They said the marsh disa, Disa racemosa, and another seven indigenous orchids are blooming in profusion in the small area this year. It is believed their flowering has been stimulated by the fire in January and because the recent removal of the pine trees had effectively restored a seasonal wetland.
Disas are members of the orchid family, many of which require damp habitats in which to flourish.
The Cape Peninsula National Park's managers have been criticised for removing the shade-providing but alien pine trees at Silvermine, many of which were damaged in the January fire. But many conservationists are delighted by their removal and the ecological restoration that has followed. Retired librarian academic, Deon Kesting, who has been documenting the Peninsula's rich plant life for the past 20 years, said he had found two orchid species in the area that he hadn't seen there previously. I know this site so well, and I've never seen such profusion before. If, however, you want a real nature experience, then support the management of the Cape Peninsula National Park in its quest to unleash the hidden magic that the alien vegetation has for too long kept locked from us.