June wildflowers, birds and bees

When I reread Tuesday's poem, I found japonica and bees. Fitting in to my post for Wildflower Wednesday in Pollinator Week. Today's plants are all indigenous to South Africa in the spirit of Gail at Clay and Limestone's meme, EXCEPT the Japanese flowering quince and the fig and ash trees.

Listen to Henry Reed himself reading his poem, with Frank Duncan (as the lecturer). How strangely wonderful is modern technology! This is from a BBC broadcast in 1966. Text found at solearabiantree.

 

NAMING OF PARTS

To-day we have naming of parts. Yesterday,
We had daily cleaning. And to-morrow morning,
We shall have what to do after firing. But to-day,
To-day we have naming of parts. Japonica
Glistens like coral in all of the neighboring gardens,
          And to-day we have naming of parts.

Japanese flowering quince
with bee
LAST June, today is winter, grey wet and cold.

This is the lower sling swivel. And this

Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see,
When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,
Which in your case you have not got. The branches
Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures,
          Which in our case we have not got.

Winter branches
Ash and fig

This, is a detail
from one of the pictures in the collage below.
Raindrops on Tecomaria

This is the safety-catch, which is always released
With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me
See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy
If you have any strength in your thumb. The blossoms
Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see
          Any of them using their finger. 

Malachite sunbird on
Cotyledon orbiculata

And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this
Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it
Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this
Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards
The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers:
          They call it easing the Spring.

Hemizygia transvaalensis
(sage family from the 'old Transvaal')
Pink flowers, retaining coloured calyx
after the flowers fall!

Bee on Hemizygia

They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easy
If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,
And the breech, and the cocking-piece, and the point of balance,
Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossom
Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards,
          For to-day we have naming of parts.

Euryops pectinatus
with grey leaves
and a crab/flower spider lurking

Red Tecomaria, mauve Tulbaghia, blue Felicia
Pink Joy Crassula ovata,
orange and blue Strelitzia,
ruby Lachenalia rubida

Who would have thought that schoolgirl would three decades later have a japonica of her own?  I remember sitting in a classroom at Camps Bay High School, listening to a maths teacher droning on about trigonometry. Just a meaningless word to me today. While a row of surfing boys along the window seats, gazed out to sea, and evaluated the waves for the afternoon, when life would happen again. One boy who had a mass of dark waving hair over his shoulders. Not allowed in school. He had it down to a very fine art. Gathered the hair up into a TINY bun with a few hairpins! I only know that, because, just once, his bun fell apart.

Pictures by Diana and Jurg
words by Diana of Elephant's Eye
- wildlife gardening in Porterville,
near Cape Town in South Africa

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