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YZERFONTEIN STEDELIKE BEWAREAURBAN CONSERVANCY

Autumn 2012

STRANDVELDSTORIES

Libbes Loubser

Newsletter

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Tree Mallow (Lavatera Arborea)

Sea Rose(Orphium Frutescens)

Christmas berry, pienkerige plakkies enbotterboomblommetjies. Later in dies o m e r h e t d i e g e e l v a n d i estrandgombos 'n bietjie kleur verskaf.Nou sien ons uit na die bietjie rooi vandie April Fool-blomme, en natuurlikdie Lachenalias. Verlede jaar was dié"naeltjie" oorvloedig en pragtig langsdie Schaapeiland-wandelpad en veralnet bokant die hawe. Die slaaibos sorgook van Maart af vir 'n vars groenskynsel in die fynbos. Ons kan ook vanMeimaand af in Volstruislaan se tuingaan soek vir die skaars Gladiolusgriseus. Verlede jaar was daar 'n paarmooi sterk plante met baie sade.

'nAangename herfstyd toegewens,Libbes

Behalwe kikuju, wat al groot areasfynbos oorgroei het, kan alle indringersmaklik verwyder word of op erweonder beheer gehou word.

Maar wat van die "welkome"soutsoekertjie in ons midde? Onsinheemse Saldanha Rosie (Eng.: SeaRose) – Orphium frutescens – hou ooksommer baie van sout, en groei welig indie omgewing van Rooipan op Sakkiede Villiers se grond. Gedurende diesomermaande is die struikies oortrekmet glanspienk blomme. Die blare enstammetjies is fluweelagtig en "dieblomme het besonderse gedraaideblomknoppe wat die stuifmeel uitdraaiof uitskud soos by 'n soutpotjiewanneer die bye op die plant kom sit".Hierdie is die mooi beskrywing vanJohn Manning in sy Field Guide toFynbos.

Soutsoekers – sommige is by onswelkom; ander nie.

Die strandveldfynbos verkeer gedurigonder groot druk, want saam metontwikkeling kom ook tuinplante, wateintlik indringers is, en volgensbewaringsregulasies vir ons omgewingóf verwyder óf glad nie meeraangeplant mag word nie. So 'nindringer, wat baie van ons mislei enverlei met sy vinnige groei en mooiblomme, is die Lavatera Arborea ofboommalfa, (Eng.: tree mallow) Diéplant kom oorspronklik van die BritseEilande en die kusstreke van Wes-Europa tot so ver soos Griekeland,asook die kusdele van Algerië en Libië.Die plant aard so goed digby die seeweens die kliere op die plant se blarewat die vermoë het om sout uit te skei.

Die Britte het die boommalfa op grootskaal in tuine gekweek, want behalwedat dit as sierplant gedien het, is dieblare gebruik om verstuitings enbrandwonde te dokter. Die sade wasgoeie veevoer. As gevolg van die hardesaadomhulsel kan dit ontkiem selfsnadat dit lank in seewater gedryf het.

Die boommalfa versprei baie vinnig enkom oral in ons dorp voor – plek-plektot diep in die fynbos. Organiesespuitstowwe maak dit nie dood nie. 'nBeproefde manier om dié indringer uitte roei, is om dit uit te trek en dadelik teverwyder, veral as dit nog klein is engeen sade dra nie. Gelukkig trek ditmaklik uit.

Maar ten spyte van die "droogte" is onsdie afgelope somer geseën met mooipienk strandrosies,

Reënsoekers

Ons Strandveld het na verlede jaar selae reënval maar gou weer droog envaal vertoon, en ons is hoopvol virvoldoende reën hierdie jaar.

School holidays approach andYzerfontein will be host to manyvisitors. If you're reading this and are avisitor here, welcome to this tiny touchof paradise.

All the bestMaureen

At the AGM in 2011, Ralph was awardedHonorary Life Membership of theConservancy for his contributions to theorganisation over the years. His extensiveknowledge and skill has been mined tothe fullest extent almost since theConservancy's inception. We are mostgrateful to him for his unstinting work.

Born and bred in the north of England,Ralph knew from the age of nine that hewould devote his life to gardens. And atage 18, he had his own nursery and wasgrowing and selling trees and shrubs. Hespent 24 years doing just that, and then in1981 he and his wife Trees came to SouthAfrica. Ralph had been brought here byStarke Ayres to revamp the business – amove that was 'a dream come true' for aman who was used to a short season ofprofitable annuals in England (14weeks). Twenty years as their 'hands-on'manager was enough for him, and heretired in 1997, pleased to be movingaway from dealing with the public. In thatyear he and Trees moved to the holidayhome they had bought in Yzerfontein tenyears earlier, and they have been hereever since – very much our good fortune!

