February was a very mild month, often in the past few years it has been hot and dry. The first three weeks were relatively drier and warmer, on Sunday 21 the hottest day of the month was recorded, 27C, several mornings dipped to 10C. On Wednesday 24 storms raged and we had 73mm of rain overnight, and another 20mm on Thursday 25, bringing the total rainfall to 162,5mm for February.
The hillsides are still green, though now there is a touch of gold with the seeding grasses. The exotic Silver Birches in the garden have dropped all their leaves and the Pin Oak avenue has red splashes of colour in the leaves.
This month I haven’t been able to spend as much time wandering the hillsides, here are some of the highlights.
Tuesday 2
Wednesday 3
Thursday 11
Wednesday 17
I managed a brief walk before doing some Bramble control work.
Thursday 25
Sunday 28
A few times during the month I have seen two female and one male Common Reedbuck, usually in the orchard. Twice I’ve spotted a Black-backed Jackal moving swiftly into the Mondi pine plantation. A delight is the pair of Cape Wagtails that have taken up residence in the garden.
A Southern Secrets Hiking and Backpacking Guided Hike
http://www.southernsecrets.co.za
Playing and fossicking amongst flowers has to be one of my very favourite pastimes, combine that with hiking, spending nights in the Drakensberg, excellent company who also relish these spaces and gems, and you end up with memories of an experience to treasure!
We walked up to Tarn Cave from Bushmans Nek, spent time in the Rock Garden of Sehlabathebe and returned via the Bushmans Nek Pass.
This is a list of those flowers I identified over the three days (88). Not all were photographed and these are the ones I remember seeing.
Orchids were in abundance (18):
Corycium sp. the flowers were over.
There were also many other stunning flowers blooming (69):
Alepidea natalensis
Aponogeton rannunculiflorus
Aristea woodii
Clematis brachiata
Commelina africana
Crassula umbraticola
Cratercapsa tarsodes
Cynoglossum austro-africanum
Cyphia tysonii
Delosperma lavisiae
Diclis reptans
Drosera natalensis
Eucomis autumnalis
Felicia filifolia
Geranium wakkerstroomianum
Helichrysum heterolasium
Hermannia woodii
Hesperantha tysonii
Huperzia saururus fern
Hypericum aethiopicum subsp. sonderi
Linum thunbergii
Melasma scabrum inflated fruit
Moraea brevistyla
Papaver aculeatum
Protea dracomontana
Scabiosa columbaria
Sebaea marlothii
Stretocarpus pentherianus
Themeda triandra
Urginea macrocentra seeds
Wahlenbergia fasciculata
Wahlenbergia huttonii
Xerophyta viscosa
Bibliography
A Field Guide to Wildflowers KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Region: E. Pooley
Mountain Flowers A Field Guide to the Flora of the Drakensberg and Lesotho: E. Pooley
Orchids of South Africa A Field Guide: S. Johnson, B. Bytebier, H. Starker
Ferns of Southern Africa A Comprehensive Guide: N.R. Crouch, R. R. Klopper, J. E. Burrows, S. E. Burrows
The first month of 2021 is over, the summer season is at its height. Green, verdant growth with plentiful rainfall. Already a few exotic trees have leaves that are starting to turn colour and some mornings there has been a slight crispness to the air.
We have had over 240mm of rain this month, the coolest morning 8 degrees Celsius on the 2nd and the warmest day 28.5 degrees Celsius on the 22nd Jan.
There have been many insects and the juvenile birds are being fed by their diligent parents. This diligence also means at the slightest hint of danger, including a human with a camera, they quickly take cover, the Cape Robin Chats, Southern Boubous, Fork-tailed Drongos and Speckled Pigeons are amongst them. I suspect the Cape Robin Chat nest is in the hedge that borders on side of the vegetable garden, as this seems to the base for the juvenile, who has ample cover in the rampant growth.
The wide variety of nature on display is really only touched on this month, here is some of what I saw:
Saturday 2
The African Hoopoes are temporarily resident on the peripheries of the garden.
