Nature's Valley

[edit] Groot River lagoon and Nature's Valley A network of trails covers the surrounding hills and beaches. The lagoon offers sheltered water for sailing and canoeing, without powerboating and beach buggies. A walk along beaches and a rocky path leads to the Salt River Mouth after crossing Pebble Beach, a large area completely covered in sea-smoothed cobbles. East of Nature's Valley is the Groot River Lagoon, which marks the end of the Otter Trail, starting at Storms River Mouth, 60 km further east. This 5-day trail is considered by many hikers to be the finest in South Africa, being strenuous, scenic and extremely varied. The route meanders along the coast through evergreen forest, past boulder-strewn beaches and frequently crossing tannin-stained streams. Huts are available for the hiker at the end of each day, but bookings have to be made well in advance. The Brenton blue butterfly, Orachrysops niobe, was first described from Knysna by Roland Trimen in 1858, and was not seen again until discovered in 1977 at Nature's Valley and shortly thereafter in 1979 at Brenton-on-Sea. The Nature's Valley population was assumed to be extinct when no more sightings were made after 1984. The cause of this decline was felt to be the absence of fynbos fires causing a shortage of the butterfly's foodplant Indigofera erecta, and accordingly a controlled burn was carried out in April 2003, with a reintroduction of butterfly eggs in August 2005. In 2000 researchers from the Albany Museum in Grahamstown discovered a number of aquatic insect species new to science in the Salt River, which lies at the western end of Nature's Valley. The isolated position of the river, a lack of fish and its acidic and unpolluted water are thought to have been factors in ensuring the undisturbed survival of these primitive forms. New housing developments within the catchment area of the Salt River may threaten the continued existence of these unique insects.

[edit] Mammals[edit] Duthie's golden mole, Chlorotalpa duthieae Hottentot golden mole, Amblysomus hottentotus devilliersi Amblysomus iris Forest shrew, Myosorex varius Greater red musk shrew, Crocidura flavescens Egyptian fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus leachii Geoffroy's horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus clivosus Cape horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus capensis Egyptian slit-faced bat, Nycteris thebaica Lesser long-fingered bat, Miniopterus fraterculus Lesser woolly bat, Kerivoula lanosa Cape hairy bat, Myotis tricolor Kuhl's pipistrelle, Pipistrellus kuhlii Long-tailed house bat, Eptesicus hottentotus Vervet monkey, Cercopithecus pygerythrus Chacma baboon, Papio ursinus Scrub hare, Lepus saxatilis Verreaux's mouse, Myomyscus verreauxi Woodland thicket rat, Thamnomys dolichurus Vlei rat, Otomys irroratus Brant's climbing mouse, Dendromus mesomelas Spectacled dormouse, Graphiurus ocularis Woodland dormouse, Graphiurus murinus Cape porcupine, Hystrix africae-australis Cape dune mole-rat, Bathyergus suillus Cape mole-rat, Georychus capensis Common mole-rat, Cryptomys hottentotus Honey badger, Mellivora capensis Striped polecat, Ictonyx striatus African clawless otter, Aonyx capensis Cape genet, Genetta tigrina Egyptian mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon cafer Cape grey mongoose, Herpestes pulverulentus Marsh mongoose, Atilax paludinosus African wildcat, Felis lybica Serval, Leptailurus serval Caracal, Caracal caracal Leopard, Panthera pardus African bush elephant, Loxodonta africana Cape hyrax, Procavia capensis Bushpig, Potamochoerus porcus Grey rhebok, Pelea capreolus Bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus sylvaticus Blue duiker, Cephalophus monticola Klipspringer, Oreotragus oreotragus Cape grysbok, Raphicerus melanotis Birds[edit] Cape spurfowl Red-necked spurfowl Common quail Helmeted guineafowl Egyptian goose African black duck Yellow-billed duck Red-billed teal Scaly-throated honeyguide Greater honeyguide Lesser honeyguide Brown-backed honeybird Knysna woodpecker Cardinal woodpecker Olive woodpecker Crowned hornbill African hoopoe Green wood hoopoe Narina trogon European roller Half-collared kingfisher Malachite kingfisher Brown-hooded kingfisher Giant kingfisher Pied kingfisher Speckled mousebird Red-faced mousebird Red-chested cuckoo