Soon after the Conservancy was formedRalph got involved in his first majorproject – the Demonstration Garden.Twelve years later it still serves as a finetestament to his and the La Cock'sgardening skills. Perhaps not known bymany Yzer folks is that Ralph, ThorHalvorsen and Arthur Carter wereresponsible for the creation of thebowling green. I found it fascinating tohear that

Ralph Tyson –Honorary Life Membership �

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Colour – yellowFood – ContinentalCar –Toyota (for their customerservice)Flower - he doesn't have one – thereare too many. In his teens in the Northof England exhibiting was a big thing– and the perfect flowers for ani n h o s p i t a b l e c l i m a t e w e r echrysanthemums.Music – anything classical – probablyBeethovenSport - soccerDecade – 60sTime of year – His 'heroine' ingardening, Vita Sackville-West, saidalways to garden for your winterpleasure, and he continues to do that.He gardens for the times the springflowers are not showing off sowonderfully.

Ralph told me, "For the whole of my lifeI've been a teacher and we're here on theplanet to help each other." It describeswell his motivation for doing thevolunteer work he does for theConservancy. When asked what hisfavourite project was so far, Ralph said,"Sharing my knowledge and helpingpeople."Yzerfontein is indebted to you.Maureen Thelland

underneath the beautifully level surfaceis a layer of about 25cm of crushed winebottles, there to stop the moles fromspoiling the grass! The soil on top of theglass took weeks of painstaking levellingwith a single theodolite. On the day thatthe grass had to be planted, manyvillagers arrived to help – more than 3000plugs/tufts were planted in less than twodays.

His favourites?This edition of the newsletter introducesthe second of our two new Honorary LifeMembers – Ralph Tyson. We're glad he'srecovered from the illness that preventedour interviewing him for the lastnewsletter and congratulate him on theaward.

We have tried to include more variety inthe articles this time. We have articles onbutterflies, whales, dolphins, BlomboschGold, soutsoekers en reënsoekers,snippets on bokkies and birds, medicinalherbs in the demonstrationgarden, archaeological excavation, dunerehabilitation, and more - surelysomething for everyone.

Living above the bay as I do, my view ofthe boats coming in and out of the harbouris unrest r ic ted. And I becomeincreasingly incensed as I see whalesbeing harassed by the stupidity ofunthinking, careless boat owners. Ratherthan just stew about it and takephotographs that enrage me each time Ilook at them, I decided to write an articlefor this edition on the legalities, thepenalties and the ultimate consequencesof such behaviour - the disappearance ofwhales from our bay.

This and all future issues of thenewsletter will be published at times thatcoincide with school holidays - the timewhen most non-residents are likely to bestaying in their holiday homes. That waymore people get to know about thei m p o r t a n t w o r k d o n e b y t h eConservancy, and can be encouraged tojoin us. Membership fees are only R50per annum. There is also a new categoryof membership - Life Membership. If youare interested in becoming a LifeMember please contact Pam Brittain -pbrittain@absamail.co.za - and she willgive you the details.

indigenous

Enjoy this Autumn edition. If you havesomething you wish to contribute to thenext newsletter, please send it to me at

. Wewelcome interesting Snippets (see thenew section in this newsletter), news,views, photographs and humour.

yzerurbconserv@gmail.com

Editorial

MaureenThelland

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ConservancyMembership –ReminderPlease take note of the fact that the newwording in the Constitution states

If not paid within two monthsof that date (i.e. by 1 May), members willbe deemed to be in arrears. If you're not'paid-up' timeously you won't be able tovote at the AGM or become elected to theCommittee. The relevant clauses of theConstitution are 6.2 & 6.3, and cl. 10 onvoting.

Please support the invaluable work theConse rvancy does by jo in ing .Membership forms can be obtained fromyzerurbconserv@gmail.com, or they canbe collected from the offices of theYzerfonteinArmed Response.

Membership is only R50 per year.

thatsubscriptions are payable on 1 Marcheach year.

Niemand het gedink dat die rehabilitasievan die seeduin tussen die woonwaparken die hoofstrand kinderspeletjies souwees nie, maar die omvang van die werkgaan nog vir Ralph Weeks (projekleier),Ben Tromp en hul medewerkers vir 'nlang tyd besig hou.

En behalwe vir die winderosie en dieindringers wat bekamp moet word, hetnog 'n probleem kop uitgesteek –vandalisme! Die skoolvakansie was eenweek aan die gang, toe is vier van die tienk e n n i s g e w i n g s w a a r m e estrandgebruikers versoek word om vandie duin af weg te bly, al gevandaliseer –afgebreek en weggegooi. Die draad watgespan is om die boodskap te vestig, hetook plek-plek in die slag gebly. En danhet daardie klas "held" sommer nog 'nreling of twee van die plankiespad en dieuitkykplatvorm ook afgeskop. 'nSielkundige sal sekerlik hierdie soortwanaangepasdheid kan verklaar, maar ditsal nie 'n baie vleiende beskrywing vandie mense wees nie… Die toeloop oorKersfees- en Nuwejaarsnaweek hetverder sy tol geëis, maar aan die anderkant tog 'n sprankie hoop gegee, naamlikdat met behoorlike wetstoepassing 'n jaarse werk nie oor die somervakansievernietig hoef te word nie.

Ralph Weeks en andere se pogings om dieowerheid betrokke te kry om net d.m.v.toesig en wetstoepassing die nagenoegR2000 wat reeds betee is te beskerm, hetop dowe ore geval.

