Chlorophyll High…

What an incredible stimulus chlorophyll is!

The mere sight of it translates into an overwhelming sense of wellbeing, contentedness and an unstoppable urge to share the bounty. Consequently, I am sharing some imagery taken over the past few weeks here on Grietjie Nature Reserve where we live:

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Tiny spider utilising the structure of a Cleome or Mouse-whiskers inflorescence as anchor for its web.

Young ele calf tossing a grass tuft onto its back for “decorative purposes”…often eles will place torn vegetation on their backs for seemingly no particular reason other than being silly.

Young ele calf tossing a grass tuft onto its back for “decorative purposes”…often eles will place torn vegetation on their backs for seemingly no particular reason other than being silly.

The abundance of resources makes for conditions conducive to play.

The abundance of resources makes for conditions conducive to play.

Although cloud cover has largely impeded good light for photography, the occasions where it did poke through was spectacular. I love the textures being revealed by the backlighting here.

Although cloud cover has largely impeded good light for photography, the occasions where it did poke through was spectacular. I love the textures being revealed by the backlighting here.

A cluster of colour from wild flowers picked within a 30m radius!

A cluster of colour from wild flowers picked within a 30m radius!

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A giraffe cow fell prey to the local pride right on the main access road of the reserve.

With such optimal prevailing conditions for everything, the Blowfly larvae (maggots) crop witnessed on this carcass is beyond anything I’ve seen before. Feeding on the flesh for 3-5 days, they prepare for a 2-4 week transformation period to eventual…

With such optimal prevailing conditions for everything, the Blowfly larvae (maggots) crop witnessed on this carcass is beyond anything I’ve seen before. Feeding on the flesh for 3-5 days, they prepare for a 2-4 week transformation period to eventually again emerge from the pupae as flies again.

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A fairly rare example of a female Impala with horns. It is thought that this anomaly is caused by hormonal imbalance during pregnancy which then results in this expression in the offspring. It is apparently however not a recessive genetic occurrence.

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If you pay close attention, besides the very striking orange Bracket-fungi you’ll also notice mud from termite activity. Both these signs are indicators that the Mopane branch they are found on (broken by elephants) is already dead and not growing anymore.

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A massive Golden-orb weaver female feeding on a Mopane-moth with a tiny male biding his time to sneak in and mate with her.

European Bee-eaters perched on the high-voltage lines bringing power to Phalaborwa town and the mines. I was struck by how they are clustered in pairs despite the fact that they do not breed here. It would be interesting to know whether the pairs hu…

European Bee-eaters perched on the high-voltage lines bringing power to Phalaborwa town and the mines. I was struck by how they are clustered in pairs despite the fact that they do not breed here. It would be interesting to know whether the pairs huddled here are the mated pairs which travelled down together.

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Cryptic colouration is key to remaining hidden and alive. This Foam-nest frog blends in beautifully.

This notch is a telltale sign that the ele cow is right-handed. Imagine the process of grabbing grass/branches with the trunk, dipping the head so as to insert the tusk underneath the vegetation and then with a sideways glide and pinch, the chaffing…

This notch is a telltale sign that the ele cow is right-handed. Imagine the process of grabbing grass/branches with the trunk, dipping the head so as to insert the tusk underneath the vegetation and then with a sideways glide and pinch, the chaffing action tears off a mouthful. Now consider how many times that has to happen for soft plant material to wear an ivory tusk. Realising that each adult cow consumes around 200kg a day, it however becomes quite clear how this is possible.

Praying Mantid scrambling up an ele bull after being brushed off the grass by the passing ele.

Praying Mantid scrambling up an ele bull after being brushed off the grass by the passing ele.

During the lush summer months, eles mainly graze as grass is much softer and contains more moisture than more woody species. It almost is reminiscent of eating a bowl of spaghetti…

During the lush summer months, eles mainly graze as grass is much softer and contains more moisture than more woody species. It almost is reminiscent of eating a bowl of spaghetti…

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The exception to the statement above is Marula fruit. Here you can clearly see the amount of fruit produced by one of the female trees in-camp…this carpet is the 4th fall! We collected some and made fermenting beer from it…too sweet for my palette but not bad.

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A young bull shaking a Marula tree to dislodge more fruit after he hoovered every single one on the ground.

The clear bubbles produced by Spittlebugs secreting excess fluid after filtering nutrients from the plant sap. Their sharp proboscis pierce the thin walls and like a straw, suck the liquid up.

The clear bubbles produced by Spittlebugs secreting excess fluid after filtering nutrients from the plant sap. Their sharp proboscis pierce the thin walls and like a straw, suck the liquid up.

I have only ever seen them on grass during exceptionally wet seasons, so I was ecstatic to find this again!

I have only ever seen them on grass during exceptionally wet seasons, so I was ecstatic to find this again!

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Here is a good view of the nymph hiding under the protection of its bubbly coat.

I trust you found this as exhilarating as I did and look forward to sending some more in the near future.

Yours in sharing

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Re-sensitising…