Black cuckoo Klaas's cuckoo African emerald cuckoo Diederik cuckoo Burchell's coucal Alpine swift African black swift Little swift Horus swift White-rumped swift Knysna turaco Barn owl Cape eagle-owl Spotted eagle-owl African wood owl Fiery-necked nightjar European nightjar Rock dove Lemon dove Laughing dove Cape turtle dove Red-eyed dove Tambourine dove Emerald-spotted wood dove Speckled pigeon African olive pigeon Denham's bustard African finfoot Buff-spotted flufftail Striped flufftail Common moorhen Red-knobbed coot Common whimbrel Common greenshank Marsh sandpiper Wood sandpiper Common sandpiper Ruddy turnstone Sanderling Ruff Water thick-knee Spotted thick-knee African black oystercatcher Black-winged stilt Grey plover White-fronted plover Blacksmith lapwing Black-winged lapwing Arctic skua Kelp gull Grey-headed gull Caspian tern Swift tern Sandwich tern Roseate tern Common tern Arctic tern Osprey Black-winged kite African marsh harrier Black harrier African harrier-hawk African cuckoo-hawk African goshawk Little sparrowhawk Rufous-chested sparrowhawk Black sparrowhawk Palmnut vulture Steppe buzzard Forest buzzard Jackal buzzard Black eagle Booted eagle Martial eagle Long-crested eagle African crowned eagle African fish eagle Rock kestrel Peregrine falcon White-faced whistling duck Little grebe Red-tailed tropicbird Cape gannet African darter Reed cormorant Crowned cormorant White-breasted cormorant Cape cormorant Little egret Cattle egret Grey heron Black-headed heron Purple heron Green-backed heron Black-crowned night heron White-backed night heron Dwarf bittern Hamerkop Lesser flamingo Hadeda ibis African sacred ibis African spoonbill Great frigatebird African penguin Indian yellow-nosed albatross Southern giant petrel Pintado petrel Blue petrel White-chinned petrel Black-headed oriole Fork-tailed drongo Blue-mantled crested flycatcher African paradise flycatcher Black-backed puffback Southern tchagra Southern boubou Olive bushshrike Cape batis Cape crow Pied crow White-necked raven Southern fiscal Grey cuckooshrike Black cuckooshrike Barn swallow White-throated swallow Greater striped swallow Brown-throated martin Rock martin Common house martin Black saw-wing Cape bulbul Sombre greenbul Terrestrial brownbul Cape grassbird Victorin's warbler Long-billed crombec Little rush warbler Knysna warbler Yellow-throated woodland warbler Willow warbler Cape white-eye Grey-backed cisticola Levaillant's cisticola Neddicky Karoo prinia Bar-throated apalis Bleating warbler Cape rock thrush Olive thrush Southern black flycatcher Fiscal flycatcher Spotted flycatcher African dusky flycatcher White-starred robin Cape robin-chat Chorister robin-chat White-browed scrub robin African stonechat Red-winged starling Black-bellied starling Wattled starling Common starling Orange-breasted sunbird Grey sunbird Amethyst sunbird Malachite sunbird Collared sunbird Southern double-collared sunbird Greater double-collared sunbird Cape sugarbird Cape weaver Yellow bishop African quailfinch Swee waxbill Common waxbill African firefinch Pin-tailed whydah House sparrow Southern grey-headed sparrow Cape wagtail Cape canary Brimstone canary White-throated canary Protea seedeater Streaky-headed seedeater Cape siskin Golden-breasted bunting Amphibians[edit] Breviceps fuscus - Plain rain frog/blaasoppie Amietophrynus rangeri – Ranger's toad Cacosternum boettgeri – Boettger's dainty frog Hyperolius horstockii – Arum frog Amietia fuscigula – Cape river frog Strongylopus bonaspei – Banded stream frog Strongylopus grayii – Gray's stream frog Tomopterna delalandii – Delalande's sand frog Xenopus laevis – African clawed frog Snakes[edit] Pelamis platurus - yellow-bellied sea snake Rhinotyphlops lalandei – pink earth snake Leptotyphlops nigricans – black worm snake Lycodonomorphus rufulus – brown water snake Lycophidion capense - Cape wolf snake Lamprophis aurora – Aurora snake Lycodonomorphus inornatus – olive house snake Boaedon fuliginosus – brown house snake Philothamnus hoplogaster – green water snake Philothamnus natalensis – Natal green snake Prosymna sundevallii – southern shovel-snout snake Pseudaspis cana – mole snake Duberria lutrix – slug-eater snake Dasypeltis scabra – common egg-eater snake Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia – red-lipped snake Amplorhinus multimaculatus – reed snake