'n Paar jaar gelede het die Bewarea ooksuksesvol 'n projek geloods omrehabilitasiewerk te doen, maarongelukkig het die onderhoud nievoortgeduur nie en het die goeie werkmettertyd ongedaan geraak. Dit is nouduidelik dat mense ten alle koste van dieduin af weggehou moet word.

Wat tot dusver gedoen is is, is grootliks"first aid", in die woorde van RalphWeeks, die leier in die projek. Sooshierbo gesê, is pogings aangewend ommense van die duin af te hou om verdereskade te beperk. Die "permanente

Projek –'Red Die Duin'Geen Geringe Uitdaging!

Van die permanente plante sal muisbossewees. Min plante is so mooi envelddiertjie-vriendelik soos 'n groot,gesonde muisbos, en terselfdertyd is daarmin plante in ons geliefde sandwêreldwat meer geskik is om met sy dorinkieskinders en grootmense maniere te leer…Die grys kusgousblomme (aktotus) watreeds op die duin gevestig is, groei goeden die roomkleurige blomme lyk pragtigin die lente en vroegsomer. Die enkelegazanias wat daar groei, moedig ons ookaan nog meer te plant.

Die duin het die potensiaal om 'n sieraadvir die dorp te wees, en terselfdertyd tevoorkom dat tonne seesand jaarliks in diewoonwapark gewaai word, maar dieBewarea, én die Munisipali tei tSwartland, moet besef dat mensvoortdurend moet waak om te voorkomdat 'n klein beheerbare probleempie 'ngrote raak. Ook dat die duin beskermmoet word teen 'n seksie van die mensevir wie al die werk gedoen en kosteaangegaan word. Dus, in die woorde vandie man onder wie se leiding die projekstaan: "it is a job for life".

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Projekleier Ralph Weeks (links) enRalph Tyson (raadgewer) bekyk die

werk wat reeds gedoen is, en wonderseker oor die groot taak wat voorlê.

Die tydelike draad waarmee die duinafgekamp word, sal voor die volgende

somervakansie met 'n permanente,meer doeltreffende, heining vervang

moet word.

Eers word die waaigate (blow outs)met houtpaaltjies en dwarslatte enplantmateriaal – in hierdie gevalbamboes – en later boomtakkegestabiliseer. Wanneer die gate

genoegsaam opgevul het, sal geskikteplante in die winter gevestig word.

Hennie Richter

werk" is die plaas en bevestiging vanplantmateriaal in die sandgate omverdere winderosie teen te werk. In diesomermaande sal met hierdie soort werkvoortgegaan word – die teenwerk vanwinderosie. Met die koms van die eerstewinterreëns sal groter indringersverwyder word – daar groei onder meer 'nrooikransplant met rekord-afmetings –om dadelik weer permanente endemieseen inheemse plante te vestig.

Yzerfontein Urban Conservancy,(YUC or YSB), has many greenreserves – these are all declared as

by theSwartland Municipality. Cape Naturehas a leading function in themanagement of the areas. Ultimatelyhowever,YUC manages these areas.

The 'best known' and developed areasare:· The Coastal trail from the mainbeach to Schaapen Island· The Demonstration IndigenousGarden· Labyrinth· Volstruistuin· Coastal garden – main beach· Look out - main beach· Pearl Bay dunes· Pearl Bay Green Belts

'Open Space One' with emphasistoward Conservation

Charles M Duckitt

Portfolio Reports

1) Greenbelts

·This

pathway was cleaned of weed and thebrush cut back. It is a reserve for some ofthe oldest Botterboom still to be found inYzerfontein.

Pathway between Caravan Parkand Mile 16 Development.

Most work being done within the'Greenbelt' portfolio is ongoing and

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– many man hours havebeen spent planting aloes and still willhave to be spent to reclaim this strip ofLimestone Veld.·

needs additionalassistance to be constructed.· We have had intensive discussionsabout the withSwartland Municipality, resulting inthe identification of walkways,proposed parking areas and beacha c c e s s p o i n t s . T h e u l t i m a t eresponsibility for protecting this dunestrip from 'erosion by people' and theresultant wind damage will needcontinued efforts and remainsunresolved.Active participation by members has

The island on Buitenkant Street –this stretch was totally destroyed bydevelopment

The path between Versfeld Streetand J Carter Erf 656

Pearl Bay Dunes

seen the following gain momentum:

All the Narrative Reports (2008-2010)requested by the Director: Non-ProfitOrganisation have been submittedelectronically. These reports arecompulsory for all registered non-profit organisations and containinformation on the mission andobjectives of YUC, its activities,Constitution and its approved financialstatements.

2) Legal

Elmene Bray

3) Projects

Hennie Richter

Die enigste projek waar tansontwikkelingswerk gedoen word, is dierehabilitasie van die duin tussen diewoonwapark en die hoofstrand, sooselders in die nuusbrief berig.

Die onderhoud van die werk wat sedert2007 gedoen is, is egter ook prioriteit.Op Donderdae word omgesien na dienetheid van die labirinttuin langsDasseneilandrylaan, die beddingsaalwyne in Buiteweg en die kuswallelangs die hoofstrand tussen Beaches endie groot parkeerterrein langs Kusweg.Onderhoudswerk op Erf 495 gaan ookvoort, hoewel die ontwikkelingswerkdaar onverklaarbaar stopgesit is.

