A Weekend At Sigurwana With Prof. Braam Van Wyk
One of the many privileges that come with working in South Africa’s wilderness, is the opportunity to meet some exceptionally fascinating people. When these opportunities present themselves we do not hesitate to grab them with both hands. Especially when the intriguing person in question is an expert in a field that all of us at Sigurwana are exceptionally interested in. So when we were presented with the possibility of hosting Prof. Braam Van Wyk for a weekend at the lodge we jumped at the opportunity to find out more about the fascinating world of botany that surrounds us.
Most of you will already be familiar with the name Braam Van Wyk because it is printed on the front of many of the field guides that you use when out botanizing. But for those of you who do not recognize the name, Braam is a prominent South African plant taxonomist. Renowned for his significant role in training many active plant taxonomists in the country. Prof. Van Wyk’s extensive contributions include over 390 publications and several books on the botany of Southern Africa. Noteworthy accolades include the Silver Medal for Botany, Allen Dyer Award, Havenga Prize for Life Sciences, and the Exceptional Academic Achiever Award.
Below are just a few of the books that Prof. Van Wyk authored or co-authored. It is also worth noting at this point that Braam also pioneered the development of the first mobile app designed for identifying trees in southern Africa.
Books by Braam Van Wyk:
- Field Guide to Wild Flowers of the Highveld
- Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa
- A Photographic Guide to Wild Flowers of South Africa
- How to Identify Trees in Southern Africa
- Aloes of Southern Africa
- Photo Guide to Trees of Southern Africa
So, I am certain that by this point you can understand why we were eager to host this legend of the botany world here at Sigurwana.
A lot of time was spent Botanizing
On the last weekend of January, we welcomed Prof. Braam Van Wyk to the lodge. Our expectations were high and after a quick introduction and coffee and cake, we headed out for our first drive. It immediately became apparent that we were not going to be disappointed. We spent time looking at many of the fascinating trees and plants along the route, and after about two hours of driving, I realized that we had not done much more than about 3 km. So we decided to head over to one of our many viewpoints on the mountain for a well-earned sundowner. Well, perhaps only Braam had actually earned it, but we were happy to ride on his coattails.
The rest of the weekend was spent driving and walking around the Soutpansberg on the Sigurwana and Tolo Wilderness Reserve. We learned about everything from the massive 600-year-old (estimated) Yellowwood trees in the most northern Yellowwood forest in South Africa, to the exploding flowers of the Mistletoe plant. Prof. Van Wyk demonstrated how a bee’s buzzing frequency can cause the pollen to be expelled from the flower of the Poison Apple (Solanum panduriforme), and of course, we spent time looking at a few of the endemic plant species found on the mountain.
At the end of the weekend, we were all bursting with new information and a revitalized passion and interest in the plants around us. It was not only the interesting plants that contributed to this, although they did play a massive role, but also the fun and interactive way Prof. Braam Van Wyk can share his knowledge about the wilderness. We also realized that if we had enjoyed the weekend this much then most definitely there would be many other people just like us who would relish the opportunity to spend a few days out in a botanical paradise like the Soutpansberg with a legend of the botanical world. We thought that his guidance might complement our Sigurwana Tree and Rock trails perfectly.
Join us for a week of Nature Awareness with Braam
As it turns out, one of Braams’ passions is helping to make biology and botany accessible to the public. He passionately and enthusiastically shares his knowledge whenever possible and with whoever is interested in listening. He has kindly agreed that he will revisit Sigurwana in November when we hope to host our first-ever “Nature Awareness” week. During this week, guests visiting the lodge will have an opportunity to learn about the flora of the mountain from Prof. Braam Van Wyk and share his stories about South African nature acquired over decades in the field. There is no additional cost to this week and bookings can be made as usual.
Finally, I think I speak for all the staff, management, and owners of Sigurwana when I say a big thank you to Braam for taking the time to come up and visit us here at the lodge. Your visit was most definitely memorable and although we probably already need a refresher course on the trees, the time spent with you will never be forgotten.