Exploring Pigeon Valley: The Cape Chestnut

This is the 44th in an ongoing series that highlights the riches of Pigeon Valley, the urban nature reserve in the heart of Glenwood. The focus of this article will be the Cape Chestnut, Calodendrum capense.

If you drive at this time of year through the Midlands and see a patch of indigenous forest on the south-facing slops of the hills, you will notice a splash of lilac flowers on some trees. From this angle, the tree is covered in blossom. The scientific name translates into ‘beautiful tree of the Cape’, and that is a fair title.

Yet this tree is found also along the coast, but in much smaller numbers. Pigeon Valley has just one of them. Despite the striking colours, it is a sight seldom seen, as it is best seen from a vantage point outside the forest, and it is difficult to find a place that overlooks the whole reserve. Because I know where and when to look for it, I was able to capture the colours recently, but only by finding a particular spot and looking up into the canopy.

ALSO READ: Exploring Pigeon Valley: The Common Waxbill

At present Pigeon Valley is going through tough times; after years of pressure by Friends of Pigeon Valley, the municipality started work to address the erosion of the main track.

As soon as the hard surface had been removed, though, the deluge came, cutting a deep donga into parts of the track. This led to the park being closed to visitors.

I hope the rain will ease sufficiently for work to resume – in a later article I will show its progress. The intention is to create at least one area where there is a small wetland to add to the reserve’s biodiversity.

Crispin Hemson chairs the Friends of Pigeon Valley, a group that undertakes clearing of alien plants, keeps records of bird and mammal sightings and alerts management to any problems.

The Friends have a monthly walk at 7.30am on the second Saturday of each month. Email: friendsofpigeonvalley1@gmail.com.

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