Whatever time of the year you visit Phillipskop there is a wide variety of beautiful flowers to see. However, because of the diversity, it can sometimes become bewildering even to know where to start. We have therefore created a series of Plant Spotter Guides for Phillipskop to help guests and visitors to enjoy some of the plants they may see during their visit. These are available to purchase at reception for R5 a sheet. We have also put a full reference set in each self-catering chalet for guests.
With over 600 species of plant on the reserve, it was hard to know which ones to include on our Plant Spotters. We have focussed on the flowers that visitors are most likely to encounter or notice. So, some are very common, while others are particularly striking. As what is flowering changes throughout the year, we have created a set of six guides based on each two month period, i.e. January-February, March-April, May-June, etc. Two months is a long time in the annual flowering cycle, and for each each period some flowers may have almost finished flowering before others start. However, this was necessary as each year the flowering period for each species can vary by a couple of weeks depending upon the rain and temperature of that particular season. We therefore hope that a good number of species on each guide will be in flower whenever you visit.
There are 20 species highlighted on each guide. The photographs are arranged in a grid pattern on the front. On the back, there is further information for identification and where you can go on the reserve to have the best chance of seeing them. Each photo includes a tick box to encourage families to make a game of spotting the flowers. This can be expanded into a type of flower bingo. See how many rows, columns or diagonals one can join up by spotting the flowers on the sheet. We hope that it will help everyone to observe and appreciate more of the flowers around. If you want a more in depth look at the plants and the stories behind the flowers, then why not book a guided walk as well.
