A close up of a caterpillar

After the cold week we have had, I am surprised to find anything still around. This caterpillar was crawling around on the stairs so I put him on the grass in order to get some shots of him.

Here is a funny!!

I was out at the local airport and saw these doves building their nest on this car. I wonder how long it had been parked there? It was a nice Landrover too!!

Garden Fruit Chafer Beetle (Pachnoda sinuata) Family Scarabaeidae

They are about 1 1/2 inches in length when fully grown and feed on fruit and flowers. This one was trying to hide away in the wall.

Then he fell down and gave me a good shot of what he looks like at the bottom. LOL!! Talk about a different view!!

Cacti

We have some wonderful miniture cacti here. The problem is that so many of these species are now found around the world due to them being imported and exported so easily. At the same time, a lot of those we have are actually native to Mexico and other places. But they are wonderful when they bloom and we do have perfect weather for them. These are all planted in 4" pots to give you some idea of their size.

A few butterflies

A lot of the bugs have disappeared but there are still some beautiful butterflies around.

Common Dotted Border (Mylothris agathina)

Natal Spotted Blue (Azanus natalensis)
Blotched Leopard (Lachnoptera ayresii)

Common Meadow Blue (Cupidopsis cissus) This is as small as a 1 cent piece.

Broad-bordered Grass Yellow (Eurema brigitta)

Female Meadow White (Pontia helice)

Male Meadow White (Pontia helice)

Green Milkweed Locust wing (Phymateus viridipes) Family Pyrgomorphidae

The wing of a grasshopper. I had seen it flying around for the past few weeks but when it lands, the wing is folded in and one cannot see the colors. I reckon some bird must have got him and this was all that was left. It is so delicate and almost transparent.

A big OOPS!!

I have never seen such a very bright green grasshopper. He came to visit me in the office.
First he hopped around my desk.

Then decided to try out the blinds. I caught him and took him outside.

Unfortunately he hopped under the wheels of a car and became ant food. Poor thing!!

Keyhole Glider male (Tramea basilaris) Family Libellulidae

I found this dead dragonfly next to the pool. What a pity that such a pretty insect has to die.
They are fairly common and their range extends into Asia, Australia and the Americas.

A caterpillar in search of a home - Lily-leaf Miner Larvae (Brithys crini)

It searched high.....
...and low,

on the mountains....

...and in the valleys...

"Ah!! This one will do. See you in the spring!!"

Ostrich (Struthio Camelus)

The ostrich is a large, flightless bird - the largest living bird on earth. When fully grown it weighs over 120kg (200+ pounds).

Life expectancy: They can live to be 40 years old or more.
Predators: The chicks have many predators including vulture, hyena and jackal.

One ostrich egg equals 24 chicken eggs.

In breeding season, the lower front of his legs go a bright red.
Ostriches have great vision and because of their strong legs can run at 70 km (40 miles) per hour.

Ostriches are mainly vegetarian, eating grass, succulents berries and seeds, though they will also eat insects. They swallow large numbers of pebbles which help grind the harder food in the gizzard and aid digestion.
Territorial males compete for flocks of 3 to 5 hens. Mating includes elaborate displays of hisses and dancing. Once divided into mating groups, ostriches in some areas use communal nests to hold anywhere from 14 to 60 eggs. The nest is a hole scraped in bare ground about 1 to 2 feet deep. The average egg is 6 inches in length, 5 inches in width, weighs about 3 pounds, and is shiny and whitish in color. Eggs take approximately 35 - 40 days to hatch. The male, which has mostly black feathers, sits on the eggs at night, and the drab, brown female who lays up to 20 eggs, covers them during the day. Only 15 percent of chicks make it to their first birthday, despite having protection from their parents.

Ostriches were almost wiped out in the 18th century due to hunting for feathers. By the middle of the 19th century, due to the extensive practice of ostrich farming the ostrich population increased. The movement changed to domesticating and plucking ostriches, instead of hunting. Ostriches have been successfully domesticated and are now farmed throughout the world, particularly in South Africa, for meat, feathers and leather. The leather goes through a tanning process and is then manufactured into fashion accessories such as boots and bags.