From the newsletter of the Botannical Society of South Africa:
Report back: 14 January 2006
Walk in the Lower Mpushini Valley Conservancy, Ashburton.A group of about 25 Botanical Society and conservancy members gathered at 8.00 am for a walk on one of the trails in this lovely area. Being January, the weather was quite hot and we were grateful for an early start. We met at Galago Farm where Pandora Long and Neville Durow gave us a short run-down on the area, the purpose of the conservancy and the trails.
The trail was well-maintained and a pleasure to follow, with a mixture of wooded gorges, bushveld and grassland along the way. We enjoyed identifying trees, wildflowers, birds and insects, but with the heat soaring we were grateful to receive a lift back to the shade of the farm by mid-morning. Some members stayed behind for a conservancy meeting and we agreed that this area was worth another visit.
Two months later (11 & 12 March) the Conservancy hosted a weekend of Open Wilderness/ Indigenous Gardens & Trails, focussing on wildlife conservation, biodiversity education, area rehabilitation and lifestyle. This was well-supported by the general public who were amazed to learn about the area and the local efforts that are being done for conservation. Five different venues were on show with the purpose of opening the Gardens and Trails not as ‘showpieces’, but as ‘works in progress’ to encourage other gardeners to grow the indigenous/endemic plants that thrive in Ashburton and to inspire them to create gardens that support wildlife, birds and other creatures. |
