Category: Steenbok Nature Reserve News

  • JANUARY 2020, RAINFALL FIGURES….

    Posted on by Di StrombergRainfall in the month of January was a record breaking 182mm. Although not the highest monthly figure ever, certainly  the highest in a January since we started keeping records. “How was the rainfall in Steenbok in January?” – in a... Read more »

  • Irrigation Upgrade

    Posted on by Di StrombergFollowing 3 months of extreme frustration with failing irrigation and excessive heat, we have at last completed the replacement and upgrade of our spike and water pump.  This work was undertaken earlier in the week by Gary Human of The... Read more »

  • ALBUCA BRACTEATA

    Posted on by Di StrombergI decided, after all that wonderful rain, to take a walk in Steenbok and have a closer look at the plants coming into flower. It was such a HOT afternoon that I took a seat under a tree on one... Read more »

  • The Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of South Africa – The noise at dusk

    Posted on by Di StrombergEvening walks in Steenbok awaken all your senses. In summer the  piercing shrills of the cicadas in the Reserve are so loud they can make your ears buzz! The Cicada and its environment: At first glance you could mistake a... Read more »

  • RAIN BEAUTIFUL RAIN….

    Posted on by Di StrombergWell, well, well…… these past few days certainly have seen some changes in Steenbok!!! After next to no serious rain for a while the Reserve has certainly benefited from the recent heavy downpours and is now looking so much greener,... Read more »

  • Sprinkler times in Steenbok

    Posted on by Di StrombergWho would have thought that our sprinkler irrigation times would be affected by regular Load Shedding? For many years our sprinklers, from one end of Steenbok Park to the other, were programmed to come on during a regular cycle from... Read more »

  • Steenbok Nature Reserve Walk-Abouts in 2020

    Posted on by Di StrombergThanks to all the Friends of Steenbok who joined our volunteers for our first guided walk of the year. The walk started with an amusing and informative talk about the famous Knysna Dwarf Chameleon by young Jack Thomopoulos.    ... Read more »

  • December Rainfall in Steenbok

    Posted on by Di StrombergDuring the last 25 years our lowest recorded annual rainfall figures were in the years 2016 and 2017. During both of these years the rainfall was well below 500 mm. The 2019 rainfall of 623 mm was much better than... Read more »

  • Rapanea melanophloeos

    Posted on by Di StrombergFamily: Myrsinaceae Common names: English: Cape Beech  Afrikaans: Boekenhout  Xhosa: isiQwane sehlati SA Tree No: 578 This is an evergreen tree that can reach heights of  4 – 18m high.   The Xhosa name isiQwane sehlati, which means ‘Protea of... Read more »

  • Diospyros whyteana

    Posted on by Di Stromberg  Family: Ebenaceae Common names: English: bladder-nut, Afrikaans: swartbas, Xhosa: umTenatane SA Tree No: 611 The bladdernut is an evergreen shrub or small multi-stemmed tree with a straight trunk that branches low down to form a dense, round to pyramidal crown.  ... Read more »