The Beauty and the Disa

The Beauty and the Disa

By Dr Anina Lee

Late summer is a magical time for those who venture into the shady kloofs along streams and waterfalls in the Cape mountains because that is when one of the most famous of all Cape plants blooms: the red disa (Disa uniflora).

Next to the king protea (Protea cynoroides), the disa is probably the most recognised of the fynbos flowers and is carried proudly as an emblem by many sports teams and organisations.

The red disa was first associated with Table Mountain, where it grows on the upper slopes. This may seem strange for a flower that favours moist conditions, but it's all because of the 'table cloth' on Table Mountain. Moist air rises from the ocean up the mountain, reaches the cold air on top and condenses into a water-bearing cloud covering the mountain. This cloud cover is said to produce twice as much water annually on the mountain as rainfall does, and it provides the ideal habitat for the disa.

This iconic beauty is found in protected areas from Hermanus to Cape Town and north into the Cederberg. Locally, the Klein River Mountains and the Kogelberg are favourites for Disa uniflora sightings.

But, the story of the disa has another dimension. Those who are fortunate enough to hike our Cape mountains in summer may have noticed a large butterfly of rare beauty. Wear anything red, and this butterfly will seek you out, hoping that you will provide a sip of nectar. This is the Table Mountain Beauty, also known as the 'Mountain Pride' butterfly (Aeropetes tulbaghia). It is awe-inspiring – the largest and most beautiful of southern Africa's ‘brown’ butterflies.

This butterfly sees red – literally. It is so specialised that it is only attracted to red flowers – or anything else that's red. So it has a unique niche in nature, pollinating only red flowers that bloom in summer. Butterfly and flower have evolved in parallel, doing their thing in the season when there is less competition from others.

Click on the newspaper below to read more (see page 14).