Not so long ago, I had the privilege of sitting in the dappled shade of a magnificent Clanwilliam cedar tree. The 12 o’clock sun was baking, and we were scrambling uphill, rock-hopping, missioning, endlessly, until among the stark, Cederberg sandstone came a brief moment of
Fynbos is not easy to define, but it is essentially a term for an evergreen, hard-leafed shrubland vegetation type, or collection of plants, that is primarily associated with nutrient-poor soils and often, though not exclusively, with a winter-rainfall Mediterranean-type climate. It is characterised by four
In this week's #TMFInTheField we introduce you to Desiré Hearne (Des), one of TMF’s Small Grant recipients. Having grown up in the Grabouw community, Des has always been very aware of the high level of poverty and unemployment in the area. After completing her New
“Imagine a therapy that had no known side-effects, was readily available, and could improve your cognitive functioning at zero cost? It exists, and it’s called ‘interacting with nature.’” These words come from a study run by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, US professors of environmental psychology, known
In this week's #TMFInTheField we introduce you to Oom Jack Johnson, one of TMF’s Small Grant recipients. Oom Jack, located in the Slangpark community in Grabouw, is the pioneer behind ‘NuSun Farm Fresh’, a community-based veggie garden that has recently (early 2015) been re-established as
The Cape Floristic Kingdom is blessed with some of the most diverse marine ecosystems on the planet. It is where the cold nutrient rich waters of the Benguela current upwell and mix with the warmer tropical Agulhas current. It is also where cold polar seas
Many of us love a good cup of rooibos tea, perhaps nowadays a red cappuccino. But have you ever had a glass of rooibos wine? Five years ago, the owners of Audacia Wines challenged themselves to find a ‘blue ocean opportunity’. Was there an innovative niche,
Have you ever seen a peculiar, goat-like mammal trotting the slopes of Table Mountain? If so, you’ve stumbled upon the infamous Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), a large ungulate (“hoofed animal”) native to Northern India, Southern Tibet, China and Nepal (ref). The story of how these exotic,
In October 2012, prompted by her passion and concern for the health, safety and general well-being of the children and youth of the Snake Park Community in Grabouw, Lynette de Bruyn Davids started her Soulfood Feeding Scheme. Every Wednesday afternoon Lynette now feeds over 60
Known to most as the Western Province rugby emblem, the red disa (Disa uniflora) is an enigmatic gem of the Cape. It is found alongside remote mountain streams in the Western Cape and on the upper slopes of Table Mountain. Here it survives the dry