Journal

Notes
The pictures in this web site provide a small glimpse of what was seen on the 1996 trip: however there were many more flowers and views not included or even photographed. There are two wonderful books on Namaqualand, the first bought more than twenty years ago and served as an inspiration to make the trip. The second was a gift a month before the trip. The books are included in the list below.

The ten day journey started from Cape Town with a stopover at Piketberg, from where there was a one day trip to Lamberts Bay. The trip continued to Nieuwoudtville via Clanwilliam. After Nieuwoudtville the next stop was Kamieskroon, from where excursions were made to Springbok, Skilpad and the Soebatsfontein Road. Returning south to Bitterfontein, a round trip was made via Kliprand and Leliefontein.The journey continued to the Hantam, Biedouw Valley, Clanwilliam and Cape Town.

Why the profusion of flowers ?
Why is there such a great variety and number of flowers?  A few answers have been postulated in some of the books below. Because of the harsh conditions in the long, hot summer, the flowers make the most use of the best growing conditions in the springtime in as many numbers as possible. The dryness of the area is caused by the cold Benguela current flowing along the west coast diminishing the chances of rain. In some years there is not enough rain and the flowers wait for another year. When the conditions are right they take full advantage of it, and grow, flower and seed in such haste and abundance that the area is turned into a garden of splendour.

The conditions in this sometimes stark and inhospitable area might also contribute to their numbers. The absence of a great deal of grass and trees leaves open many spaces that can be filled. The seeds are easily buried in the sandy plains and by the wind covering them with sand. The soil is rich in mineral nutrients from the decomposing stones and rocks. Because of the drought conditions, the insects are mostly parasite free.

Additionally the west coast area has been a relatively stable area for about 60 million years. In stable conditions extinction is less likely.

Namaqualand:
    Namaqualand in Flower by Sima Eliovson, 1972, Macmillan, Johannesburg
    Namaqualand Garden of the Gods by Freeman Patterson, 1984, Key Porter Books

Other invaluable reference books on plants in Namaqualand and other areas:
    Namaqualand, South African Wildflower Guide 1 - Botanical Society of S. Africa
    West Coast, South African Wildflower Guide 7 - Botanical Society of S. Africa
    Cape Bulbs by Richard L. Doutt, 1994, Timber Press
    Proteas for pleasure by Sima Eliovson, 1965, Dai Nippon Printing
    Sasol Proteas - A field guide... by Tony Rebelo, 1994, Fernwood Press
    Cacti and Succulents in Habitat by K. Preston-Mafham, 1994, Cassell
    Island Africa The Evolution of Africa's Rare Animals and Plants by Jonathan Kingdon, 1989

Travel guides:
    Lagoon A companion to the West Coast National Park by  A. and P.Schaefer, 1993
    West Coast A Tourist Guide by Cornel Truter, National Book Printers
    A traveller's companion to Namaqualand by E.Mostert and M. Crewe-Brown, 1992

Other books of interest:
    Southern Africa Land of Beauty and Splendor  by T.V. Bulpin, 1976, Reader's Digest
    Fynbos South Africa's Unique Floral Kingdom by R.Cowling and D.Richardson, 1995
    A Fynbos Year by Liz McMahon and Michael Fraser, 1988, National Book Printers
    The Living Deserts of Southern Africa by Barry LoveGrove, 1993, Fernwood Press

Maps
The maps in the pictures on the Home Page and the Journey Page were based on a 1993 NOAA-11 satellite picture. The Africa graphic,  flower pot and leaf pointer were based on CorelDraw Clipart graphics.

Photos
All photographs in this site were taken by the web creator with a more than twenty year old Pentax Spotmatic using 400 ASA slide film, most with a Rokunar 60-300 zoom/macro lens. The slides were scanned at about  2000 lines resolution but were greatly reduced in size.

Errata
Where possible the flowers have been identified with the help of the above books. If there are errors or typos, feedback would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully the opportunity will arise to add more and better photos to the site.

Web Site
The pictures were prepared with CorelDraw and Adobe PhotoShop. On slow "world wide wait" days, this may not be an easy site to visit because of the large number of pictures. Hopefully the text will be a distraction while pictures load. All photos and text are, by default, copyright of the site creator - please do not use without permission. This site is not intended to be commercial or a source of revenue, but just a means of sharing pictures and information. The site is a thanks to my parents. March 28, 1999. Updated June 27, 1999. Updated February 17, 2001. Updated March 18th, 2001.

Rescanning
Some of the pictures in the Namaqualand portion of the site were rescanned using a different scanner. For first-time visitors, this is of little consequence. For previous visitors, the pages in question may have to be refreshed to see the new picture(s). The following have been rescanned:

Oct 20th, 2002
Top pictures of the following pages (i.e.all except Lambert's Bay, Niewoudtville Area, Skilpad) :
Clanwilliam, Vanrhynsdorp, Vanrhyn's Pass, Nieuwoudtville, Doorn Waterfall, Bitterfontein,
Kamieskroon, Springbok, Soebatsfontein Road, Kliprand, Leliefontein, The Hantam,
Near Biedouw, Biedouw Valley

All pictures in the following albums:
Knersvlakte, Nieuwoudtville, Kamieskroon, Springbok