Diepriver Trail

On Friday morning Z and I went on our monthly nature club meeting. It was great to meet up with friends, old and new. It was a warm, but breezy, autumn day and we were exploring a trail I have never been on before. Rather strange as we have lived close by since I was a little girl.

We entered the trail after walking across the rather dry grass. We expect our rains in the winter so it is not unusual for the grass to be so dry at this time of year. Suddenly we were under the tree canopy, and all around it was beautifully green with ivy clinging to the trees and creeping every which way.

The children ran ahead excitedly like little rabbits enjoying the freedom of open spaces. The trail meandered downhill, rather steep in some places.

Along the way, I spotted some beautiful flowers. Unfortunately it seems as if someone has put our field guide in a secret place as I cannot seem to find it to identify these flowers! We will have to hunt it down in the morning.

As the trail went on, once again there was a stark contrast as we came out to a level area covered with cattails and pampas grass alongside the river.

The sun beat down on us and the children raced across the bridge to the freedom on the other side.

They raced all the way to the end of the trail where it meets the road. Mothers ran frantically after them, not knowing if the children would stop in time. Thankfully they did and no one came to any harm.

On the grassy banks of the river, there were splashes of color where the Morning Glory flowers displayed all their deep, rich blue and purple flowers. These flowers tend to close in the warmer parts of the day and are fully open in the morning, hence the name Morning Glory.

These pink flowers were a delight too. I know what they are called but have gone blank for a moment!

We made our way back to the starting point a little slower than we had started out, and had time to look at all the flowers that the children had missed in their haste. They spotted a rain spiders nest that we had missed on the way down the trail.

Once back near the start, the kiddies enjoyed clambering over the boulders while the mums enjoyed a chat and tea in the shade. We will we be going back to enjoy the trail again sometime soon I hope!