If you were asked to design a festively flowering tree for the southern hemisphere Christmas summer holidays you would be hard pressed to come up with something better than the pompon tree (Dais cotinifolia).
Continue reading “Festive holiday pompons”
Some of these photos taken in our garden last year strike me as being little bit quirky. So here they are, without titles or captions, to provide a little undemanding diversion.
Continue reading “Random quirkiness in the garden“
In our spring equinox week we have had rain, snow and temperatures falling across parts of the country. It has been a bit of a mixed blessing but new growth is very evident including in our garden and sunshine is back today.
Continue reading “Southern equinox after springtime September rains“
Distinctive cabbage-trees have succulent stems and large compound leaves that characteristically crowd at the end of branches. Endemic to Africa, Yemen and the Comoro Islands, due to their strong architectural form some species are cultivated as garden plants.
Continue reading “Cabbage-trees – a virtual and literal feast in the garden”
Mountains, cliffs, forests, grasslands, flowers, clear streams and waterfalls, the Drakensberg has all that and more to delight and sometimes challenge a hiker.
Continue reading “Following footpaths in the central Drakensberg”
Giant baobab trees are icons of sub-Saharan Africa’s dry savannahs. Their vital statistics are impressive, they dominate the landscape and they provide resources for people and for many species of animals.
Continue reading “The African baobab: Super tree with super fruit”
A photograph arises from the relationship between the photographer and the camera, from the eye looking through the lens in the moment, and it attains meaning through those receiving the image long after the click.
Continue reading “My camera and eye: Strange fascination”
Rivers with natural vegetation along their banks are special spaces that for some may evoke spiritual responses and notions of the sacred. Even when rivers are dry the riverine vegetation retains a sheltering and nurturing power.
Continue reading “Take me to the river: Riverine roaming at Kruger National Park”
We had an unexpected invitation to spend last weekend in the southern Drakensberg mountains, to which we spontaneously said ‘yes’. Morning walks were a delight and I share here some of the treasures, mostly flowers, that we enjoyed seeing in the grasslands.
Continue reading “Summertime mountain flowers”
letting nature back in 