January 31, 2012

No idea what type of spider this is, but I liked the way it was swinging in the afternoon sun.
The light on the plants in the background created a Bokeh effect

January 30, 2012

Seeds of the Milkweed, Butterfly Bush or Cotton Bush - this plant has a variety of names.

January 29, 2012

We visited the Hluhluwe Imfolosi Game Reserve again this afternoon.
The animals are in excellent condition thanks to the rain and abundance of food.
The behaviour of the Red-Billed Oxpeckers on this Zebra caught my eye.

I zoomed my little camera to the max to try and see what was going on. It turns out that two of the birds are juveniles hitching a ride while being fed by the mother!
As you can see the colours of the eyes and beak of the juvenile have not yet developed

January 28, 2012

Cape Glossy Starlings
(This one is for all my family and friends - thank you for making my 60th so special!)

January 27, 2012

Taken at 5:30 this morning. The snail was wise to move while it was still cool and damp!

January 26, 2012

These Daisy seeds in the shape of a flower caught my eye.
It was quite cool today with showers this afternoon.
I was outside for about 10 minutes to take this photo - and nearly sucked dry by mozzies!

January 25, 2012

No time for a photo today, so I had a good dig in the archives!
 The unfortunate little Butterfly is a 'Common Grass Blue'

January 24, 2012

A Bug with bugs.
This Scarab/Dung Beetle was covered in what looked like mites.
It took quite a while to settle long enough for me to take a photo -I did not want
to move the leaf in case it took off again!

January 23, 2011

At first glance I could not make out why this fly was 'posing' so willingly.
A Crab Spider was having a feast!

January 22, 2012

Happy 85th Birthday to a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother!
You are such a Blessing to us all.

Chatting via Skype with my sister, her family and the twins in London.
The wonders of technology!

January 21, 2012

A Caterpillar in the Vygies
If you are wondering about the droppings - the plant HAD orange flowers!  :)
I wonder what type of Butterfly or Moth this one will become?

January 20, 2012

We took a quick afternoon drive to the game reserve this afternoon.
Thanks to all the rain we had earlier this week there are pans of water all over
This White Faced Duck swam up and down, turning and posing and stopping to stare at us.
His friends were not as bold.

January 19, 2012

These buds were little brown tufts a week ago. Soon they will become beautiful red
bell-shaped flowers with a mass of pink stamens.
Unfortunately I do not know the name of the thorny succulent.

January 18, 2012

This Hibiscus probably thought the weather was better on the other side of the fence.
The shrub is in my yard and the bloom on the outside facing the road.
After 124mm of rain in two days, today was quite hot and humid

January 17, 2012

Perfect Camouflage
Today was rather hectic and I did not have time for a photo.
We spotted this Water Monitor in the game reserve on Sunday.
It ran for cover as soon as I tried to take a photo but it could not resist peeping at us through the grass!

January 16, 2012

It must be raining crabs and frogs.....
We found this little Crab in a puddle in the parking lot.
 As it raised it's pincers to try and scare me off, a little girl said "It wants to hug you, Maggie!"
The reflection of a tree on the surface of the water adds interesting detail to the photo.
We have had 60mm of rain since 5am this morning - heaven sent.

January 15, 2012

This Red Billed Oxpecker was looking rather frazzled in the heat.
The sun was really hot today and a group of Zebra were "hanging out at the pool"
I took this photo as we were passing around the pool.
We sat there for a while and watched the Oxpeckers come to the water for a swim

January 14, 2012

A splash of colour from an African Monarch Butterfly as it stopped for a rest 

January 13, 2012

We watched two Rhinos rolling in the mud this afternoon.
The sky is reflected on this guy's back

January 12, 2012

A visitor to our Reception Area at School.
Unfortunately we have no space in our Dragon Fly Class for 2012 ...

January 11, 2012

A beautiful wild flower, presumably from the Solanum family.
Although there were open blooms, I liked the light on this one.
Judging by my posts to date, January seems to be the month for lilac...

January 10, 2012

A Lesser Striped Swallow nest (with Wasp Security Patrol...)
This is the nest at school that I referred to in yesterday's post.
Unfortunately the chicks move away from the opening whenever I get too close.
I had to zoom to my little camera's max, so this is not a very good photo.
(My blog is not a brag-spot anyway - it is merely a daily journal of interesting things that I come across)
Of the three chicks that I spotted yesterday. this has to be the bold one!
The different colours of the mud tell a quite a story - one also can't help but wonder how many flights the parents had to do while carrying balls of mud in their tiny little beaks to build this nest.
The Paper Wasp nest next to the Swallow nest seems like perfect protection against intruders.
The Swallow parents come and go and the Wasps are not threatened.
Evidence of previous nests can be clearly seen.
After the breeding season the nests get broken down, just to be re-built the following year. 
Can you spot the spider?