Die onderhoudswerk behels dievoortdurende bekamping van die erosievan die walle en die verwyder vanonkruid en indringers. Waar waterbeskikbaar is, word aalwyne hier endaar besproei, want bykans alleaalwyne op Yzerfontein is afkomstiguit gebiede met somerreënval. In diesomer, wanneer aalwyne weens diedroogte hier by ons onder stres is en dieplante maklik deur wolluis aangevalword, word 'n keer of wat met gifbespuit.

Sodra die eerste winterreën geval het,sal weer met die vestiging vankusgousblom op die kuswallevoortgegaan word.

Alfie van Litsenborgh

4) Chairperson

In the time since the last publicationof a newsletter I have:

Attended to conservation issuesbrought to my attention by the localmunicipality and local residents.

Accompanied Mr. Wiehan Carstens,Swartland Municipality, to attend tocomplaints, or to give advice, relatingto conservation matters. Examplesfollow:

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encroaching fynbospeople causing damage toproperty of neighbouring ownersstray dogs hunting wild-lifeinjured wild buck, etc.complaints by home owners in thePearl Bay area, referring to:�

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access to 'Swemgat' andavailable parking for peoplewho wanted to visit 'Swemgat'people who follow routes overprivate property in order to gainaccess to the beach, or do notfollow the existing pathsleading to the beach, but takeshortcuts directly over thedunes

� various complaints about peoplegoing onto the dunes behind thec a r a v a n p a r k w h e r e t h econservancy is busy with a dunerehabilitation programme

And there's always the correspondence,and meetings and workshops to attend,all relating to conservation matters.

We have 94 Facebook 'friends' and arekeen to have them begin sharinginteresting snippets of information orphotographs that YUC members wouldenjoy. Since you're reading this now,you obviously have a copy of thenewsle t t e r. We ' re se l l ing thenewsletters to non-members at belowcost to get interest going in theConservancy's activities and toencourage people to join us.

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5) Newsletter and Media

Maureen Thelland

· – Meets once a month fora guided flower walk, and isestablishing a plant index withreferences to the plot numbers. Thisdifficult task is being conducted withthe help of CREW (Custodians of RareEndangered Wildlife) and forms part ofa greater study being done in this area.· has been onnumerous outings and has established along list of bird sightings forYzerfontein.

Veld Focus

YUC Bird Club

Yzerfontein has a huge Public SpaceOne Reserve still in relatively goodcondition, yet without the activeinvolvement of the people who livehere, this heritage will be lost.Vi s ib l e examples o f

· The harbour area and headland· Servitude Erf 491 Rees and VersfeldStreets· Servitude Erf 18 and 41, Buitenkantand FirstAve· The recovering of the green belt atBakoond

Cit i zenInvolvement:

(There may be more; please bring themto our attention).

We'd like to thank all those who areactively involved and would encouragethose who are not, to join in to preservethis greenbelt wealth for the benefit offuture generations.

This dainty yellow-green malva is night-scented, suggesting that it is pollinated bymoths.A secretive plant it often chooses as itscompanion the geel Melkbos (EuphorbiaMauritania).

The scraggy, sprawling dikbeen windsaround and climbs up the pencil-likeleaves of the Melkbos to at last thrust itshead of radiating five petaled flowers outinto the open.Follow the stem down - as these plants getolder the nodes become woody and swellout like arthritic joints; you can almostfeel them ache.

Pelargonium gibbosum(Dikbeen malva)

Plant the dikbeen in your garden, thenight scent is evocative of drivingthrough the veld in the evening with yourcar window open. A sprig inside will givea subtle deep perfume to the room. It isone of Yzerfontein's treasures that couldjus t d i sappea r wi th con t inueddevelopment.

Pelargonium species are remarkable fortheir ability to retain moisture andsurvive long periods of drought - an idealwaterwise plant.

Cuttings will root at any time of the year –so now is your chance to propagate thedikbeen whilst it is flowering and can befound.

Pelargoniums are part of the Geraniumfamily. Geranium comes from the Greek"Gerano", a crane, referring to thesimilarity of the long beaked seed capsuleto the bill of the crane.Conjecture has it that South AfricanPelargoniums (capitatum) arrived inAustralia via trading vessels travellingpast the Cape of Good Hope to BotanyBay, offloading their cattle to graze at theCape, seeds attached to their coats andwere later shed on the virgin soil of theNew country at Botany Bay.

What is closest at hand is often thehardest for us to see. Strandloper

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Pelargonium Gibbosum

We have all heard of the Kruger Millionsand other fantasies like the KingSolomon's Mines, but have you everheard of the Blombosch Gold? This timeit is for real. With gold prices at an all timehigh, who knows what those gold coinswould be worth today.

At the end of the Yzerfontein Pan, whereCape Town extracted its salt supplieswith mule-drawn koekerpanne (trollies)along a narrow gauge railway line to ourpresent harbour, there lived an old manwith the surname of Van Boven, offspringof let us say the attentions of theNorwegian whalers operating out ofDonkergat, a magic tip of a peninsulabelonging to the Langebaan Lagoon. Thepublic is excluded today for the sake of anarmy camp, as if there was nowhere elseto go!

