Cape white-eyes

Cape white-eyes (Zosterops virens). Acrylics on Masonite, 15 x 20 cm.

These are the archetypal tweety birds: round and fluffy and cute looking. They're quite common around here, where they move in small groups through dense foliage, looking for insects and chattering to one another.

Fallen things

After an evening storm, another batch of fallen leaves and blooms. Ballpoint pen and watercolor pencil on paper:

Autumn Treasures

Autumn in the southern hemisphere. I have long loved weathered late-season leaves, and this time of year there is such a glut one doesn't know where to start. On my morning walk, I collected a bagful, and sketched some in ballpoint and watercolor pencil...

Some recent photos

My latest adventures in point-and-shoot photography...

Mexican poppy

Mexican poppy, Argemone ochroleuca. Originally from Mexico, it is now a widespread weed in southern Africa.

Datura

Cosmopolitan weeds. Datura ferox:

And Datura stramonium:

In both species, all parts of the plant are toxic, especially the seeds. Because the toxin can lead to delirium and hallucinations, the plants are sometimes used as recreational drugs. Not a good idea at all, and death as a result of intentional or accidental Datura poisoning is not unheard of. 

Pompom weed

Pretty, but very invasive in some areas of South Africa: pompom weed (Campuloclinium macrocephalum). Originally from South America, it has spread into many South African habitats, where it often displaces areas of grassland.

People in the know tell me that pulling these out can stimulate the remaining bits of root to even further growth, thus worsening the problem. Currently controlled by the laborious method of spraying herbicide on individual plants while trying not to harm the plants surrounding it, and by removing and burning the flowers. 

Cestrum

A species of Cestrum. Originally from the Americas, they are somewhat popular garden plants in South Africa. In some areas they have become invasive. They are also poisonous to some livestock.

Grass aloe

Aloe veracunda. It is one of a group of slender-leaved aloes known as grass aloes. The aloes have traditionally been classified under the family Liliaceae, and for the purpose of this blog, I'll keep them there. I have seen them classified under several different families though - taxonomy seems to be in a state of flux at the moment.

Wild apricot

Ancylobotrys capensis, Also known as wild apricot. The fruits are pleasantly sweet-sour. If the baboons leave you any, that is. They are found mostly along the edges of rocky hills.

Wild wormwood

Artemisia afra, also known as wild wormwood or, in Afrikaans, wilde als, a common herb in Gauteng. Used by traditional healers to treat chest conditions and intestinal worms. The crushed leaves are fragrant and probably actually help to open up the sinuses. Not sure about the worms, mind you.

Protea

Protea caffra, one of the most common species of Protea in Gauteng province.

Halo and chameleon

Saw two somewhat unusual things today. The first, a halo around the Sun, which I photographed from two different sides of a building, trying to keep direct sunlight out of the lens:

And then, a few hours later, found this little fellow clinging to the curtains in my apartment:

Presumably my cat brought it in, and then, for some reason, decided not to dissect it as she usually does with her wildlife specimens (she makes Hannibal Lecter look like Gandhi by comparison). So I took the lucky survivor outside and put it in a tree densely overgrown with creeping jasmine - not perfect, but probably better habitat than my apartment:

Chameleons were common around here when I was a child, but I haven't seen one in many years. Perhaps they are making a comeback.

Black-collared Barbet

A sketch of a Black-collared Barbet (Lybius torquatus). Ballpoint pen and coloured pencil on printer paper, about 20cm x 20cm.

Scenes from the highveld

Photos I took earlier today on a trip to the highveld area where I grew up, near the town of Bronkhorstspruit in South Africa.

Some typical scenery:

Sedimentary rock on a hill; the layers are clearly visible. If memory serves, these rocks are some two billion years old, though I'd have to go read up on it again to be sure:

Many of the rocks are heavily encrusted with colourful lichens (a city slicker once asked me why all the rocks are splattered with paint!):

Local plant life:

Wild apricots, Ancylobotrys capensis, so named because of the superficial similarity of the fruits to those of apricots. The fruits are edible and quite delicious, although tasting nothing like apricots or indeed any other fruit familiar to western civilization. Some years the shrubs are overloaded with fruit; this year the harvest was somewhat meager:

Wild wormwood, Artemisia afra. Apparently an infusion of the leaves can be used to treat chest ailments. Wouldn't surprise me if it actually worked, because the crushed leaves are very richly aromatic:

Flower of common protea, Protea caffra. Some years there are many, but as with the wild apricots, this year I could find only this single flower:

Something of a rarity, the elephant's ear (Streptocarpus vandeleurii) has only a single leaf, and a mass of white flowers:

The large witchweed, Striga elegans, lives up to its name: it's a parasite, the roots of which grow into those of grasses from where they withdraw nutrients:

The thick, fibrous stem of the monkey's tail, Xerophyta retinervis, helps to protect it against fire, a common phenomenon in this area:

The intricately woven nest of a weaver bird:

And a partially completed nest:

Late afternoon: a typical summer storm brewing. All through the day, the clouds get larger and by late afternoon will form thick and rather spectacular banks, frequently lit up from inside by lightning. Time to get indoors!