Make your way to the koppies this weekend
If you visit Melville Koppies now, multiple varieties of showy flowers are giving their best despite the dusty, dry surrounds.
Each of these plants has its secret water reserve. Some like the red paintbrush hide their water tank underground in a bulb bigger than a large onion.
Or the sky-blue pentanisia and pink leeubekkie (snapdragon) whose secret is an extensive woody root system that can tap into and store water for when it’s needed.
They also die back in winter only to burst forth when they feel the days lengthening and warming. Perhaps our human equivalent is the annual migration to warmer provinces for a brief respite when that winter chill has seeped deep into our souls.
Melville Koppies has prepared a two-page colour handout for those interested in spotting and identifying some of the spring flowers.
Melville Koppies Central (Nature Reserve and Heritage Site) is open every Sunday from 09:00 to 11:30 and there is no need to pre-book.
All income is used for the maintenance and security of the Koppies. Security on the Koppies is provided; park in secure parking opposite the entrance at Marks Park in Judith Road, Emmarentia.
Contact wendavid@mweb.co.za or visit www.mk.org.za for more detailed information about the history and what you can see.
