Forests and woodlands have old associations with enchantment and mystery. As magical places forests may be benign and even be sacred places, but conversely enchantment may be malevolent. Forests can provide sanctuary but they can also conceal danger. Wildness can be healing but it can also be threatening.
Continue reading “Enchantment in a monochrome woodland”
Following last week’s post showcasing the large wild iris (Dietes grandiflora), this post features the other two wild irises in our garden: the yellow wild iris or peacock flower (Dietes bicolor) and the less well-known forest wild iris – or simply forest iris – (Dietes butcheriana), which is also known as the broad-leaved dietes.
Continue reading “More on our wild irises: The yellow and the forest wild irises”
The lovely soft looking flowers that don’t last long on the plant make it surprising that wild irises of the Dietes genus are in fact incredibly hardy, to the extent that they are a familiar sight in mass plantings in urbanised places such as business parks and shopping malls.
Continue reading “Introducing three wild irises”
Shorter days and cooler nights bring changes as the daytime temperatures vary between hot and mild. With the dryer air the sunshine has a golden clarity enhancing the colourful winter flowers and mellow berries, and brightening the visiting birds and insects in the garden.
Continue reading “Meanwhile back in the garden: Images of early winter”
The freshwater biome can be categorized into lakes, streams and wetlands, and all are interconnected. We depend utterly on freshwater systems that globally comprise only 0.8% of all the water on the planet and cover only 1/5 of the Earth’s surface.
Continue reading “Going with the flow: Some southern African rivers and wetlands”
Aquatic biomes include both freshwater and marine biomes. The marine biome is divided into three main ecosystems: the oceans, coral reefs and estuaries. South Africa has a coastline that is over 3000 kilometres in length and it features coral reefs on its eastern coastline and numerous estuaries along its length.
Continue reading “Looking out to sea: The shoreline, the estuaries and the coral reefs”
Today is Earth Day and the theme for 2021 is Restore Our Earth. Three days (20-23 April 2021) of live streaming events connected to the Earth Day campaign can be found here. In this post I highlight South Africa’s major biomes to draw attention to the diversity that, although diminishing, we still have.
Continue reading “Restoring our planet: Showcasing South Africa’s biomes”
I am saying it with flowers this week – picks from our garden over the past year or so. The header image is of the forest bell-bush, commonly referred to by its beautiful botanical name Mackaya bella. Like many of the plants featured in this post it is endemic to southern Africa.
Continue reading “Flower picks from the garden”
The recent equinox marked a significant change from a very hot and rain-free couple of weeks to relatively cool conditions, and rain is forecast every day for the next ten days at least. This sudden change had me reflecting on the seasons and how they are represented in our neck of the woods.
Continue reading “Seasons change: Reflections after the equinox”