Orchids

The orchids are in bloom. This one has attached itself to a tree by the roots.
It is a large plant and I wonder that it is so secure there.
A few weeks ago it started to shoot out.
Now it is starting to open its flowers.
They are tiny, maybe one inch in length but pretty nevertheless.
These are some of the cultivated ones being sold right now.
They come in the most interesting colors.
This one unfortunately had a lot of watermarks on it but still lovely to look at.

A robber fly having lunch - Asilidae

We have about 500 species of robber flies here, in various sizes. This one caught himself some lunch. They take a wide range of prey, including bees, wasps and grasshoppers.

Mushrooms - Part 3

I have been trying to find out what the white lumps are on this but no one seems to know. If anyone can tell me, please do.

The common, garden variety....

They all seem to have their prefered place to grow. These I found in potting soil.

Mystery Monday - Part 5

Montecasino - Outside - Part 1

Montecasino is situated on 38ha of land in Johannesburg. Costing R1.4 billion to build, it was completed in 2000.
It brings the spirit and energy of old Italy to life in South Africa.

This upmarket complex was constructed in exacting detail from over 6 000 drawings, creating an authentic representation of a Tuscan village.

The Montecasino village has been painstakingly created, with various neighbourhoods and buildings aged and weathered to be an accurate representation of the structures as they have stood through the centuries in Italy itself.

The buildings around the perimeter of the property continue the theme.

Visitors to the complex get the impression of a village open to the elements, but the entire building area, including 2+ kilometres (1 mile) of cobbled walkways, is covered by a massive roof.

The roof covers three levels and reaches a height of 14 metres. (50 feet)

Pretoria - Part 7

The driveway leading up to the Airforce Memorial, is lined with wild olive trees.

Built on Bays Hills, the memorial offers a clear view of the Air Force Base in Zwartkop and the top of the Pretoria's Voortrekker Monument.
The design takes the shape of a triangular star-pattern comprised of three wings, of which one forms a neutral chapel for small services. The memorial is about the height of six storeys and symbolises flight.

The Garden of Remembrance is set out for approximately 3 000 members of SAAF who died during war.

Below it, there is a museum housing of airforce planes which I featured back in September.

Below is one of the Pom-Pom trees growing in the gardens.

Lizard and katydid

Going to the swimming pool, I saw this lizard/gecko catching a katydid and dashed back inside to get my camera. He is small, maybe 5 inches including the tail.
They are by no means the best pictures I have taken as there was no time to set anything on the camera as he swallowed it so quickly, it was gone before I knew it. Everytime I got a bit closer, he moved further away too.

I guess that these are enough to give you an idea of what happened though.

African Humming bird moth (Macroglossum trochilus) Sphingidae

You have to give me an “A” for perseverance!! I keep on trying to get good shots of these and come up with something that is “almost”. LOL!!
The African Hummingbird moth (Macroglossum Trochilus) is very small and feed on tubular flowers. They belong to the Hawk Moth family.

Cookies anyone?

Almost everyone was on the right track here!! Thanks for playing!!

LOL!! So now you are all going to want to kill me because this is about the last thing you expected me to post!! I had to throw in something different to make it more interesting. :) It is a Ginger Cookie.
There are some people who think because I have spent most of my life in the bush it means that I can't cook or bake, as if the two things are not compatible. Well here is the evidence. :)

Pretoria - Part 6

Another of our landmarks is the Voortrekker (Pioneer) Monument. It is set on a hill and can be seen for miles away.

It was erected to commemorate the centenary of the Great Trek when Dutch and German pioneers from the Cape of Good Hope travelled by ox-wagon to the northern parts of South Africa.

A series of maps at the museum charts the most important migratory patterns in the history of Southern Africa. The focus is on the lifestyles of the Voortrekkers, as well as life after the Great Trek (1835-1852).
It was built between 1937 and 1949.

The inner walls are decorated with stone wagons.

This is an actual wagon from that historic time.

This is a replica of a Zulu beehive hut. Their Chief, King Dingaan reined between 1828-1840. These huts are constructed by the men of the clan.

The frame is made of sapling poles placed in a circle and bent inward, then lashed together. After the frame is complete, it is thatched with grass. The floor is made of a mixture of anthill clay and cow dung. Once dry, it is covered with cattle fat.