Sunday 28 April 2013

A WALK IN THE BUSH

The university's CAPE FLATS NATURE RESERVE has to biomes the Sandveld or lowland Fynbos and the Cape thicket

Sandveld :
  • location in the slacks
  • is acidic
  • low in nutrients
  • is the older region of the reserve
Cape thicket:
  • location on the dunes
  • is alkaline
  • high in nutrients
  • is the younger region of the reserve
My trip to through the nature reserve was fun even though I felt like I was dying half the time because of the heat. Which made me realize that fynbos doesn't cool you down it provides no-little shade that is why walikg through its bush was such a mission. 

I learn't that the park has snakes, antelope, frogs, birds, mongeese etc as wildlife. The reserve also experienced a human disturbance which was an unplanned fire, the source unknown. I first saw the effects of this fire while driving past in Robert Sobukwe road when it was still called Modderdam road. It caught my eye and I liked the contrast of the burn't bare black trees against the fresh green grasses rising from the earth ignorant at the time of how that picture perfect environment had occurred. 
 
I saw the  fire break areas where planned fires had occurred this takes place during the summer-autumn seasons. The reserve also has an artificial wetlands which was dry unfortunately.

1 comment:

  1. comparing the thicket to fynbos was rather easy being that the fynbos small and thicket is rather larger in size. it was very hard to see the difference at first because of the heat. However no matter how hot it was and i wanted to le so badly, the experience was fun and interesting

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