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

December weather had a very wide variation, the coldest temperature being 6.5 degrees Celsius on the 20th and two highs of 32 degrees Celsius on the 21st and 26th. A 170mm of rain was recorded, with very hot dry periods between. On two occasions we experienced hail, one heavy fall was while we were away and there must have been extremely strong winds during that storm, as two trees were blown down and many branches broken and bent. Many of the wildflowers that were in bud were shredded. By the 29th there was still no water in our well, so despite the good rain over the past two months, the water table has not yet been replenished.

The dawn on the 21st December, a day before the Summer Solstice was particularly lovely,

and the sunset on the 27th December was very lovely.

 

On my hillside walks I found an interesting variety of invertebrates;

a Chafer beetle;

 

a Gaudy Commodore, Junonia octavia in it’s Summer form;

 

a striking and fast moving Lunate Blister Beetle, Decapotoma lunata;

 

a Lunate Ladybird beetle, Cheilomenes lunata, just above it an aphid and a curious ant looking down at both of them;

 

a moth of the Handmaiden species;

 

a small wasp on Cyanotis speciosa;

 

a Millipede and

 

a Small crab-spider, of the Thomisus species.

 

Yesterday I saw a large yellow and brown coloured Puff Adder, Britis arietans arietans slithering into a mini cave beneath the rocks, unfortunately not enough time to photograph it,

however close by was a recently discarded skin.

 

The large flock of Cape White-Eyes, Cape Robin-Chats, Southern Boubou and Dark-capped Bulbuls that frequent the birdbath on the verandah have been joined by an Olive Thrush, they are generally very shy retiring birds. During the month I spotted a pair of African Hoopoes down near the gate. Speckled Mousebirds are often seen foraging in the shrubbery on the edge of the garden.

At last I managed to photograph an Amethyst Sunbird, Chalcomitra amethystina, they usually flit off hurriedly when I raise the camera. They were one of the first birds I noticed when we moved here in 1996.

 

In the early morning on the 14 December I spotted the large grey Baboon moving casually along the fence. The female and young one were not with him. Apparently he had raided our neighbours vegetable garden and been seen several times further south on the top of the ridge. 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.

 

During the month I found 4 different Orchid species flowering, not many plants, but so lovely;

Eulophia hians var. nutans;

 

Eulophia tenella;

 

Eulophia zeyherina and

 

Orthochilus foliosus.

 

Other flowers seen were:

Agapanthus campanulatus;

 

Albuca setosa (=pachychlamys);

 

Aster bakerianus;

 

Berkheya setifera;

 

Cyanotis speciosa;

 

at first glance Gladiolus ecklonii doesn’t appear to be special until you take a look from below;

 

Heliophila rigidiuscula;

 

Hibiscus aethiopicus;

 

many bright Hypoxis possibly argentea amongst the grasses;

 

Lotononis foliosa;

 

the tiny Moraea brevistyla;

 

if you bend down the scent of Ornithogalum graminifolium is glorious;

 

Oxalis semiloba;

 

Silver Bramble, Rubus ludwigii;

 

Spotted-leaved Arum, Zantedeschia albomaculata;

 

Striga bilabiata;

 

Vernonia natalensis;

 

Wahlenbergia krebsii and

 

Watsonia socium and Berkheya setifera adding colour to the green grasses.

 

After the rain several fungi popped up including:

a Panaeolus species and

 

a little Puff-ball species.