The misty valley provides a perfect foil for Senecio isatideus
Bouquets of Berkheya setifera
Tuesday 5
In the early morning many creatures greeted me outside the kitchen door
Wahlberg’s Emperor Moth, Imbrasia wahlbergi
A Granular Agate Snail, Archachatina granulata
Leopard Goat moth, Azygophleps inclusa
This striking white and black moth
Delicately poised on the edge of the step a field slug
A gorgeously patterned moth
Later I explored the grassy hillside
Eulophia hians var. nutans
Silene burchelii
Eulophia zeyheriana
Moraea brevistyla
Eulophia tenella
Indigofera tristis
Eulophia ovalis var. bainesii
Gladiolus ecklonii
Eulophia ovalis var. ovalis
Stunning cloud effects after the recent rain
Bolbitius vitellinus
Green-banded Swallowtail Papilio nireus lyaeus
A small epiphytic fern growing on a tree amongst lichen
Thursday 7
Simply magical discovery of this delightful little epiphytic orchid, Mystacidium flanaganii, growing on an evergreen oak at the edge of the garden
Saturday 9
I spotted this delightful Net-winged beetle sp., Family Lycidae, from the sitting room window
Monday 11
Crested Coral Fungus Clavulina cristata
A sunbird flitting amongst the grasses
Tuesday 12
A few of the moths drawn to the kitchen light
Specious Tiger Moth Asota specios
Marbled Emperor moth
Wednesday 13
A glorious dawn sky
Thursday 14
Only the second time in 26 years that I seen this stately orchid growing here
Pterygodium magnum
The first time I seen Corycium nigrescens flowering here
An absolute highlight for January is when
Brunsvigia undulata flower. This year there were at least 20 flowering of the about 50 plants here on Sitamani
Gladiolus sericeovillosus
Blister Beetle Decapotoma sp. feeding on Gladiolus sericeovillosus
Sunday 17
Satyrium longicauda
Monday 18
A beautifully ornate moth, I haven’t found an ID yet
Friday 22
Pterygodium magnum flowers opened
Monday 25
I was so excited, having collected a very special book,
The Field Guide to the AMARYLLIS FAMILY of Southern Africa & Surrounding Territories, Graham Duncan, Barbara Jeppe, Leigh Voigt! Not only is it the time of year when
Brunsvigia undulata are flowering here at home, but two of my photos,
one of the whole plant
and a cover picture for the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biome, (Mtentu River mouth), are included in the book. I am deeply honoured. The design, stunning illustrations, photos and content combine together to create the most beautiful book, I will treasure it!
“THE FIELD GUIDE TO THE AMARYLLIS FAMILY & SURROUNDING TERRITORIES is a sequel to The Amaryllidaceae of Southern Africa, this field guide is the culmination of 46 years of dedicated perseverance and expertise. Small, sturdy and easy to handle, this is an excellent book for identifying bulbs in their natural habitat. There are over 265 watercolour paintings and 560 photographs, a map for each species and comprehensive text.
To order your copy of the Field Guide to the Amaryllis Family you can read more about it on their website, www.galleypress.co.za or order from orders@galleypress.co.za.
For more information, please email leigh@galleypress.co.za.”
Wednesday 27
Predawn rays
Kniphofia buchanani
Thursday 28
Crocosmia aurea
Friday 29
Satyrium cristatum var. longilabiatum
An amazing fungi growing on the stump of a felled tree possibly a Pseudophaelus species
Saturday 30
Finally photos of the juvenile Cape Robin-Chat, who had discovered the joy of the verandah bird bath!
Sunday 31
Over the month I’ve heard Black-backed Jackal calling in the evenings and several times while out doing bramble control work, have startled a very fine male Reedbuck. He is very nervous and vary of humans, probably as poaching has been ongoing for months. The Common Duiker decided my Agapanthus next to the house were tasty treats, ate all but one of the buds….
On Tuesday, Nikki, her motto – Celebrate the Small Stuff, and I had glorious day doing just that, walking on amahaqwa, Bulwer Mountain, the skies opened to the bluest of blue, only eclipsed by the Agapanthus in full bloom.
This is a mountain ridge that is essentially an extension of the Drakensberg, albeit cut off from the main escarpment. As a result, there are the same rock strata, including getting above the Clarens Sandstone, and many of the flowering plants of the Drakensberg and Little ‘Berg are found here.
These are some of the flowers we saw….
