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Common Agapanthus
This is one South African plant that needs no introduction as it is grown in sub-tropical…
Indigenous Nurseries
There are many indigenous nurseries in South Africa and, of course, many “normal” nurseries sell indigenous plants…
Creating Indigenous Gardens
What is an indigenous garden? There is no exact definition. A truly indigenous garden is one that ha…
Alien Plants
There are “alien plants” and “alien invader plants”. Not all plants that are referred to as alien, o…
EASTERN CAPE ESCAPADES Part 2
More travels in this beautiful province – 14-19 November 2023
BUSH AND BEACH – BIRDING AND MORE IN SOUTHERN MOZAMBIQUE
BUSH AND BEACH – BIRDING AND MORE IN SOUTHERN MOZAMBIQUE WITH ETIENNE MARAIS BIRDING September 14
Majestic scenery, Butterflies & Birds : Westville in KZN to Rhodes in EC to the WTA Trout Festival
The Wild Trout Association Festival, now in its 32nd year, is a celebration of the humble trout and its Rhodian custodians – the riparian owners, guides and providers of accommodation. Each year fly fishermen and women flock to Rhodes to enjoy days of splendid river fishing and camaraderie that this event generates. 2023 marked a year of exceptionally high rainfall both before and during the Festival, resulting in muddy rivers and even muddier roads. This did not deter our happy band of “furry feather flingers” who managed to find fishable waters on each of the allocated days. Now read on…
ZULULAND BIRDING WEEKEND
BirdlifeKZN had organised a weekend away in conjunction with several KwaZulu Natal bird clubs in and around Ezemvelo’s Mkhuze Game Reserve – part of the World Heritage Site of iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The highlight was to be a morning spent at the Zimanga Private Game Reserve homestead gardens with its spectacular collection of aloes.
ZIMBABWE’S EASTERN HIGHLANDS
Reach Africa, under the skilful team of Grahame and Charmaine Snow, arranged one of their magnificent birding
tours (not just birds, though 😊) to the most productive hot-spots of Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, from
Marondera in the north-east to Gona-re-zhou NP in the south. Grahame and 5 intrepid birders in his VW Caravelle
stayed at a mix of lodge and farm-style accommodation and spent time en route to the prime birding destinations by
stopping at prospective localities. We had a fabulous time, clocking 41 birding lifers out of 255 species we saw,
including in the Afromontane areas of Nyanga, Bvumba and Honde Valleys. Now read on…
Butterflies & Birds : A weekend at Finfoot Lake Reserve, Rustenberg, NP
A competition won by Cecily on the Birdlife Marion Island cruise in January saw us hot foot to Finfoot Lake Reserve, North West Province, in December. A very impressive weekend it was, too. All staff and accommodation were well above par, and we managed to get some good sightings of birds and butterflies…now read on…
Eswatini Revisited – Butterflies, rocks and majestic scenery, plants, Crocs, birds, rhino and just about everything in between, including history
This trip was considerably longer than previous trips to eSwatini. T
C. orbiculata : Pig’s Ears
South Africa boasts the richest concentration of succulents in the world and one of the very first of these to be recorded was Pig’s Ears Cotyledon orbiculata
A guide to flora and fauna in South Africa
A guide to flora and fauna in South Africa? South Africa is considered one of the