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.

Flower Assassin Bug eggs and nymph (Rhinocoris segmentarius) Family Reduviidae

When I did the article on the Assassin Bugs, I put the one I brought home in my fish tank which has sand in it in order to take pictures.
I did not realize at the time but the female had laid these eggs at the bottom of a piece of wood I had in it. This clutch of eggs is about 4mm in height.

Soon I found these tiny assassin bugs crawling around. Each one is only about 3mm in length.

 

Brown Snake Eagle

The Brown Snake Eagle is an uncommon resident and found mostly in the northern parts of S Africa, and of medium size.

It feeds on snakes up to 3 meters (9') long. Snake Eagles hunt from a perch and do not soar over the ground looking for prey. Included in its diet are also monitor lizards.

They breed in the summer and only lay one egg per hatch and the chicks are fed by both parents.

Fighting ants 2 - Camponotus Postoculatus Forel

Until I started doing macro / close-up photography, I never realized how many species of ants there are and rarely even noticed them (unless they got into my sugar bowl. LOL!!) One day I watched this fight between these two ants. It went on for about 20 minutes and eventually the one was so exhausted, it just let itself be dominated by the other. I am not sure what the fight was about , if it is two males, or a male and female.

Medicinal Plants

This has always been a fascinating subject to me and one I wish I had studied.

Rub Wild Garlic leaves on the head to treat a sinus headache. Starflowers (African Potato)A ‘wonder’ ingredient taken from the Starflower (Hypoxis hemerocallidea) helps to boost the immune system. It is used for diseases like cancer (especially prostrate cancer), tuberculosis, arthritis and bladder disorders.This plant is NOT really the African Potato – that is an edible plant. The Starflower is poisonous.Small amounts of the juice can be applied to burns and a black dye extracted from the leaves is used to darken floors.

Vleilelie (Orange River LillyThis belongs to the Amaryllis family. A decoction of chopped leaves is taken for rheumatic fever.

The Wild Dagga (cannabis) Leonotis leonurus was used as tobacco by the earliest dwellers in South Africa. It is not related to real cannabis, but this plant can:
Relieve headaches.
Nurse your colds and coughs
Fix high blood pressure. Sunbirds rely on the nectar of the flowers in early autumn.
Kudu Lily

Ghaukum fruits are eaten fresh and are used in oriental cooking and for jam (preservatives).

Lilies

Lilies are such a joy to have in the garden and come in a great variety of colors.