A Sunday Picnic in The Bush

[tod2]

Another wonderful sunny autumn day greeted us this morning so we decided on an impromptu picnic at Cumberland Nature Reserve.   This is the area where I showed you all those millions of white Trumpet Lillies.
Today there was not a sign of them.

It's not a long drive, around 30min or so but we left soon after a 9am breakfast to make sure we got a nice spot.   The charge at the entrance ( nobody manning it) is R10 per person, which is less that a pound or euro!
You sign the book and drop the cash into a safe box.

This is the dirt road leading through some sugar cane fields.


After that there are orange orchards and we see a few Nguni cattle in the farmers field.






I had to be quick before this Black-Headed Heron took flight.  I don't think I have ever seen one before.


The weeds were doing fine and the last of the thistles were out.


Here we are at the entrance to the picnic area.  We have travelled through private property to get here.
The Cumberland site is also privately owned.  A group of Impala greet us.


Several of the males were grunting and chasing each other.


This young Blesbok was happy grazing with the zebra and chased off any of the Impala who came near.






Back with my family!


This marquee was being used for a birthday party for two twin boys turning 5.  They had to be nature lovers or heading that way as no music or loud noises are permitted in the picnic area.  Not the kind of party most children have with jumping castles and face painting and water slides!


Here my mom and I sit and read - listening out for the woodpeckers overhead.


This is a male Cardinal woodpecker - bit blurred with his head moving so fast..




And here is Mrs. Cardinal Woodpecker - she has a black cap.





This is the road that leads in and out - you can see one of the farm dams in the distance. The rock structure among the trees is one of many BBQ facilities. Simply a place to make quite a large fire and a sheet of some kind of 'gauzy' metal that fits on top.


These are two of several toilets scattered around - They are proper flush toilets and kept in preen condition.
To the left you can just see a rock stand that has a wash hand basin, soap and a towel.
What impressed me was that one of the toilets had handle grips on either side so that an elderly person like my mother, who turns 92 very soon, can pull themselves up off the loo seat.


In the long grass we spotted this lovely Monarch butterfly - one of more than 50 species fluttering around.
There were yellow and white smaller ones but far too quick to snap them!


Also clinging to the khakibos (khaki bush) was this insect which I thought looked like a sort of Stink Bug.





It's underside..


Khakibos is a prevalent weed that smells awful when trampled underfoot.  If cattle eat it the milk they produce will taste terrible - a sort of tabacco flavour.

Resting on top of some khakibos flowers was this attractive wasp.


On our next visit I hope to do a walk to the edge of the gorge.  Far below the swiftly flowing Umgeni River runs over rocks and boulders making canoeing a serious white-water experience!

THE  END

[Deleted]

What a wonderful place for a picnic... and for taking pictures!

The speckled cows are great -- they look like they have been splattered with mud by a passing car. I have a special affinity for thistles because it is the provincial flower of Lorraine in France. The herd of impala look like they are waiting for a handout -- perhaps a couple of bales of hay in the boot of your car?

The woodpeckers and the insects are also magnificent. However, since you were mean enough to already proclaim "The End," I will just ask -- what did you eat at the picnic?

[bixaorellana]

Tod, I am packing a nice basket for you so that you all can go right back out and bring us more of this wonderful Reserve. I doubt there is a person looking at it who isn't jealous of your living so close to it. Even the road there provides plenty of interest!

Amazing that such a place is privately owned. Does it get any support or security from local authority? The pictures show gently rolling or flat land, but behind the barbecue there appears to be a mountain, also on the right-hand side of the potty picture.

How wonderful that your mother likes to go with you into nature, and that the facilities make it easier for everyone. To see such a place being enjoyed by a person in her nineties and by kids still under school age speaks volumes about South Africans treasuring their environment, I'd think. Also the fact that the animals were so casually hanging around the picnic area must mean they feel save.

You seem to surpass yourself with every thread you make, and this one is no exception. Your animal, bird, and bug pictures are fabulous, and your text and way of drawing our attention to details is a delight.

Thank you ~~ can't wait to see a sequel!

[Deleted]

Wow, words fail me at the moment. Jaw dropping awe that you have such a wealth of nature's beauty right there!
Gorgeous, gorgeous pictures Tod.
Thank you so much for sharing these with us.