The 2020 has finally drawn to a close. One aspect that continues is the cycles of nature and has been one of my greatest solaces. During December many wonderful and varied life forms revealed themselves here, a time of growth, renewal and beauty.
On the last night of December, 31, I measured 39,5mm of rain, this brought the total for December to 207,5mm. The highest daytime temperature was 30C on two days, 27 and 29 December, the lowest nighttime temperature was 8,5C on the 2 December. A sultry, warm summer month with rapidly growing foliage.
Now that the Summer Solstice has passed, 21 December, we begin the gradual passage to winter, though usually our warmest month is February.
Here are some of the wonderful flora and fauna seen during the month.
Wednesday 2
Monday 7
Tuesday 8
Whilst doing alien Bramble eradication I came across this stunning
Thursday 10
Friday 11
A simply stunning sunrise
Saturday 12
A short walk was rewarded by these lovely finds,
Later that morning I was astounded to see a Narina Trogan in a tree near the house, I grabbed my camera, pointed and clicked, but didn’t manage to capture this special sighting! The distribution does cover this area, my guess is that now the trees and shrubbery have grown up near the house it has become more inviting for forest birds. Two days later I saw a Bush Blackcap in the Buddleja next to the sitting room window. Both were first time sightings here.
Sunday 13
Monday 14
It is always so exciting for me to find this glorious moth
Tuesday 15
Friday 18
Saturday 19
Wednesday 23
November has been a gloriously wet and verdant month, we’ve recorded rain on 22 days of the 30, a total of 196,5mm. The hillside is green with a wealth of flowers. The only flowering plant that doesn’t seem to enjoy the wet, cool conditions are the orchids, only one seen this November. The coolest temperature was on the 19th at 8C and the warmest 33.5C on the 8th. Most days were overcast and often misty.
Here are some of the wonderful flora and fauna seen during the month.
Monday 2
Trachyandra saltii
Eriosema kraussianum amongst the rock
Bagworm on Hypoxis
Tuesday 3
Although the light was poor, I couldn’t resist taking these late afternoon photos
Speckled Mousebirds
Male Red-collared Widowbirds almost in full breeding plumage
A soft end to the day
Saturday 14
Lotononis corymbosa
Vernonia hirsuta
Berkheya macrocephala
Caterpillar
Schizocarphus nervosus (=Scilla nervosa)
Dipcadi viride
Indigofera hilaris
Indigofera hilaris
In the KZN Drakensberg swathes of spectacular flowering, neon orange Watsonia socium, have covered the mountain slopes, our hillside has also glowed.
Watsonia socium
Striga bilabaiata
Striga bilabaiata
Wahlenbergia krebsii
Ledebouria sp.
Yellow-spotted Ground Beetle, Craspedophorus bonvouloiri
Cyphia elata
White Bramble, Rubus rigidus
Monday 16
I was so excited to see that an Ochna arborea had self-seeded in the little indigenous shrubbery I planted. Normally I’ve seen these beautiful, slender trees with beautiful ‘dappled’ bark in the mountains, their distinctive red and grey green, turning to black, seeds sparkling in the green foliage.
Ochna arborea
Ochna arborea
Tuesday 17
Cool dawn colours
Monday 23
Although I didn’t manage to take a photo, as we were having early morning coffee a russet orange Slender Mongoose, with a black tipped tail, darted across the lawn into the longer grass, so lovely!
Thursday 26
This interesting invertebrate was on the kitchen doorstep.
Friday 27
My find of the early morning was this large Granular Agate Snail, Archachatina granulata
I was on my way to look at the hillside covered with Silene bellidioides, in overcast conditions, they were still open. They are night flowering plants.
Silene bellidioides
Amongst the forbes, where there is good grazing, was this pile of Common Reedbuck droppings
Soft light and light mist in the valley below
Pill Millipede
Sisyranthus trichostomus
Pelargonium luridum
Vernonia natalensis
A delightful hairy caterpillar
Mariscus congestus
Hypoxis iridifolia
As I was wandering through the grasses I disturbed a Common Reedbuck. He stood up, watched me, then cavorted, before settling to observe me once again.
