw 2 ‘objects’ on one night:  The one looked like a special craft and the other one was something we couldn’t make out in the milky way: A big flashing light which separated in different directions.  The same week, on a news bulletin, it was reported that quite a few ‘UFO sightings’ were reported during the month of October all over the globe! Unfortunately, after several mails to organizations like SETI (search for extra terrestrial intelligence) nobody replied to our enquiries.

Clean air, clear skies, luxurious accommodation, unforgettable trout fishing, game drives  and a magnificent view from 2000 metres above sea level:  This is a winning combination for anyone who is looking for that Star Gazing Hot Spot:  Only at Treeferns Trout Lodge, Dullstroom,  Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Stargazing is becoming increasingly a popular nighttime hobby, even more so for the beginner or amateur. There is so much to see in the sky with the naked eye.  When we were children we used to sleep outside under the open sky, and watch the stars. I can still hear the cries of delight with each new star “discovered”, or a star shooting through the clear skies. We have also noticed that the  sky and the stars are not always the same. It changes from time to time , and season to season. This is what makes stargazing so exciting and interesting.

Owing to its high altitude and clear skies, Treeferns Trout Lodge is a prime stargazing spot, anytime comparable with the well-known stargazing locations in the country.

See also “Stargazing Hotspot” under this category.

REFLECTIONS

Wherever there is water you are almost certain to see a reflection of something on the surface of the water. The smoother the water the clearer the reflection.

What excactly is a reflection ?

“Reflection is the change in direction of a wavefront at an interface between two different media so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated. Common examples include the reflection of light, sound and water waves. The law of reflection says that for specular reflection the angle at which the wave is incident on the surface equals the angle at which it is reflected. Mirrors exhibit specular reflection.” (Google – “Water reflections”)

The following are some images we have stumbled on over time :

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M ost people like to be in the open air, and to be on top of the world. Treeferns Trout Lodge offers exactly

this experience. A short envigourating hike takes you up-hill from where an

astonishing sight awaits you in

all directions, including the towns of Dullstroom, Machadodorp, and Waterval Boven, with Belfast  just beyond line of sight. Closer to the top of the world you can’t be.

The pictures show Theo and Nikki Wilken with brother Johan, Vanessa,

sister-in-law, and their daughter.

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←Kenny and Annette Neville

Chris and  1.5 m telescope→

Treeferns Trout Lodge now also boasts a brand new 12″, 1.5 m Dobsonian reflector telescope.

This enables guests to view in dark moon the following stars and star clusters among others :

Small and large megalanic clouds with their star clusters and nebulae

Andromeda galaxy and two of its neighbouring galaxies

Dumbell nebulae

Tarantula nebulae

Orions nebulae

Ring nebulae

and much more, weather permitting.

The following photos show some of the most  amasing stars and star clusters  obscured for the naked eye :