As an aside, I had no idea that the Monarch butterfly was also indigenous to there, I was rather stunned at first glance. I had always assumed it was a North American butterfly. Cool.

[Deleted]

I thought the same thing, casimira -- "what are monarch butterflies doing in Africa?"

[tod2]

Aw, you guys are so great! I am thrilled to have delighted you in this very minor event.

First you Kerouac! Sorry to cut it short but that was it unfortunately....but I will be delighted to tell you what was hurriedly thrown into a plastic container. We had a very ripe camembert, we had another very ripe camembert.....we had a confit of sweet onions to go with the cheeses. We had cold ham, tongue, brawn and a smoked trout. Pickled onions, baby pickled cucumbers ( cornichon?) a baguette, and lots of ice cold rielsing.

Bixa - yes all private property. Security is the owners problem but if the farm hands live on the farm they make sure no strangers arrive unnounced or hang about.
The Sunday we were there the owners wife drove up and down at least six times waiting for a late arrival for an overnight stay.

We are making plans to go again this Sunday with another couple and want to walk to the gorge - that is the edge you see in the potty picture. The weather is not good on Saturday but Sunday is predicted to be coolish around 21C but sunny.

Casi - Thank you for such lovely words. Very much appreciated. Yes, we seem to have so many varieties of butterflies and the Monarch is one of them. I have seen a close similarity with another butterfly so have to keep taking out my Wildlife book to check all the details before finding out what it is!

[komsomol]

I wish I had picnic places so appealing.

[fumobici]

What a perfect way to spend a day!

[htmb]

Absolutely!!! Looking forward to more, Tod. Gorgeous pictures, too.

[mich64]

What an absolutely supreme day! Your photos are superb Tod. My favourite would be the Black-Headed Heron, quite a regal pose before flight. An enjoyable day in serene surroundings with a fine lunch and refreshments, no wonder you return again and again.

Looking forward to your next adventure...

[nycgirl]

What a lovely picnic spot! With the speckled cows, the cute little Blesbok hanging out with the zebras, and the beautiful birds, I would have been happy to kill several hours there.

Love your insect pictures. You captured their markings in exquisite detail.

[mossie]

That is the way to really enjoy a picnic, super photos.

[tod2]

Thank you all! We have another picnic ( this time a BBQ) planned for Sunday in much cooler weather. This should make hiking to the gorge easier.

Mossie - Maybe you can ID this plane although more modern than WWII I THINK? It flew over our heads at quite a low altitude while we were taking photos at the picnic.

[mossie]

That plane is the Aero Delfin, which is a trainer built by a Czech company. It was used as a trainer by the Russian and Czech air forces in the '60s and 70s. They were superceded sometime later and quite a number have been sold into the West since relations improved. I guess it makes a good fun, relatively inexpensive jet for playboys. great fun to have one to stooge about in and frighten the peasants ;D ;D

[fgrsk8r1970]

What a lovely and amazing spot for a picnic! And the photos are fantastic !!! I mirror everything that has been said and was also surprised to see the Monarch Butterfly LOL.
Looking forward to this Sundays picnic photos!!! THANKS

[Deleted]

What a nice relaxing way to spend the day. And it's great that you don't have to pay the earth to enter the area. Makes me want to pack a picnic basket right now!

[tod2]

Thank you very much Mossie! Yes it must be a playboy toy .........are pilots playboys too?

Dumb question Tod -You know they are! You dated a Vampire jet pilot way back in the '60's ;D

[htmb]

Oh, Tod. A bit on the wild side back in the sixties, were you? ;D

[mossie]

Oh no she wasn't, the Vampire was a quite respectable little aeroplane, known as the Kiddie Car. So the pilots were very good little boys, weren't they Tod.

[bjd]

Coming late to this thread to add my congratulations for the great photos. Indeed you are lucky to have such lovely places near enough to go for a picnic.

I'll add my surprise at the Monarch butterfly -- I too thought they were native to N America.

