Mushrooms and Fun(gi) at Grootbos
Winter in the Cape means one thing - mushroom season!
This beautiful Erica lanuginosa was photographed in the Klein River Mountains, an important ecological corridor in the landscape. But there’s more to this delicate flower than meets the eye!
Its soft, white blooms aren’t just for show - they’re specially adapted for rodent pollination. At night, small mammals visit the flowers for nectar, unknowingly collecting and spreading pollen on their whiskers and fur. Out of more than 800 Erica species worldwide, only two are known to rely on rodents in this way, making it a truly rare and special partnership in nature.
Protecting these ecosystems means protecting incredible stories like this.
Grootbos Foundation is a registered non-profit organisation in Gansbaai committed to conserving the Cape Floral Kingdom and uplifting the communities that reside within it. The foundation protects more than 22,200ha of fynbos landscape and biodiversity on Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and the Walk...
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Read MoreWinter in the Cape means one thing - mushroom season!
Did you know Grootbos Foundation has a curated insect collection of over 60,000 pinned specimens?
Camera traps take photographs of secret animals as they go about their private lives.
Winter in the Cape, with its cooler temperatures and steady rainfall, offers the perfect climate for spores to germinate.
The Earth Rangers group from Laerskool Gansbaai had a fun and educational field trip to Grootbos!