Knysna Revisited

Knysna Lagoon and the Heads

I find myself back in Knysna on the Cape south coast.  I didn't plan to be here - at least not now.  As the saying goes - man proposes, God disposes. So between visiting a very dear and very sick relative in hospital, I've been reminded of how beautiful this area really is.

So what makes Knysna so special?  That’s very easy to answer.  It’s the lagoon.  It’s beautiful, exiting to the sea through a crevice in the rock-basin called simply The Heads. Not only does the lagoon provide a wonderful scenic feature and a home to all sorts of water sports, but it is also home to the Knysna Oyster.  The canny folk of Knysna have a knack of taking their natural advantages and turning them into commercial advantages.  For many years one would drive onto a small low-lying island in the lagoon –Thesen Island - which had a desultory timber business on it, and the Knysna Oyster Company.  The Knysna Oyster Company was a beacon attracting tourists and locals alike.  At first it consisted of an oyster farm where oysters were cultivated in the lagoon and sold –open or closed – to visitors and local restaurants and hotels.

After some time, a few outside tables were added where you could sit in the sun, enjoy the lagoon and eat your oysters with your own wine.  Then it became a café, then a restaurant, then a landmark … and then it disappeared.

Knysna specializes in rarities.  There are the famous Knysna elephants, by far the rarest of their clan.  Believed extinct for many years, it has now been established that a few still wander deep in the Knysna forests keeping well away from humans.  For visitors who don’t have a few months to invest in trying to find them, an Elephant Park with non-Knysna elephants has been conveniently situated nearby.

Presumably the wedding guests

At Brenton on the sea side of the town, there is a butterfly – the Brenton Blue – which occurs only there.  In common with several other species of Blue, it has a complex relationship with a species of ant.  The caterpillar secretes a sweet substance that the ants enjoy, and in return they protect it and help it with its complex life cycle, even excavating a hole for it to feed on roots and eventually pupate.  Since this is sea front property, the Blue was hardly likely to have been left in peace, but at least an area has been set aside to attempt to preserve the species.  Brenton Blue tours are doing well too.

Then there’s the Knysna Seahorse – the rarest species of seahorse and the only one on the South African coast.  It occurs only in three estuaries along the west Cape coast.  All seahorses are fascinating creatures - see Susan's delightful posts - with their rather languid behavior and charming faces.  Fortunately, they’ve caught the hearts of the people in the Knysna area.  But that brings me back to the disappearing Oyster Company. Thesen Island has become a residential development.  Suddenly this small island, practically at sea level, has been packed with houses.  We are assured that no damage will result to the lagoon or the seahorses.  Just what happens to the effluent from all these new dwellings is best left to the imagination.  The oysters packed up and left, bag and baggage.  But where can the seahorses go?

Thesen Island today

Well, perhaps global warming has one saving grace after all.  Thesen Island will be among the first to go…

Michael-Thursday.

A male that really does get pregnant

The Knysna Heads and estuary

My home town in South Africa is Knysa, pronounced NIGH – ZNUH.  Apparently the name comes from the Khoi-San language for ‘hard-to-get-to”, probably because of the dense forests that covered the region.  These are the forests of the legendary Knysna elephants, of which conservationists now believe only about 12 survive.

Almost equally rare is the Knysna seahorse (Hippocampus capensis), which makes its home in only three estuaries in the world – the Knysna, Swartvlie, and Keurbooms.  Because of this minute habitat it is regarded as an endangered species.  Fortunately, despite the widespread use of traditional medicines in South Africa, this seahorse is not used for any, unlike seahorses in other parts of the world.

A pregnant male - only 5 - 12 cms long

The Knysna seahorse is between 5 and 12 cms long, and surprisingly they are fish, with gills, backbone, swim bladder and fins.  Over millions of years, its scales have come together to form an insect-like outer protective layer that looks like a horse.  It swims very slowly, usually upright.