[tod2]

Thank you bdj - I refer to my Lee Gutteridge book " Bushveld" when I identified the Monarch butterfly.
It is called an African Monarch butterfly and this is what was written about it:

" This is one of the very few poisoness species of butterfly found in the bushveld. It obtains heart-affecting toxins fromits larval food plants, the Milk weeds, Asclepias spp. and Porcupine huernias, Huernia spp. and if eaten can cause nausea and vomiting. They are very common in the region and are found throughout the year.
The male has four black spots on the hind wing, one of which is a cluster of cellswhich produce pheromones to attract female butterflies. Females have only three black spots on the hindwing."

TO CONTINUE - Cumberland Part ll.

The cooler weather has certainly a lot to do with us going back again this past Sunday.
This time we invited two friends and took along provisions for a BBQ.
Not knowing if the place would be flooded with visitors we set off around 9.30am.
We need not have worried as we were the first vehicle to sign the register. There were other people strolling around but they had been camping overnight.
Having the choice of all the picnic spots throughout the entire reserve, we decided on one near the previous spot we occupied on the Wednesday a week before.

After unpacking our chairs and what-have-you we had a cup of coffee before setting off on our gorge walk.
Passing other picnic spots I took a few photos to show you the layout.




We could see the top of the gorge in the distance. Soon we were given two choices of gorge walk. We decided on the left hand top edge of the gorge. To get there we had to cross over a small stream on a wooden bridge. The stream led to a lovely waterfall.










Across the stream on the right is a camp ground.


Looking to the left where we were headed we notice a nice bench from where one can admire the waterfall.










The whole area is covered in pitted weatherbeaten rocks - as it had rained during the night most were indentations were filled with water.






To be continued......

[tod2]

The edge of the gorge has no safety barrier. You can walk right up to the edge and leap off if you like.
I went very near the edge but further than that I would have to lie on my stomach and crawl forward... ;D




















I notice Impala tracks




Here is the end of the trail and we look down on the Umgeni River.


Rocks fascinate me and I saw this interesting one where a piece had either been chipped off or broken away by nature.




Back at the picnic we enjoyed the chilled wine and some appertisers while the fire was being made ready for the BBQ.


THE END

[bixaorellana]

So glad you had an opportunity to go back so quickly, Tod, and of course thrilled that you took us along.

It's amazing how the place seems different only a week later. Is this the time of year when the weather starts getting cooler in your area?

You got way closer to the edge of that cliff than I would have!

Even though we have Aloes out the kazoo here, it's a pleasure to see them in their native habitat. They're gorgeous set in among the stones so naturally. The ferns were a nice surprise.

Beautiful, beautiful pictures ~~ love the tiny rockpool holding a patch of sky and all the shots of the falling waters, but the whole thread is great. Thanks!

[tod2]

Thank you so much Bixa. We enjoyed our outing immensely and hope to take the two grandsons soon. No gorge walking - I would have a heart attack but playing Frisbee or ball around the picnic area would be fun.

[Deleted]

South Africa is so lovely. I absolutely need to return to see more of it.

[lugg]

Two photo essays for the price of one, how lucky are we ;D stunning photos of a lovely place Tod. I love the photos of the spotted cattle and the underside of the stink bug but really all of them are great. As Bixa said interesting to see how the area already looks greener just a week later.

I do not think I would have even got that close to the edge Tod, I felt my heart rate increase just looking at the photo.

[tod2]

Oh Mossie, I had no idea the Vampire was a 'Kiddie Car' ;D (what a name for such an awesome thing!)
BUT, I will tell you that I was a 'kiddie' of 16, and my pilot was the youngest ever to fly the Vampire at 19.
He then went on to fly the Mirage.... I believe we now have the fourth generation of Mirage Fighter planes. My pilot boyfriend was terribly tame for this day and age but a bit wild and reckless in the sixties.
He died long long ago in Rhodesia. Smoking is bad for you.........

[anshjain97]

Great report. Having never been to Africa, I'm very curious about it, and will love to see the wildlife. Maybe some day...

[htmb]

What a wonderful and restorative place, tod. You certainly know how to have a grand picnic!

Are those tall, thin shapes on either side of the river trees that have already lost their leaves? It's very hard to make them out. They look like tall reeds in your photo.

[Deleted]

What a lovely area and the waterfalls look so relaxing. I agree, a great place to go for the day. Tod, how would you know if the bridge was safe enough to walk over? Is it checked out regularly be someone?