January 9, 2012

Ants on the Agapanthus
Today was our first day back at school - preparing for learners who return on Wednesday.
A pair of Lesser Striped Swallows whose nest was still under construction when school closed
for the December holiday, has extra mouths to feed!
I took numerous photos of the chicks appearing at the opening of the nest, but scrapped them all.
Guess who will be taking the tripod to school tomorrow ....

January 8, 2012

If this little feather could talk, I wonder what tales it would tell?
The colour and texture contrast of the fine feather on the miniature roses caught my eye 
There was not much time for photography today - preparing to go back to school tomorrow....

January 7, 2012

I started off my photo journal in January 2010 with a photo of one of these Beetles. (737 days ago!)
This might be a relative of the CMR Beetle or the Blister Beetle

January 6, 2012

Hi there- my name is Stinky!
I was quite surprised to find that many of the insects I have photographed in the past two years are actually Stink Bugs in various stages of their life cycle.
The following is part of an article copied from www.stinkbugsguide.com

"These insects get their name from a foul-smelling liquid that they produce. They use the smell as a defensive mechanism. If a stink bug is mishandled or threatened it can release the liquid from specialized glands. The smell is suppose to prevent the bug from being hurt or eaten. The liquid is also released when the bugs are squashed. Though the smell is strong, it usually can be removed with simple soap and water. As with many other bugs, stink bugs go through a life cycle. Female stink bugs lay eggs on the under side of leaves. Once the eggs hatch, they are called stink bug nymphs. The nymphs look a lot like the adults, but are wingless. Finally, after about 4-5 weeks, the bugs become full adults equipped with wings. One female stink bug can produce up to 5,000 bugs in two generations.

There are many different types of stink bugs. Most stink bugs have a brown, green, or gray coloring. These bugs can easily blend into their surroundings to hide from predators. Some stink bugs, such as the Harlequin Bug, have bright coloration to ward off would be predators."

January 5, 2012

What's the joke, I wonder? It really looks like it is laughing!
This strange little Caterpillar turns out to be of the moth that I posted a photo on 15 Feb 2011,
or a pretty close relative. Scopula perlata - I could not find the common name for it .

January 4, 2012

Bag-worm Moth
I have never such a large Bag-worm case and decorated with thorns from the host Acacia tree!
One wonders how a small insect can chew off a thorn of this size.
Wikipedia has some very interesting info and I would like to share it below:

"The Bag-worm is a moth that spins its cocoon in its larval life, decorating it with bits of plant material from the trees on which it feeds. When disturbed, the larva will retract its head into its case and hold the front opening closed. Mature larva may remain in the host tree or drag its case nearby before attaching itself for the pupa stage.

Newborn larva emerge from the carcass of their mother in her case and are blackish and turn brown to tan as they grow, mottled with black. The heads and thorax develop a yellow tint as they grow to a full length of 24 to 32 mm. Adult males resemble bees, having a 25 mm wingspan with transparent wings and black furry bodies. Adult females are maggot-like with yellowish-white soft bodies 19 to 23 mm long and small tufts of hair near the end of the abdomen. The cream colored eggs are 0.75 mm in diameter.

Newborn larva emerge from the bottom of the hanging case and drop down on a strand of silk. The wind often blows the larva to nearby plants where it begins its new case from silk and fecal material before beginning to add leaves and twigs from its host. When mature in mid-August, the larva wraps silk around a branch, hangs from it, and pupates head down. Adult males transform into moths in four weeks to seek out females for mating. The female never leaves the cocoon, requiring that the male mate with her through the open end at the back of the case. She has no eyes, legs, wings, antennae, and can't eat, but she emits a strong pheromone to attract a mate. After her death with hundreds to several thousand eggs still inside, her offspring hatch and pass through her body, pupal shell and case over several months emerging to start their own cases. Later, her pupal case can be found, full of the yellow remains of eggshells.

The bagworm has a voracious appetite and is considered a serious pest. Host trees develop damaged foliage that will kill the tree if left unchecked. If caught early enough in an infestation, the cases from the previous year can be picked off by hand before the eggs hatch."

January 3, 2012

A Beetle of another kind!
These dependable little cars played a big role in my childhood and also part of my adult life
Today was a very busy and tiring day ~ I did not see a single insect!
City life is not for me... I am very thankful for the privilege of living in a small town.  

January 2, 2012

Grass Seeds
Nondescript until you get real close!

January 1, 2012

Who said flies were ugly?
A beautiful combination of colors to kick off the first day of the third year of my daily photos.
May 2012 be a colorful and happy year with Blessings in abundance for all.