Our friend, Mr Van Boven (I never everheard his first name), lived through theyear in what we now call the Jaghuis(Hunting house) and was allowed to keep20 or 30 head of cattle of his own. He keptthose large horned Afrikander cattle andeach year he would sell off stock andsquirrel away his horde somewherepresumably nearby. He was known as abit of a miser and kept his money in goldcoins hidden away from all the obviousplaces. Maybe once in six months, hewould have a visitor, or the owner wouldmake a turn. There were not even dirtroads in those days. On the last occasion,they found a dried up skeleton on his bedbut his gold coins were never found. Onecannot help remembering the IrishmanPaddy who was the world championhideaway champion. When they did findhim eventually, he was reduced to a bagof bones in a cupboard. I suppose themoral of the story is that you don't want toget too good at whatever you are doing.

Blombosch Gold … !

David Wightman

Reddingsoperasie

L u k e e n L y n n e i s g r o o tvelddierliefhebbers. Hul erf, met draadomhein, grens aan 'n onbeboude erf. Eenaand laat het hulle 'n geroep soos van 'nklein kindjie gehoor. Luke gaan stel toeondersoek in, maar vind niks in diedonker nie. Wéér hoor hulle die geluid endié keer stap Luke 'n bietjie verder op diedonker erf...

.. en daar vind Luke 'n jong bokkie wat indie draadheining vassit!Die bokkie het hom stil met sy groot oëaangekyk. Luke het kalmerend gepraatterwyl hy die tenger beentjies tot by dielaaste kloutjie loswikkel. Gelukkig konLuke geen beserings bespeur nie. Toe laatspat Bokkie en verdwyn in die fynbos.

Luke het die volgende dag breë planketeen die draad vasgeheg sodat die heiningte enige tyd duidelik sigbaar kan wees.

Snippets/Brokkies

Nkomo Kom Soek Salie

Mpumelelo Nkomo van Zimbabwe, tans'n student by die fakulteit Botanie enZoö log ie aan d ie Un ive r s i t e i tS te l l enbosch , he t ver lede jaa rYzerfontein besoek om 'n takkieStrandsalie (Salvia Africana-lutea) tepluk. Nkomo is besig met sy PhD om diemedisinale waarde van dié spesifiekesalie te bepaal. Dit is reeds bekend dat diestrandsalie as geurmiddel in kos, veralvis, gebruik is.

Libbes Loubser

Mpumelelo Nkomo PhD Student

Geelbekwou Weer Gesien

Na 'n lang afwesigheid is dieGeelbekwou (Eng.: Yellow-billed Kite)in Januarie hier by ons gesien. Diégrasieuse voël kom dwarsoor Afrikavoor. In die Wes-Kaap voed dieGeelbekwou op muise, paddas,akkedisse, klein voëltjies, groot slakke eninsekte. Maar in Sentraal-Afrika verloopdie etery anders.

In daardie geweste voed die Kuikendief– want dit staan ook onder dié naambekend – op allerhande happies wat uitmandjies op die koppe van voetgangers.Is Kuikendief dan nie 'n gepaste naamnie?

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Butterflies need the warmth of the sunin order to fly. They are cold-blooded andcannot fly if the temperature falls below130C.

Taste receptors on a butterfly's feetallow them to 'taste' the food that they arestanding on. Stepping on their foodallows them to sense dissolved sugars.

Adult butterflies can only feed onliquids, usually nectar. A proboscis, thatfunctions as a drinking straw, stays curledup under the butterfly's chin until it findsa source of nectar. It then unfurls the long,tubular structure and sips up a meal.

A butterfly also needs minerals and inorder to supplement its diet. It willoccasionally sip from mud puddles thatare rich in minerals and salts. Thisbehaviour, called 'puddling', occurs moreoften in male butterflies.

At the same time as the country's humanpopulation was being counted last year, aButterfly Census was held over 8 days inOctober. There are about 800 types ofbutterfly in South Africa and about 10percent are threatened with extinction.Previous censuses showed seasonaltrends in butterfly numbers, with somespecies more abundant in spring andothers more plentiful during autumn. Theearliest known butterfly fossils date to themid-Eocene era, between 40-50 millionyears ago.

Everyone is familiar with butterflies, buthow much do we really know about theseinsects? Here are a few interesting factsand figures:

Flying Jewels

Pam Brittain;Photographs by JillVickerman

Citrus Swallowtail Butterfly

Cabbage White Butterfly

African Monarch Butterfly

Most butterflies only live for a few, shortweeks but others, like the monarchs, canlive as long as nine months and evenundertake long migrations. In NorthAmerica, where they cannot survive thecold northern winters, they undertakemigrations of thousands of miles to sunnyMexico. The monarch migrates bothnorth and south, like birds do, on a regularbasis. No single individual makes theentire trip but the females deposit eggs forthe next generation during thesemigrations. (For maps and moreinformation on this fascinating topic, fastbecoming a major tourist attraction,Google -> monarch migration in NorthAmerica).

