Veld Fluister!

Our Veld Fluister continues to bring our community together through shared, meaningful connections with the veld. In this issue, with a few giggles and many stops along the way, DEBBIE BODLEY shares some of the captivating moments she has experienced out in nature.

PHOTOS BY DEBBIE BODLEY

Gqeberha is one of the few cities in the world where five biomes meet. However, locals have been unable to rely on municipal water for nearly a decade, instead depending on rainwater tanks for their gardens. Debbie Bodley knows this challenge well. While she says local plants are well adapted to these conditions, getting them established is not always easy. Regardless, she loves gardening and describes her garden as “rather/very wild”, made up largely of plant rescues and many plants grown from seed.

Choosing a favourite plant is no easy task, but at the moment Debbie says it would have to be a spekboom in full flower, rescued from Coega. When land at Coega is cleared for development, it is sometimes opened to the public by permit to rescue thicket plants. Some of South Africa’s most well-known and hardy species are saved during these rescues – including mother-in-law’s tongue (Dracaena trifasciata), jade plant (Crassula ovata), pelargoniums and, of course, spekboom (Portulacaria afra).

Beyond the garden gate

Eventually, when you collect plants like Debbie does, a garden just isn’t big enough. Living across the road from a stabilised sand dune – once covered in port jackson (Acacia saligna) and now slowly increasing in natural biodiversity – she realised she had far more space to work with. This sparked a small but meaningful project, planting locally indigenous species grown from seed and cuttings to help restore the dune.

But Debbie’s love for indigenous flora stretches far beyond home. In addition to teaching Life Sciences at Nelson Mandela University, she is an avid outdoor enthusiast and passionate citizen scientist. She is involved with BOT SOC, CREW, the Dendrological Society and the Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA), and also coordinates both the Great Southern BioBlitz and the City Nature Challenge in the Nelson Mandela Metro.

Progress by frequent stops

Despite this busy involvement, Debbie makes time for outdoor fun. And she is particularly easy to spot on a hike – mostly because she stops so often. She admits she might not be the most popular companion on a fast-paced walk. She stops to catch her breath, yes – but mostly to look, notice and photograph. To capture the plant or small creature that she says insists on being seen.

She describes herself as something of an iNaturalist addict, explaining that it’s a wonderful way to save observations and photos, identify species, connect with people and doubles as a travel record – neatly mapping every pause along the route.

The best-kept secret

When asked about her favourite spots, Debbie says she feels deeply proud of the hiking trails and green spaces in her area – “they are all special”. Her top spots include the Lady Slipper on Van Staden’s mountain, where she joins a regular walking group every Wednesday evening, Cape Recife, the Nelson Mandela University nature reserve (which she describes as the best-kept secret that shouldn’t be), Van Stadens wildflower reserve, Schoenmakerskop and Sardinia Bay, affectionately known as Sards.

Debbie also notes that Gqeberha has a very active alien invasive clearing “hacking” group, and she joins these efforts whenever she can. She is proud that her local CREW group, headed by Vathiswa Zikishe, is back in action. “We’re a small group,” she says, “but we had some good outings in 2025.”

She also attended the Western Cape CREW annual workshop in June and describes it as an incredible experience, surrounded by passionate plant lovers.