Biedouw Valley

These pictures were taken from a field overlooking Biedouw Valley. The flowers were massed not only on the slope down toward the valley, but also up and around the hill behind the camera lens. The flower display was even more spectacular in the the valley, but time constraints prevented any further travel. This was the last stop before returning to Cape Town.

Biedouw Valley is a fertile valley about 35 miles from Clanwilliam, situated between the Biedouw and Tra-Tra Mountains. The valley is watered by the Biedouw River. Some 200 million year-old fossilised shellfish deposits are found here. In a good rainy season, the area is one of the richest flower areas and is visited by many tourists. The area's attraction is enhanced by farmers allowing their herds to graze elsewhere during the flower season.

About 20 miles away is the Wupperthal Mission station built in a valley surrounded by mountains. The isolated station accessible only by a winding pass, is renowned for its beauty and peaceful atmosphere. The locals are trained in a variety of skills, of which shoe-making is the most famous. Wupperthal was named after the town in the Rhine Valley in Germany where the first station of the Rhenish Mission Society was established.

Amongst the masses of mostly white flowers was a small muddy patch where this instant bouquet of bright sun-facing flowers grew in relative isolation. On a bush near the road, unusual yellow flowers were seen (Tripteris clandestina.)