Life Wonderings of a Nature Lover: November 2019 Sitamani Country Diary

During November the summer rain and thunderstorm activity finally arrived, I
measured 98mm of rain during the month.

This stunning sunset was due to a moisture laden atmosphere.

Rain and sometimes hail during afternoon storms cleared to reveal rainbows,

though on some evenings mist rolled in creating a different sort of glow.

The coldest morning was 7.5 degrees Celsius and the highest daytime temperature was 31.5 degrees Celsius.

The rainfall seems to have come too late for the grasses, many had already flowered, and they have not grown as high or fully covered the hillsides as in most years.

 

There has been a lovely selection of invertebrate life.

Various forms of bagworm moth constructions;

a stunning jewel-like hairy caterpillar munched on an Acalypha sp. flower;

my favourite striped caterpillar, possibly of the Cherry Spot moth,

striped caterpillar feeding on Albuca setosa;

a very special first time visitor was a female Emperor Swallowtail, Papilio ophidicephalus phalusco, this is our largest South African butterfly with a 90-120mm wingspan;

the high pitched song of cicadas is a quintessentially summer sound and I found a Giant
Forest Cicada, Pyncna semiclara, dry nymphal skin, where an adult had emerged;

a closer inspection of a Large Brown Longhorn, Macrotoma palmata, revealed
incredible intricate beauty of its head;

the awkward fluttering of this Mottled Veld Antlion, Papares caffer, alerted me to its presence in the grass;

I was fascinated by this large fly, Philoliche aethiopica, ±35mm wingspan, with large orange hairy patches on its abdomen, revealed in flight.

 

A few of the birds I have managed to photograph are

the Cape Longclaw (=Orange-throated Longclaw), playing hide and seek on the grassy hillside;

one of the large flock of Cape White-Eyes that frequent the birdbath on the verandah

and a stunning male Malachite Sunbird on Watsonia socium.

 

The resident Common Reedbuck walk past the house regularly and the Grey Duiker are also often seen. A regular chorus from the Black-backed Jackals is heard in the evenings.

 

Although the rains came late this year there has been a sudden burst of wildflowers. Some of the usual ones don’t seem to have appeared, the quantity is less, but I am always amazed and delighted to find ‘new’ ones when the season is different. Some of the flowers I’ve seen include

Albuca setosa;

Alepidea natalensis;

baby Aloe maculata plants;

a new one for me Anthericum angulicaule;

Aristea woodii;

Asclepias albens;

Aspidonepsis diploglossa;

very few Aster bakerianus, normally hundreds on the hillsides;

Berkheya macrocephala;

two growing forms of Commelina africana;

Convolvulus natalensis;

Cyphia elata;

Dicadi viride, the brown variety;

Eriosema salignum;

although flowering a bit later than usual, the Haemanthus humilis are prolific this year;

Hypericum aethiopicum;

Hypoxis costa;

swathes of Indigofera hilaris;

Lotononis corymbosa;

Merwilla (=Scilla) nervosa;

Moraea inclinata;

Orthochilus foliosus, the only orchid seen flowering this November;

Ornithogalum graminifolium;

Pelargonium alchemilloides;

Polygala refracta;

Raphionacme hirsuta;

Searsia (=Rhus) discolor;

Senecio oxyriifolius;

Silene bellidiodes on a misty morning;

Silene burchellii;

Striga bilabiata;

Vernonia natalensis;

Wahlenbergia cuspidata;

Watsonia socium;

Xysmalobium involucratum

and Zornia capensis.