Lily bees

We went on a strategic session for work to a guesthouse just outside Port Elizabeth the other day. During one of the breaks I chased bees around the lilies in the garden to try and get some nice shots. I could see some of my colleagues watching me in amusement, but I'm used to that … Continue reading Lily bees →

Too big to carry?

I found this scene playing off next to the tent when we were camping the other day. The ants were trying to move the dead little grasshopper without much luck. There just wasn't enough of them.

Shongololo

Millipedes are known as shongololos in South Africa and are arthropods. Arthropods have two pairs of legs per segment (except for the first segment behind the head which does not have any appendages at all, and the next few which only have one pair of legs). Each segment that has two pairs of legs is … Continue reading Shongololo →

Big Karoo Ants

Those who have ever walked around the veld in the Karoo would know what I talk about when I mention the ants dance. Its those little hops you make while shaking your feet and legs and slapping with your hands when big ants climb up for a lift. The second day on my visit to … Continue reading Big Karoo Ants →

Baby Spiders

While camping last weekend I was out early one morning looking for something interesting to photograph. For me interesting could be anything from a big landscape to the smallest little bug. I was keeping my eyes open for a spider's web with dew on it when I noticed something different. On closer inspection I found … Continue reading Baby Spiders →

Bark Spider

During our stay at Sleepy Hollow we went on a couple of the trails they have around the valley. The one morning we ventured up to the lookout point and took the new Rooikat Trail down into the valley. As it was only marked the day before, we were the first visitors to take it … Continue reading Bark Spider →

Flower bugs

I'm still searching for nice wild flowers to photograph for the wild flower photo competition so at Sleepy Hollow last weekend I was attracted to any and all flowers I could find. The light wasn't too great for flowers in general, but I did find lots of little bugs and goggas on the flowers worth … Continue reading Flower bugs →

Everlasting flowers

On a walk through Cape Recife Nature Reserve the other day I found this clump of Everlasting flowers next to the road (I'm not 100% sure if they are Everlasting flowers, but if anybody can tell me otherwise, I promise, I will change the title of the post). I noticed lots of beetles on the … Continue reading Everlasting flowers →

Web funnel

While taking some flower pictures the other day I kept a lookout for insects of any sort for some macro shots. Nothing was forthcoming, but I did find this little hole (no more than 1 centimetre wide) with a web funnel in it. No spider wanted to peek out of it though.

Cochineal

Yesterday I told you about Prickly Pears and in this case the red prickly pear. I also mentioned that the cochineal beetle was introduced as the prickly pear's natural enemy to stem the spreading of the plant. Cochineal beetles are best know for the fact that they are used to create a natural red dye. … Continue reading Cochineal →