I spotted this mantis on an Arum lily plant only by chance. I had been photographing small beetles that were pollinating the flower when I glanced down and saw this interesting little creature. Usually, we only see the green African Mantis around, so it was special to see this small mantis, commonly called a leaf mantis or a ghost mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa). Continue reading “Getting acquainted with a leaf mantis”
Cats do seem able to achieve a Zen-like calm when sitting and practicing their version of awareness meditation. Continue reading “Nina Meditating”
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”
