The first blossoms of the Erythrina caffra (commonly known as a Coral Tree) are beginning to appear amid the bright green foliage. Soon the latter will turn yellow and brittle into brown before floating to the ground, leaving the tree covered in these scarlet blossoms, which in their turn help to cheer up the cold weeks of winter.
Already the Black Sunbirds are vying with the Village Weavers for the sweet nectar. As the number of flowers increase, the trees will attract Redwinged Starlings, Speckled Mousebirds, Blackheaded Orioles, Blackcollared Barbets, African Green Pigeons along with Greater Doublecollared Sunbirds, Malachite Sunbirds and many other birds.
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Love it! What zone are you in? Is this a warm weather tree? Looks to be so.
The Eastern Cape is indeed a warm place to live. The hottest and wettest months are December to March and the coldest June to August.
Ok wow, I’m in Michigan USA here so it gets pretty cold. But I do like that tree, we don’t have many brilliant red blossoms like that.