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Reflections Of Spring On The Highveld Plateau
As Earth’s axial tilt brings the southern hemisphere closer to the sun, days become longer and the cold grip of winter loosens its hold.
Photos by: Kayleigh Murray
Sand apple (Pygmaeothamnus zeyheri, LC)
Reflections of spring on the Highveld plateau
As Earth’s axial tilt brings the southern hemisphere closer to the sun, days become longer and the cold grip of winter loosens its hold. The shift in temperature and day length triggers the arrival of spring flowering across South Africa. While the iconic floral displays of the west coast signal the end of the growing season, the species in Gauteng are breaking dormancy in anticipation of the summer rains and the start of the new growth cycle.
Smooth pentanisia (Pentanisia angustifolia, LC)
Crane’s bill (Monsonia angustifolia, LC)
Leafy everlasting (Helichrysum cerastioides, LC)
Surviving winter on the highveld plateau is no small feat for these species. Cooler land-surface temperatures and a strong Kalahari high pressure cell prevent warmer, moist air from moving into the interior from the Indian Ocean, resulting in dry air and clear skies across the central plateau for the winter period. Night-time temperatures routinely drop below freezing, resulting in widespread frost events, and fires are frequent.
These harsh environmental conditions have led to the evolution of a host of adaptations in grassland plant species which are key to their survival. Some, like century plant (Boophone disticha) and baboon’s tail (Xerophyta retinervis) have evolved thickened resistant tissues to protect the delicate buds within the plant during their winter dormancy.
Other species, like rock milk apricot (Ancylobothrys capensis) and the iconic Magaliesburg aloe(Aloe peglerae), have evolved for survival in niche habitats on rocky slopes where they are afforded some protection through reduced fire and frost intensities. However, the majority of the species in the grasslands have evolved growth points which sit at or below the soil surface. This protects these sensitive tissues from exposure to the temperature extremes of fire and frost, which would otherwise damage them. In areas which have burnt during the winter period, this results in a display of extreme contrast as green shoots and multicoloured buds emerge from the blackened landscape.
Dwarf mobola-plum (Parinari capensis, LC)
Sand apple (Pygmaeothamnus zeyheri, LC)
Rock-milkbush (Euphorbia schinzii, LC)
Rock milk apricot (Ancylobotrys capensis, LC)
Spring on the highveld is as good a time as any to reflect on our relationship with local biodiversity. Grasslands are often perceived as barren – flat empty land primed for urban development. As the veld’s winter hues of brown are replaced by the fresh growth of spring, society’s disconnection with natural cycles is most evident. White frost covers hide the buds of exotic horticultural specimens while the massacred grasslands we call lawns, dependent on the abstraction of groundwater and fossil fuels, stand in stark contrast to the explosion of life in the surrounding intact habitat. Even the man-made forests of the suburbs, often heralded as an ecological wonder, stand as testimony to our dominion over nature. There are, of course, many reasons for the existence of lawns, exotic horticultural specimens and urban trees in Gauteng and all of these can provide important ecosystem services such as enhancing infiltration of rainwater, providing refuge and habitat for microfauna, and reducing the effects of urban heat island effect. But while any greenery is better than nothing in the urban sprawl, the impact of these greenspaces would be far greater if they included more communities of locally indigenous plant species.
Spring fever has many of us itching to get back into our gardens and local public greenspaces, but it is worth taking a moment to reflect on what purpose we are trying to serve in our local ecosystems. Locally indigenous plant species are well adapted to the soils and climates of a region, reducing reliance on inputs such as supplemental irrigation and fertilisers. They typically grow best when left undisturbed, reducing the labour of gardening, and they have complex evolutionary histories as hosts of microfauna. Incorporating more locally indigenous plant species into gardens, and managing these spaces as living ecosystems with seasonal growth cycles, will help build resilience within these systems and help integrate and reconnect the urban sprawl with the wider ecosystem.
Century plant (Boophone disticha, LC)
Baboon’s tail (Xerophyta retinervis, LC)
Magaliesburg aloe (Aloe peglerae, CE)
-Richard Hay: Conservation Project Coordinator: Northern Region
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