Some butterflies have evolved symbioticand parasitic relationships with socialinsects such as ants. They lay their eggsinside ant nests and the ants protect thelarvae in exchange for secretions givenoff by the larvae. This symbioticrelationship is most common in theLycaenidae family – blues, coppers andhairtails. These butterflies are becomingrare because people poison ants and sopoison the butterfly larvae as well. Theother threat comes from the Argentinianants that have arrived here and are slowlyinfiltrating our ants' nests and sodestroying the larvae.Some species are pests because in theirlarval stages they can damage domesticcrops or trees. Larvae of the CitrusSwallowtail (Papilio demodocus) can bea scourge to citrus trees. Larvae of theCabbage White feed on cabbages andnasturtiums but they are kept in check bythe indigenous parasi t ic wasp,Pteromalus puparum.Other species of butterfly are agents ofpollination for plants like the red hotpokers and other red flowers. The TableMountain Beauty (Aeropetes tulbaghia)is the only pollinator of the Red Disa,making it crucial for the plant's survival.Caterpillars of a few butterflies eatharmful insects while some larvae eatplant bugs.Culturally, butterflies have been a sourceof inspiration in art and literaturethroughout the ages as symbols of beautyand transformation.

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Butterfly wings are transparent butcovered in thousands of little scales thatreflect light in different colours. As abutterfly ages, scales fall off the wings,leaving spots of transparency.

Butterflies employ all sorts of tricks toprotect themselves from hungrypredators. Some fold their wings to blendinto the background while others havevibrant colours that predators oftenassociate with poisons. Larvae of theAfrican Monarch (Danaus chrysippus)feed mostly on Asclepias and othermilkweeds and the poisons from theseplants accumulate in their bodies. Thesepoisons last into the adult stage wherethey serve to protect the butterfly againstpredators.

The white butterflies, seen in suchprofusion in recent months, originated inNamibia. After a few generations, whenthey somehow realise that their foodsupply is diminishing, they undertakethat the next generation that is born willmigrate in early summer.

Swemgat'sNew NoticeboardMany thanks to Mr Kai Neckel whodonated the board to the Conservancy.

Swemgat NoticeboardLeft to right: Hennie Richter, Alfie

van Litsenborgh and Sebastian Botha.

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The SpeckledMousebird (Coliusstriatus)

Photographs and textby Jill Vickerman

Little Speckled Mousebirds scamperthrough shrubs and trees and theytumble from branch to branch like littlegrey acrobatic monkeys - or as theirname suggests, like little grey mice.

They scurry through the leaves,searching for berries, fruit and buds,and launch themselves off from the topof a tree and glide down to the base ofanother, often flying directly into thetree before braking or alighting!

Mousebird

Mousebirds

I found out that the Colius family is anancient group of unique birds endemicto Africa and they were proposed as aseparate order as long ago as 1872(Sibley & Ahlquist 1990, Hacket et al.2008).

Their outer toes are reversible! Theyeither can be directed forward orbackward - changing as the need arises.

It is also said that they do not

have true feather tracts and that

their soft fur-like feathers help

them to move unobtrusively

through dense scrub. As they

do not have down feathers they

find it problematic to maintain

a constant body temperature

should they get very wet and

cold. Perhaps that is one of the

reasons that they like to take

regular dry sand baths to keep

their feathers warm and dry.

They prefer sleeping together

in clusters, sometimes even

upside down! Abdomen to

abdomen, heads upright and

grasping the twigs as if they

were the handlebars of little

motorbikes, the cluster seems

to be an evolutionary trait that

helps to ensure their survival

by helping each bird to regulate

its own temperature.

When it comes to breeding time, the

gregarious Mousebirds form a family

unit by having two to six helpers. The

nest is built in a small cup shape and is

lined with soft material with leaves that

are replaced daily.

The fledglings explore their immediate

vicinity well before they are able to fly

(from about ten or eleven days old) and

I can truly say that they are highly

entertaining birds to watch!

The Bird Club was invited to visit Dirkvan Driel and Lorraine at their home inGrotto Bay and we saw a veritable feastof wonderful birds. Dirk took us to thebirding hotspots at Grotto and the keenphotographers soaked up theopportunity to get some wonderfulpictures.

Yzer Bird Club

Tracey Duckitt

Crowned Cormorant(Hannelie de Klerk)

Purple Heron

Purple Heron in flight(Hannelie de Klerk)

We were lucky enough to get a greatsighting of a Black Harrier sweepingover the bushveld and to see a Purple-headed Heron at the Mud River mouth.We also saw a variety of different Ternsand Ruddy urnstones down on thebeach. Our thanks to Dirk for taking usaround in his 4x4 and for arrangingaccess permission on our behalf.

We have such a 'wealth' of naturearound us – such outings remind us notto take for granted where we live.

