Valley of the Queens: Winning Landscape Image of the SAPOTY 2022

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A Tribute to the Proteas of Mont Rochelle

16 Feb 2026

“Many of these trees were my friends. Creatures I had known from nut and acorn.” Treebeard in the Lord of the Rings.
 
It made me though about the recent fires in Franschhoek and specifically the Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve. I spent so many hours on its trails and the Proteas I got to know during the past few years, I can almost call friends.
 

Assembly of Kings

The best line-up of King proteas I have photographed thus far. They grew near the bridge, on th trail towards Uitkyk

A lineage of three King Proteas. The two in the front bloomed the same year, and the dry one at the back are most probably from the previous year. The dry flowerhead stores its seeds and keeps it safe, only to release it after a fire.

Many of these Proteas I knew what time of year they will bloom; how they look when the south easter are blowing and covered in clouds; how they seam to glow when the last light of the day fall on them. Some plants were old withered by relentless elements, but they stood the test of time. Others were young sprouts, filled with life and vigour.
 
And then one element came by that they could not stand again, FIRE! From the photos I have seen it looks like all the proteas in these images have been burnt down, nothing left…their beauty and majesty gone… for a while.
 

Abode of the Red Queen

The most commonly found, red variant of the queen protea, overlooking the wonderful Wemmerhoek Valley. They surely have a head for heights!

Place of the White Queen

This white variant of the Queen Protea is well protected by rocks, and hopefully it didn't burn during the fire

The good news is that I have seen them flower and many plants with more than 10 flowers per plant. But the protea have a screct, they hide their seeds in dried up flowerheads, releasing them after a fire. And the miracle is that the plants offer up themselves, by re-introducing their ashes to the soil and providing nutrients to their young saplings.
 

A magnificent queen protea overlooking the Du Toitskop during a colourful sunset. The Queen Protea can easily be distinguished from the King Protea by the black dot in the centre of the flowerhead.

For now, rest in peace my friends, rest well, recover and take the time to strengthen yourselves…for I will return and tell your children about the beauty that once adorned the mountains of Mont Rochelle…and they will also bloom and cover those rugged mountains in an amazing display of colour…
 
For know we mourn your death…but one day we will rejoice in your offspring…

 

If you would like to cherish the beauty of Mont Rochelle for years to come, all the images on this page are available for purchase as prints. Simply click on the image, and it will open a new window, inside my online shop, where you can select the size and medium.

 

I would love to hear your comments about this blog post. Have you done this hiking route and what were your thoughts on it?

A Cape Sugarbird feasting on the sweet nectar of the King Protea. The males have a massive long tail in comparison to the short tail of the females. The females choose the males with the longest tails to mate, since they have to be the strongest to stay alive with such a long tail.

Three King Proteas photographed before dawn and the first colour of sunrise starts to become visible in the clouds. It produced a soft light and an almost pastel feel to the scene

For most of the time, I was covered in clouds during this photoshoot. The clouds opened up for only a few seconds at a time and revealed this colourful scene of the Wemmershoek Mountains

 

I would love to hear your comments about this blog post. Have you done this hiking route and what were your thoughts on it?

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