A persistent and insistent tseep-tseep-tseep outside the bedroom window attracted my attention. Looking out I saw a fledgling perching on top the fence to the cat’s garden, calling repeatedly, reminding its parent to feed it. Continue reading “A hungry baby flycatcher and its hardworking mother”
The buds of the Powderpuff Tree are so tightly clenched that they almost resemble berries. The transformation of the buds unfurling almost one stamen at a time to become flowers is particularly eye-catching. Continue reading “Transforming from bud to flower”
Beautiful when it flowers and highly sought after for the traditional medicine trade, this member of the Hyacinth family is one of my favourite plants both in the wild and in our garden. Continue reading “From dormancy to delicate blue: ‘Scilla natalensis’ in the garden”
Usually I keep post-processing of an image to a minimum – confining myself to a bit of cropping, a bit of lightening/darkening and sharpening, and that is pretty much it. Continue reading “Experimental colour and light”
This strange fungus blooms occasionally on old wood on a small tree in our garden. For a few days only, it is thick and jelly-like before rapidly shriveling and drying. Continue reading “Ear today, gone tomorrow”
This gaudy grasshopper is spectacular enough on its own, but peeking over the petals of an agapanthus flower it made quite a show. Continue reading “Peek performance”
Plucky and petite, Southern Black Flycatchers are one of the most engaging of the uniformly black birds that visit our garden. Continue reading “Favourite garden birds: Southern Black Flycatcher”
The curves of the Calla Lily softened in the late afternoon sunlight. Continue reading “Calla curves”
Completely dormant in the winter, in the very early spring the leaves of the River Crinum emerge, forming a crown of long green straps. And then a green spear emerges rising to almost a metre in height as the buds start forming at the tip, eventually opening into white and pink lily-like flowers. Continue reading “In the pink in the spring: River Crinum”