Common Reedbuck
Haemanthus humilis
Silver Bramble, Rubus ludwigii
Arrow-leaved Arum, Zantedeschia albomaculata
Lobelia erinus
Ajuga ophrydis
Otholobium polysictum
Cyanotis speciosa
Asclepias albens
Watsonia socium
A Bagworm on Cyanotis speciosa
The only orchid flowering this November Orthochilus foliosus
Clutia cordata
Pentanisia prunelloides
Ficinia cinammomea
A delightful spotted moth
Saturday 28
The most gorgeous dawn
Monday 30
To round off the month, the sky was filled with vibrant colour in the evening after a storm.
Last October we only had 37.5mm of rain, this year the total rainfall for the month is 129mm, almost 100mm more! Being optimistic I had planted out the vegetable garden in the middle of October and it has been worth it, seedlings appearing and in the last few days seem to grow visibly! Over the 30 and 31 October we have had 46.5mm of rain. The coldest morning was on the 11th, 4C and the warmest day on the 28th and 29th October, 29C. As the ground moistened wildflowers started appearing in greater abundance, with some, for me, unusual species seen.
Friday 9 October:
To my delight I spotted an Emperor Swallowtail, Papilio ophidicephalus, feeding on Jasmine flowers.
Monday 12 October:
Although Swee Waxbills, a fairly common endemic, are around all year, they are very ‘shy’ and this is the first time I’ve managed to take photos, not great, but a record.
Wednesday 14 October:
Thursday 15 October:
Saturday 17 October:
Sunday 18 October:
I managed to spend time wandering our hillside, finding a wealth of flowers and other natural discoveries.
Tuesday 20 October:
Thursday 22 October:
Friday 23 October:
Wednesday 28 October:
Thursday 29 October:
Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October:
Rain and more glorious rain!
During the month Greater Striped Swallows have returned, I heard the distinctive call of a Black Cuckoo and had several sightings of the Common Grey Duiker and a male, female and juvenile Common Reedbuck.
September marks the official start to Spring, by the Vernal Equinox on the 23 September most of the exotic trees had a raiment of new leaves and the hillsides were clad in grass with wildflowers appearing. However between light rainfalls there were many days of strong, hot, dry berg winds. During the month we had a total of 21,5mm of rain, very welcome.
The coldest mornings were on the 27 and 28 September, at 4C, the hottest day was the 20 September, reaching 27C. On the morning of the 7 September a light dusting of snow was revealed on the top of the Drakensberg, but a relatively warm 9C here!
Wednesday 2 September:
Thursday 3 September:
Friday 4 September:
Monday 7 September:
Tuesday 8 September:
Wednesday 9 September:
While preparing the vegetable garden for planting Siphmandla discovered a rather large, sleepy Puff Adder in a nest of leaves beneath a fern, in a warm protected spot. It was probably in semi-hibernation, taking it’s time to move sluggishly to the Jasmine hedge. A day later it had moved on.
Thursday 10 September:
While wandering over the hillside I came across
Friday 11 September:
Saturday 12 September:
Monday 14 September:
Tuesday 22 September:
Wednesday 23 September:
On the Vernal Equinox I heard the Piet-my-Vrou, Red-chested Cuckoo call for the first time.
We had an unusual visitor come to sample our lemons.
The birdbath on the verandah is the social spot for birds.
An Olive Thrush dried off in the sunshine, then took another dip!
Wednesday 30 September:
Each year I wait for the small patch of minute flowers to appear in the lawn.
August has been very dry, with more typical August wind. On the 30th we had the wettest day, over 5mm of rain, bringing the total to over 10mm, so hopefully now new spring growth will really start appearing. Despite the dry conditions there has been some new growth and a few flowers have blossomed.
The temperature dipped to 0,5 Celsius on the 6th, the warmest days were on the 15 and 25 August, 24 Celsius.
A cold front passed revealing a snow covered Drakensberg on the 7 August.
Friday 7 August:
A young male Reedbuck watched cautiously from the hillside
Stunning golden light in the evening.
Friday 14 August:
A young female Reedbuck feeding on new grass on the hillside.
