August 31, 2011

Spider Kill!
Poor Gecko.....  I wonder what size the Spider was ?

August 30, 2011

Hibiscus Pollen
Not much time for photography today.
Fortunately the Hibiscus always seems to be in bloom.

August 30, 2011

August 29, 2011

This is a tiny daisy-like flower of a succulent trailing plant
It has not rained & I had to water the garden 

August 28, 2011

The babies have hatched!
The Crab Spider featured on 10 July and 4 August was indeed guarding her eggs.
What an amazing sight it was to watch hundreds of tiny creatures emerge from the nest
and blow away on thin strands of silk to start their lives elsewhere.
The photo below includes the head of a match held against the nest to illustrate the actual size:

August 27, 2011

"Puppy Assignment"
A friend's Miniature Schnauzer puppies are 6 weeks old and I had the pleasure of taking the photos.
These are the boys - although quite a handful, I managed this great shot - 3 out of 4 ain't bad, hey?
There are also two little girls, but 6 on the set was a bit overwhelming!!
Mommy Bonnie and Daddy Gizmo below are the very proud parents.

August 26, 2011

An "Arty" contribution to the blog today!!
This is the beautiful little flower of the String of Hearts plant.
It is also known as a Rosary Vine.  Ceropegia woodii is the botanical name.

August 25, 2011

 This very tiny little spider is one of a type that I have not photographed before.
It lives in the dust under the overhang of the back doorstep - I wonder what it eats?
 I suspect that it might be akin to a False Button Spider.

August 24, 2011

Yesterday's Graptopetalum bud ~ quite a surprise!
Sadly the Bulbuls have discovered the plant and are eating the leaves.
Not one leaf at a time - they are taking chunks out of every leaf.
Devastation ....

August 24, 2011

Yesterday's bud ~ quite a surprise!
Sadly the Bulbuls have discovered the plant and are eating the leaves.
Not one leaf at a time - they are taking chunks out of every leaf.
Devastation ....

August 23, 2011

This bud has been watched for days - eventually this morning it decided
to let me have a tiny peep. It was too windy after work to take another photo.
The flower is of a succulent plant similar to the Desert Rose, but has long stems.
Google says it is a Graptopetalum, but I prefer to call it a Long Stemmed Desert Rose.

August 23, 2011

This bud has been watched for days - eventually this morning it decided
to let me have a tiny peep .... it is fully open now, but too windy to take a photo.
The flower is of a succulent (much like the Desert RoseGraptopetalum

August 22, 2011

A 7 legged Spider sitting on a poster on the wall at school today.
As I tried to get closer, it moved further up the wall.
Standing on a chair with arms outstretched, I managed a closer shot.
(which is, for obvious reasons - a bit shaky!!)

August 21, 2011

This photo was taken on the farm in East London earlier this month.
I wonder what type of Butterfly it will be?

August 20, 2011

Spotted by chance!
At first glance this little spider looked like a grain of sand resting in the fold of the unfurling leaf.

August 19, 2011

Last Friday this message was left on the blackboard on my fridge.
It reminds me that the surprise was not a dream!
Thank you again to the culprits!  Love you big lots!

August 18, 2011

A half dead furry faced moth...... amazing orange!

August 17, 2011

Caught on the run.
 Wolf Spiders normally move at lightning speed.
This one's lightning must have been slightly frozen & slowed it down somewhat!

August 16, 2011

Clover Flowers - often seen, but never really looked at.

August 15, 2011

Mmmm.... Mangosteen - my favourite fruit - more so when hand delivered by loved ones!
Mangosteen are mostly photographed from the other end, but I find the 'carved wooden flower' 
at this end quite fascinating!

August 14, 2011

This photo was taken with my camera by my son Dennis.
They visited the Cheetahs at Emdoneni during their stay.
Sadly the 10 day visit came to an end today & they are now on a flight back to Dubai.
I am extremely thankful for the wonderful time we had together.
No chance for a photo today, but at least the blog has been updated with 10 days' photos.

August 13, 2011

A tiny wild flower with contrasting colours

August 12, 2011

This Turtle Dove let me get quite close to take a photo.

August 11, 2011

Playing dead, but escaped soon after this photo was taken!
My colleague found this insect & kept it in the office until I returned.
It was very anxious to get away once it realised it was free.
If only I had the chance to take a better photo of it.

August 10, 2011

Crowned Cranes spotted in a field near the N2 in the Oribi Gorge area

August 9, 2011

Dewdrops on a cobweb.

August 8, 2011

We were privileged to interact with the elephants at Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve
near East London.  Amazing animals.

August 7, 2011

A very cold early morning shot taken near Kokstad while traveling to the Eastern Cape

August 6, 2011

Staring into the distance & listening intently ...

August 5, 2011

What a lovely surprise I have had!!

My Dubai children arrived on my doorstep out of the blue!
We spent a wonderful day in the game reserve today.   

It is Len's first visit to South Africa and we have a very busy week planned. 

We will be traveling to the Eastern Cape for a brief visit 

with the "other half" of my children!

I will catch up with the blog and update the daily photos after 

14 August.  

August 5, 2011

Mr Buffalo showed a keen interest in us.

August 4, 2011

The little Crab Spider that I photographed on 10 July is still in the nest!
The nest has been altered and strengthened - I just love the way a leaf has been pasted over the dry bits and onto the seedpod to hold the construction together.
Hopefully the addition to the left is a nursery!

August 3, 2011

I can imagine a pair of spectacles resting on the end of her nose while
 knitting this beautiful jersey. 

August 2, 2011

These little wild daisies have been been the source of insects for many of my photos in the past.
Today I noticed that Aphids have invaded this plant. What really caught my eye though, was the fact that both flowers had an Aphid feeding on it at exactly the same spot!
I wonder if they are taught in 'Aphid School' about where the "main vein" is in the stem
and how to position yourself to get the best out of it?

August 1, 2011

Today I had the privilege to meet Gideon!
Gideon is a much loved and very tame Guinea-fowl.
I just love those lashes!!