Seahorses have no teeth or stomachs, so eating needs to happen frequently because they cannot store food.  Typically they will hang onto the reed with their tail and change color so as to be camouflaged.  As shrimp or zooplankton float by, they suck them in through their tubular mouth.

A most peculiar aspect of these strange creatures is that the young, sometimes up to 200, are born from the male!  The female produces the eggs, and when ripe passes them to a special pouch the male has, where they are fertilized.  Gestation is about 2 – 3 weeks.  Then the cycle repeats itself.  The seahorse is the only fish species where the male actually becomes pregnant.

During the mating season, a pair of seahorses is monogamous, with the ‘pregnant’ male moving very little (only a few centimeters, hanging onto its piece of grass or reed), while the female can wander around in search of food.  When the female returns, there is a ritualistic flirting to strengthen their bonding.  Of course, this makes interlopers unsuccessful if they try to take over another seahorse’s mate.

Very little is known about the Knysna Seahorse, but recently a few research projects have started through Rhodes University in Grahamstown.  We all hope that the management of the three estuaries allows Hippocampus capensis to survive.

Stan - Thursday (rushing to get to our fourth book event)

Rare Pleasures

This blog is a piece of unashamed theft. Knysna is definitely Stan’s territory – it is where he lives when he’s in South Africa - and I have absolutely no business writing about it. However, there are extenuating circumstances. Three of them in fact. First, he asked me to write the blog for him this week. Second, I’ve just been visiting him in Knysna, so at least this is based on recent first-hand experience. Third, he wrote a piece about Johannesburg last week (which is where I live).
So what makes Knysna so special? That’s very easy to answer. It’s the lagoon. It’s beautiful, exiting to the sea through a crevice in the surrounding hills called simply The Heads. Stan’s house is up on the left hill (or Head) in this picture that looks from the town out through The Heads to the sea.

Not only does the lagoon provide a wonderful scenic feature and a home to all sorts of water sports, but it is also home to the Knysna Oyster. The canny folk of Knysna have a knack of taking their natural advantages and turning them into commercial advantages. For many years one would drive onto a small island in the lagoon –Thesen Island - which had a desultory timber business on it, and the Knysna Oyster Company. The Knysna Oyster Company was a beacon attracting tourists and locals alike. At first it consisted of an oyster farm where oysters were cultivated in the lagoon and sold –open or closed – to visitors and local restaurants and hotels. After some time, a few outside tables were added where you could sit in the sun, enjoy the lagoon and eat your oysters with your own wine. Then it became a café, then a restaurant, then a landmark … and then it disappeared.

Knysna specialises in rarities. There are the famous Knysna elephants, by far the rarest of their clan. Believed extinct for many years, it has now been established that a few still wander deep in the Knysna forests keeping well away from humans. For visitors who don’t have a few months to invest in trying to find them, an Elephant Park with non-Knysna elephants has been situated nearby.

At Brenton on the sea side of the town, there is a butterfly – the Brenton Blue – which occurs only there. In common with several other species of Blue, it has a complex relationship with a species of ant. The caterpillar secretes a sweet substance that the ants enjoy, and in return they protect it and help it with its complex life cycle, even excavating a hole for it to feed on roots and eventually pupate. Since this is sea front property, the Blue was hardly likely to have been left in peace, but at least an area has been set aside to attempt to preserve the species. Brenton Blue tours are doing rather well too.

Then there’s the Knysna Seahorse – the rarest species of seahorse and the only one on the South African coast. It occurs only in three estuaries along the Cape coast. All seahorses are fascinating creatures with their languid behaviour and charming faces. Fortunately they’ve caught the hearts of the people in the area. But that brings me back to the disappearing Oyster Company. Thesen Island has become a residential development. Suddenly this small island, practically at sea level, has been packed with houses. We are assured that no damage will result to the lagoon or the seahorses. Just what happens to the effluent from all these new dwellings is best left to the imagination. The oysters packed up and left, bag and baggage.

Well, perhaps global warming has one saving grace after all. Thesen Island will be among the first to go…

Michael-Thursday.