T

Before Snoek FishingDr Graham Avery –Archaeozoologist, Iziko SA Museum

An international team of archaeologistsis back at Yzerfontein excavatingremains of food and tools left byancient people at their coastal campbetween 60,000 and 115,000 years ago.This is the 6th year of an on-goingproject to reconstruct how people andanimals lived and developed asenvironments changed in the past.These Middle Stone Age people, whowere the antecedents of all modernpeoples, lived on shellfish, penguinsand cormorants, tortoises, dunemolerats, and ostrich eggs, which theycollected, and antelope such asreedbuck and the extinct bloubok andthe extinct Cape zebra, which theyhunted. They also ate meat andprobably blubber from washed upwhales – we know this from thepresence of bones and a certain type ofbarnacle at the site that only lives onwhales. Although fishing is a majoractivity at Yzerfontein today, we havefound no evidence that these peopleused this bountiful resource at thattime. They would have eaten plantfoods, but these are not preserved in thedeposits.Along with the shells and bones foundaround surviving fire places and in the

rubbish scatters, is a range of stonetools made on silcrete, calcrete, quartzand diorite, which would have beenused for hunting, skinning andbutchering as well as working skins andwood. Pieces of haematite (iron oxidenodules) were scraped with stone toolsto create red ochre powder that waspossibly used as a binder in themanufacture of mastic (like Pratley'sPutty) to attach stone flakes to woodenshafts or for some symbolic purpose,possibly like 'body painting'.The depth of the deposits is 3.8 m andsites such as this with excellentlypreserved marine and terrestrial faunas,are rare in the world, let alone SouthAfrica. In fact, this is only the secondformally published excavation of aMiddle Stone Age shell midden on thewest coast and places Yzerfontein welland truly on the archaeological map forthe time when people were beginning todevelop modern behaviour. The peoplewho emerged in Africa around 50,000to 40,000 years ago moved out into therest of the world, where they diversifiedinto the wide range of peoples who liveon the Earth today.The excavation team comprisesarchaeologists and assistants fromStanford University and the Universityof California Davis in the USA, theUniversity of Cape Town ArchaeologyContracts Office and Iziko SouthAfrican Museum.T h e a r c h a e o l o g i c a l d e p o s i t saccumulated in what we believe was ashallow 'cave' that had eroded outbelow a more resistant calcrete layer(fossilized dune) that is prominentalong the coastline. When the harbourwas developed in the 1940s to increaseeconomic development of the regionafter World War 2, portions of the rockydiorite cliff were blasted away to makeway for a fish factory and a road and toprovide rock to line the harbour. It wasduring later blasting that part of the sitewas cut through leaving only a portionof the original site preserved above thecliff. Part of the investigation involvestrying to reconstruct the processes thatformed the site, the archaeologists arevery keen to view any photographs thatresidents of Yzerfontein might have intheir possession or know of, that showthe area prior to and duringconstruction of the harbour and road.We encourage anyone who has oldphotos or memories of the site tocontact Dave Halkett at UCT 073 1418606 or Dr Graham Avery 083 4410028 at Iziko SAMuseum.

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Yzerfontein's Demonstration Indigenous Garden(Some of the medicinal plants that we find there)

Photographs and text by Jill Vickerman

The tall white flowers are Salviachamelaeagnea/white sage. In the front isthe Pelargonium cucculatum and, just infront of the Salvia, under the thorn tree, isthe Tufted Pincushion (Leucospermumoleifolium) with the orange and yellowtufted flowers.

Dietes Grandiflora (Wild Iris, Fairy Iris)

This delightful wild Iris is included for itsbeauty alone. It is sometimes called theFairy Iris because its petals look like fairy'swings and butterflies love them! There aresix species of Dietes in the world and herein South Africa we have five of them. Thesixth one is found on an island in theTasman Sea, between New Zealand andAustralia.

Bulbine Frutenscens (Burn Jelly Plant,Katstert)

Next to the path we find a first aid medicinechest all in one - it could even be Africa'smost effective healing plant. The brightyellow or orange star shaped flowers areeasily recognizable with their extra fluffystamens.

Leonartis Leonuris

Portulacaria Afra

(Wild Dagga, Dachab,Bird Beer)

Another historically valuable Africanmedicinal plant that grows in theindigenous garden is the lovely LeonartisLeonuris. The Khokoi named it Dachab,which may be where the word Daggacomes from, as its powers of healing lie indirections other than hallucinogenic. TheZulus call it Birds' Beer, as the birds(especially the Sunbirds) cannot leave itsbright fluffy flowers alone, until it stands intatters from their attentions.You can put some into a muslin bag or pieceof net and hang it under the hot tap of thebath to soothe an itching skin. A tea can bemade from the leaves and flowers and isgood for asthma.A decoction of the plant is used for insectbites and traditional healers make a toniccalled Vulindabe, which is a tincture ofLeonartis Leonuris combined with theCancer Bush (Sutherlandia Frutensces) andis used to boost the body's immune system.(from Muthi & Myths, Heather Dugmore &Ben-Erik van Wyk)

(Spekboom, Porkbush,Elephants' Food)

Another plant right next to the path thatcannot be left out is the very specialSpekboom. It is a most remarkable plant,unique in that it stores solar energy tophotosynthesize at night, thereforeproducing oxygen to the atmosphere dayand night. This makes a Spekboom thicketten times more effective at carbon fixingper hectare than a tropical rain forest. Thistree is heavily browsed by buck andostriches – another huge fan is the tortoise.Put a leaf under your tongue if you ever findyourself lost and thirsty in the bush and youhappen upon this special plant.