Dispholidus typus – boomslang Psammophylax rhombeatus – spotted grass snake Psammophis crucifer – cross-marked grass snake Homoroselaps lacteus – spotted harlequin snake Hemachatus haemachatus – rinkhals Naja nivea – Cape cobra Causus rhombeatus – night adder Bitis arietans – puff adder Bitis atropos – berg adder Bitis albanica – hornsman adder Lizards[edit] Pachydactylus geitjie - Ocellated thick-toed gecko Afrogecko porphyreus – Marbled leaf-toed gecko Lygodactylus capensis - Cape dwarf gecko Agama atra – Southern rock agama Bradypodion damaranum – Knysna dwarf chameleon Ninurta coeruleopunctatus – Blue-spotted girdled lizard Acontias meleagris - Cape legless skink Eremias lineocelata - Sand lizard Pedioplanis lineocellata - Spotted sand lizard Trachylepis capensis – Cape skink Trachylepis homalocephala - Red-sided skink Gerrhosaurus flavigularis - Yellow-throated plated lizard Tetradactylus seps - Short-legged seps Chamaesaura anguina - Cape grass lizard Cordylus cordylus - Cape girdled lizard Pseudocordylus microlepidotus - Cape crag lizard Tropidosaura gularis - Yellow-striped mountain lizard Varanus exanthematicus - Rock monitor Tortoises, turtles and terrapins[edit] Eretmochelys imbricata - Hawksbill sea turtle Chelonia mydas - Green turtle Caretta caretta - loggerhead turtle Dermochelys coriacea - leatherback turtle Stigmochelys pardalis - leopard tortoise Chersina angulata - angulate tortoise Homopus areolatus - common padloper Pelomedusa subrufa - marsh terrapin Trees, shrubs and lianes[edit] Acokanthera oppositifolia Afrocanthium mundianum Afrocarpus falcatus Allophylus decipiens Apodytes dimidiata Berzelia intermedia Brachylaena glabra Brachylaena neriifolia Brunia nodiflora Buddleja saligna Buddleja salviifolia Burchellia bubalina Calodendrum capense Canthium kuntzeanum Canthium ventosum Capparis sepiaria var. citrifolia Carissa bispinosa Cassine aethopica Cassine crocea Cassine eucleaeformis Cassine papillosa Cassine parvifolia Cassine peragua Cassine tetragona Cassinopsis ilicifolia Celtis africana Chionanthus foveolatus subsp. foveolatus Chrysanthemoides monilifera Clausena anisata Clematis brachiata Clutia affinis Colpoon compressum Cunonia capensis Curtisia dentata Cussonia thyrsiflora Cyathea capensis (L.f.) J. E. Sm. Cynanchum ellipticum (Harv.) R. A. Dyer Diospyros dichrophylla Diospyros glabra Diospyros whyteana Dodonaea viscosa var. angustifolia Dovyalis rhamnoides Ekebergia capensis Elaeodendron schinoides Spreng. Empleurum unicapsulare (L. f.) Skeels Erica floribunda Euclea polyandra Euclea racemosa Euclea schimperi var. schimperi Euclea undulata Euryops virgineus (L.f.) DC. Excoecaria simii (Kuntze) Pax Faurea macnaughtonii Ficus burtt-davyi Ficus sur Gnidia denudata Gonioma kamassi Grewia occidentalis Gymnanthemum mespilifolium (Less.) H.Rob. Halleria lucida Heteromorpha arborescens Hippobromus pauciflorus Ilex mitis Kiggelaria africana Lachnostylis hirta Laurophyllus capensis Leucadendron adscendens Leucadendron conicum Leucadendron eucalyptifolium Leucospermum attenuatum Maerua cafra Maerua racemulosa Maytenus acuminata Maytenus heterophylla Maytenus nemorosa (Eckl. & Zeyh.) Marais Maytenus peduncularis Myrica humilis Myrica cordifolia Myrica serrata Neocussonia umbellifera Nuxia floribunda Ochna arborea Ocotea bullata Olea capensis subsp. capensis Olea capensis subsp. macrocarpa Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata Olea exasperata Olinia cymosa Passerina falcifolia Phylica paniculata Willd. Pittosporum viridiflorum Platylophus trifoliatus Podocarpus latifolius Polygala myrtifolia Protea mundii Protea neriifolia Prunus africana Pseudophyllanthus ovalis Psoralea pinnata Psychotria capensis Psydrax obovata Pterocelastrus rostratus Pterocelastrus tricuspidatus Pyrenacantha scandens Planch. ex Harv. Rapanea melanophloeos Rhamnus prinoides Rhoicissus tomentosa Rhus chirindensis Rhus crenata Rhus glauca Rhus longispina Rhus lucida Rhus tomentosa Rhus undulata Rothmannia capensis Salix mucronata subsp. capensis Scutia myrtina Secamone alpini Schotia afra var. afra Schotia latifolia Scolopia mundii Scolopia zeyheri Secamone alpini Sideroxylon inerme Sparrmannia africana Strelitzia alba Strychnos decussata Tarchonanthus camphoratus Trichocladus crinitus Trimeria grandifolia Vepris lanceolata Virgilia oroboides Zanthoxylum capense Zanthoxylum davyi