Make the most of your time in nature

Spending time in nature just gets better when you know a bit about the things you see around you.  Here are four trees your might spot if you were to spend time in the Platbos Forest.  Jou could event win some tickets to go to the Platbos Reforest Family Fest.

What kinds of trees grow in Platbos Forest?

Platbos Forest, about 2.5 hours from Cape Town is a truly magical place. Birds rest on tree branches to eat colorful fruit, small furry critters forage for seeds and nuts on the ground, and all kinds of animals, from bushbok to polecats, come to rest in the shade. Every year, Greenpop returns to this special place during Reforest Fest to help replant the forest and dance under the stars. We’ve created a handy guide to Platbos’s magical trees that's perfect for both kids and kids-at-heart.

Pock Ironwood

The Pock Ironwood is the perfect tree to play under, but its tall, smooth trunk means you won’t be able to climb up into its branches. If you’re lucky enough to find a Pock Ironwood tree in the springtime, the white flowers it grows smell nice and are perfect for putting in your hair!

White Milkwood

Beautiful, ancient, milkwoods are like the grandfathers of the forest. They give shade and protection to the furry animals who eat their juicy fruit and the tired humans who rest under their branches. If you sit quietly in Platbos forest and listen really hard, maybe you can even hear some grandfatherly advice in the rustling of their leaves! They have a lot of wisdom because the oldest Milkwood tree in Platbos is over 1,000 years

Hard Pear

Hard Pear is a silly name for this tree. The red fruits that grow on its branches don’t look like pears, and you definitely can’t eat them! When you see a Hard Pear tree in the wild, run up and give it a hug! You probably don’t even have to go all the way out to the forest to find one, because these kinds of trees grow in a lot of gardens and backyards. In Platbos forest, Hard Pear trees grow to be more than 15 metres tall - bigger than 2 houses stacked on top of each other!

White Stinkwood

If you need some good luck, you might want to talk to a White Stinkwood tree. In some African cultures, these kinds of trees were thought to keep away evil spirits. Better be careful this tree is called a stinker for a reason!

Want to see these trees in real life? Click here to enter the competition for tickets to the Platbos Reforest Family Fest.