Cotyledon Orbiculata (Pigs Ears,Plakkie)

The Plakkie, or Pig's Ear flower, resemblesa bell and is a fairly common resident, butfor all its commonness, it is a very valuableherb and is recognized by orthodox as wellas folk medicine as a remedy for plantarwarts. Just slice the leaf horizontally andapply to the pad of the foot and leave on allday.South Africa's first professor of botany,Carl Wilhelm Pappe, thought at the timethat a remedy made from this plant workedfor epilepsy.

The thorn tree in this beautiful spotin the garden is an Acacia Karoo –Sweet Thorn/Soetdoring.

Acacia Karoo

Wild Iris

Wild Dagga

Spekboom

Pigs Ears

Wild Olive

Bulbine leaf

Katstert

Olea Europa Subsp. Africana (WildOlive, Olienhout)

The shy wild Olive grows a little out ofsight in the garden. It is regarded byAfrican traditional herbalists as beingone of the most important medicinalplants we have and its anti-inflammatoryeffects have been scientificallydocumented. A tincture or infusion of theleaves is widely used throughout Africato reduce blood pressure.Animals and birds use both the leaves andfruit and the early Cape Settlers used thefruit to treat diarrhoea.Early Botanists believed that the WildOlive was a separate African species tothe European and Asian ones, but it wasshown that the species were almost thesame. TheAfrican olive is a subspecies ofits European cousin, which just goes toshow that this symbol of peace belongs tothe world, not to any one nation. (ThomasPakenham, In Search of RemarkableTrees).

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It forms a clump with long succulent leavesand when broken open contains a soothingand healing sap that will instantly relieve anitching mosquito bite, soothe a scrapedknee or heal a cut ... the list of this littletreasure's healing properties is almostendless.

How fortunate we are to live in a townwhere whales are our natural tourists.They bring their offspring to our bay,they feed, rest, play and generally enjoythe peace and beauty that isYzerfontein. And for the most part, wereciprocate. We admire from the shore,we boast about our marine friends andwe get business in to Yzerfonteinbecause of the whales.

A good news story often has a "BUT…" attached to it, and this one is noexception. The law (the MLRAregulations and the Seals and SeabirdsProtectionAct) states that the followingmarine fauna are protected nationally:

Dr Alan Boyd, Assistant Director: Coastal andBioDivers i ty Conserva t ion , Depar tment ofEnvironmental Affairs has made his contact details publicand is encouraging people to get hold him when they seethis kind of illegal behaviour. His cell number is0834123965. You can also call 021-8192470 for furtherdetails.

-10-

Whales - Lets do theright thingMaureen Thelland

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WhalesDolphinsTurtlesWhite SharksSeals and Seabirds

Seals and seabirds may not be harassedor unnecessarily disturbed. And ifyou're a line fisherman, please try not toleave baited hooks lying around – thephotograph here, taken by GavinRogers at Christmas, tells a terrible tale.If you own a boat, or are a passenger in aboat, and it gets closer than 300m to awhale, do the right thing – back off tothe legal limit, or get the captain to doso. We lose the whales if we do notrespect these distances and let them be.

will

Whale Harassment

Heaviside's Dolphin

Heaviside's Dolphin

One of the interesting notice boards onthe Yzerfontein beachfront mentions aHeaviside's Dolphin. What is it thatmakes this dolphin different from therest of the dolphins and how did it get itsname?

It seems that theywere discovered inthe 19th Centuryb y C a p t a i nHaviside. He tooka specimen fromNamibia to theUnited Kingdom.However, its namew a s m i s s p e l tHeaviside, after ap r o m i n e n tsurgeon, CaptainHeaviside, whocollected cetaceanand other animalspecies.

They are fairly small dolphins, growingup to about 1.8m in length andweighing up to 75 kg. The size andbluntness of their heads often leads totheir being mistaken for porpoises. Thefront half of their bodies is grey withdarker grey markings that look like acape, and the underbelly is white.

They can live up to 20 years, which is arelatively short life span. Breeding ageis reached at about 7 to 9 years andfemales calve about once every threeyears, resulting in a low populationgrowth rate. Heavisides dolphins moveabout in groups of 5 – 10 and they arefast swimmers. They are able to jumpvertically clear of the water, turn in theair and fall back into the sea with hardlya splash or noise. Although they mayride in the wake of boats, they are shy ofinteraction with humans. Entanglementin fishing nets is the main threat to theirsurvival.

Photo:Text: Pam Brittain

http://www.south-africa-c a p e . c o m / g a l l e r y - 3 / w e s t e r n -cape/west-coast/

West Coast Upholstery

All UpholsteryFor

Call: Tim 072 794 7921

Sightings are not uncommon, inshallow waters, off the coast ofNamibia and they have been recordedas far south as the southern tip of SouthAfrica. Just a few weeks ago there wereabout 40 of them in the Yzer Bay –beautiful to watch as they rode thewaves.

Hooked seagull

No closer than 300 metres

You may not approach whales closerthan 300 metres (the length of 3 rugbyfields!), unless you are in a vessel thathas a permit as a Boat-Based WhaleWatching Operator. We have no suchvessels licensed in this area. There areoperators offering whale-trips, but ifthey approach closer than 300 metres,the penalties are severe – a fine of up toR 3 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 o r t w o y e a r simprisonment. In addition, vessels may

Let’s keep our distance!