Swellendam Tree Route

The Swellendam Conservancy is working on a self-guided Tree Route through town. The idea is to highlight our indigenous trees and natural heritage, and invite both residents and visitors to explore Swellendam on foot. The aim is simple: to notice, understand, and enjoy the trees around us, from well-known street trees to lesser-known indigenous species.

As part of this, a Tree Walk was hosted during First Friday. There was a great turnout, with plenty of curiosity. Participants walked the streets together, identifying trees and logging observations using the iNaturalist app. These observations help build a living record and will guide the development of a route that reflects what makes our town unique.

One of the highlights was spotting the Acraea horta caterpillar on a Wild Peach (Kiggelaria africana). While they may look destructive, they are part of a natural cycle and even highly beneficial - the tree is able to recover in 4–6 weeks. These caterpillars are also an important food source for cuckoos, as they are among the few birds that can eat the toxic caterpillars. If they escape the beak of a cuckoo, they turn into the familiar Garden Acraea. A joy to see that even a single tree can support a whole chain of life - something the Tree Route hopes to reveal, one observation at a time.

Join and log trees in iNaturalist: Take 3-5 good quality pictures: Whole tree, leaves, leaf arrangement, bark, flowers or fruit.

Elisabeth Folmer