Saturday 15 July:
On a walk I found an
Owl feather
A Common Hottentot male Gegenes niso subsp. niso feeding on Gazania krebsiana
Artemisia afra new shoots
Apodolirion buchananii, Natal Crocus
New Moraea and Senecio leaves
A young grasshopper juvenile eating a Ledebouria ovatifolia
Urginea capitata
A snail shell
Ledebouria ovatifolia
Asclepiad sp. seeds dispersing
The Leucosidea sericea and Buddleja salviifolia are still flowering
Wednesday 19 August:
A stunning sunset
Friday 21 August:
Smoky skies created a pink glow sunset
Tuesday 25 August:
A sea of clouds in the Boston valley at dawn
A sea of clouds in the Boston valley at dawn
A sea of clouds in the Boston valley at dawn
Wednesday 26 August:
In the cool evening, two Dark-capped Bulbuls cuddled together out of the wind
Thursday 27 August:
A stunning watercolour cloud effect in the evening
Friday 28 August:
A walk revealed signs of spring
Bee on Ursinia tenuiloba
Bee on Ursinia tenuiloba
Gazania krebsiana
Nemesia caerulea
Featherduster new leaves on Cussonia paniculata
Cyrtanthus tuckii
Peucedanum caffrum leaves
New leaves unfurling on Bracken, Pteridium aquilinum
Dimorphotheca jucunda
Ursinia tenuiloba
Eulophia hians var. inaequalis
Aloe maculata seeds
Jackal Buzzard hovering high above
Hypoxis sp.
Pentanisia prunelloides
Eulophia hian var. hians
Eulophia parviflora (short-spurred form)
An unknown invertebrate on Urginea capitata
Woolly bee fly
Dry hillside with a tinge of green grass
Reedbuck droppings
Reedbuck spoor
Sunday 30 and Monday 31 August:
Finally cold wet conditions overnight and all day and continuing on the last day of August!
We have now been 127 days in Lockdown here in South Africa. July is the quietest month of winter. Firebreaks are burnt, smoky skies with vivid dawns and sunsets as the sun rises and sets behind a veil. Despite this, new life is already appearing, small green leaves, winter flowering plants, birds spring cleaning nests as the days grow longer.
The temperature dipped to 0,5 Celsius on two mornings, 14 and 17, the warmest day was on the 10 July, 22 Celsius. As a cold front passed over we had 3mm of rain, the total for the month.
As I have been working hard to launch my website, Christeen Grant Creative Arts www.christeengrant.com on the 25 July, I haven’t walked the hillside as often as in the past couple of months. Before dawn on the 7 July I heard Common Reedbuck whistling, and we have seen one, then two on our hillside on the 14 and 30, so they have eluded the poachers so far. In the early evening of 7 July I had a wonderful close encounter with a male duiker wandering into the garden, special moments.
Sunday 5 July:
The full moon setting behind Bulwer Mountain
Tuesday 7 July:
Golden Sunset
Friday 10 July:
Dawn splendour
Thursday 16 July:
A smoky evening
Wednesday 22 July:
Winter beauty, setting sun through winter branches and smoky skies…
Friday 24 July:
Gilded leaves welcome the sun
Southern Boubou having an early morning drink
An Olive Thrush enjoying the mild sunshine just outside my studio as I work.
Wednesday 29 July:
On a walk over the burnt hillside I spotted
A Black-winged Lapwing
Ouhout, Leucosidea sericea, are starting to flower earlier this year
A lilac form of Buddleja salvifolia
A nest from last season revealed
The Buddleja salvifolia have flowered spectacularly this year, the heady honey fragrance filling the air
An African Monarch, Danaus chrysippus aegyptius, warming up in the sunlit grass
I found two beautiful downy feathers
Spotted Eagle-Owl feathers
Beneath the Greater Double-collared Sunbird nest
I found scattered piles of nesting materials, and for a few days thought maybe an African Harrier Hawk had raided the nest. Happily I’ve seen both the male and female since, so assume they had a spring clean and turfed out old materials.
The Halleria lucida are still flowering profusely, a fire-glow in each tree
Cape White-eye feasting on Greyia sutherlandii
Friday 31 July:
Soft morning mist in the valley below
Sometimes in life the way that was so clearly laid out is changed, like a mist enveloping the path in front of you. The path is still there, the path of life. However we need to adapt our thinking to negotiate it, possibly change the route to continue. Sometimes we need to trust to move forward, as each step reveals itself. Life is change.