The Klein Karoo is a very small and fragile veld type unique to southern Africa. Marion and her associates are working hard to create awareness and appreciation for the plants and animals. Many landowners are already farming and developing sustainably, and conserving their natural veld.
We offer the following services with a view to sharing knowledge for the conservation, rehabilitation and passion for these magnificent landscapes.
We offer fun and informative guided bird walks in the area. We are members of Birding Pals and know good places to stay which are bird- and birder-friendly. See our birdlist for the area. The best birding times are between April and October. During drought years such as 2011, several arid zone species have been seen as far south as Montagu. In wetter years the migrants hang around a bit longer rather than just passing through. The veld here is mostly succulent karoo interspersed with orchards and vineyards, and fynbos on the mountain slopes. We also have a wide variety of mammal and reptile species.
Good places to stay for birding in the area include Rietvlei Grove and 360 on 62.
The Klein Karoo is rich in species diversity with 4620 species of plant - and counting. New species are being found all the time. Plants are not just pretty to look at, they also indicate what the soil and rock types are in an area, the water quality, historical land use and fires. Many indigenous plants are poisonous to stock, but most of them have medicinal and other uses for both humans and animals. Knowing your plants allows you to modify stock operations for maximum use of the veld without damaging it.
If you have plants you wish to have identified, please contact us
The gallery is situated in the shale hillsides of the Klein Karoo and is surrounded by the most gorgeous natural veld. Autumn, winter and spring, the veld is filled with the bright faces of hundreds of plant species. Marion offers guided walks through this veld to showcase these plants and some of the fascinating animals that live among them.
The veld has taken millions of years to get to the stage it is at. It takes just one month of overgrazing to damage it beyond repair. The succulent karoo and fynbos biomes are very fragile and require very sensitive handling.
We offer management and rehabilitation solutions for maintaining healthy veld and improving damaged areas.