Although striking in appearance and obvious because they are gregarious, it is usually the loud cackling that first alert one to the presence of Green Wood-Hoopoes in the garden. Continue reading “The cackling presence of the Green Wood-Hoopoe”
For this week’s Photo Find, sticking with the small town theme, I could not resist this photo taken in Nieu Bethesda of one of the prettiest kittens I have ever seen. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Find: Nieu Bethesda’s Chocolate-box Kitten”
The Owl House of outsider artist Helen Martins draws many visitors to the tiny town of Nieu Bethesda each year. The Owl House and its Camel Yard is quite literally a concrete example of letting nature back in. Continue reading “The Owl House: Helen Martins’ enigmatic creation”
Nieu Bethesda is another small Karoo Town that was founded in the 1870s. Not far from Graaff Reinet, Nieu Bethesda is dominated by the Sneeuberg mountain range and overlooked by the high Compassberg peak. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Find: The small town of Nieu Bethesda”
The first creature that caught my eye on the first day of 2019 and caused me to pick up my camera, was this garden orb spider. Its complex round web was strung across the vertical spikes of a Common Rush (Juncus effusus) next to our garden pond. Continue reading “Ornately elegant engineer: Garden orb-weaving spider”
As the New Year dawns many of us reflect on the year that has passed, and perhaps on our hopes and aspirations for the year ahead. Continue reading “A New Year awaits”
A view up the main street lined with Victorian-era buildings of the small Karoo town of Victoria West. Parallel to the street on the edge of town is a large koppie (or rocky hill), illustrating that nature is still an omnipresent force in the region. Continue reading “Weekly Photo Find: Postcard from the edge of Victoria West”
There are two dictionary definitions of cheerfulness: first, the quality or state of being noticeably happy and optimistic; and second, the quality of causing happiness. Continue reading “Holiday cheerfulness: The sunshine colours of yellow”
Mistbelt grasslands sustain a rich diversity of life, especially when they form part of a complex mosaic that includes also forest, wetlands and rivers and streams. Continue reading “Mistbelt grassland flowers in the summer time”
