More Garden Flora

I'm always amazed at seedlings that bravely sprout upon existing trees, sending their tiny roots searching for nutrients amidst the chips of bark.

No less astonishing are these sporangiophores of a sort that flourished on the tangerine trees during rainy season.

Cheerful michaelmas daisies will happily take over the entire garden if you let them - their root systems propagate prolifically.

This incredibly invasive vine has the most beautiful seed pods - you could make sailing boats for ladybirds and ants with the three portions of each pod. Inside each section is one perfectly round, hard, black seed.

Ahh morning glory - maybe a bit of a pest but worth it for a sunlit moment of blooming perfection.

Our frangipani tree grows so tall the only way I can get to the flowers is to wait for them to fall to the ground. They smell heavenly!

Perpetually flowering jatropha trees eventually grow to just the right size to have a shady little picnic below.

The delicate, pretty, soft lilac flowers of a humble garlic chive.

I get so excited to see these flowers - in a few weeks I know I will be opening those charming sweet-wrappers of nature to enjoy the tart-sweet gooseberries within. :)

The Kitties

Recently we made a new addition to the family - a litter of four kittens were looking for homes, and we chose the cutest one of course.

Little Madison is a ball of non-stop energy, except for when she rolls over into a dead-to-the-world twenty minute power catnap.

Here she is starting to get cheeky with Dingo, now that she's safe from being stampeded, on the kitten-friendly climbing steps my crafty hubby attached to two of the trees in our garden.

Almost two years ago Maverick and Mia were a much more photogenic...

...camera-loving pair of posers.

They had, and still have, many good times on those nifty tree stairs.

Spot the cat - you can take the cat out of the wild but we can't get the wild out of Mia.

Do people think you're mad cat people because you have bean bags especially made for your cats? Well, I guess we are ;)

Nocturnal Flowers

After nearly two years of simply being leafy and green, this plant in the patio garden suddenly sprouted heaps of unattractive flowers or so I thought. On closer inspection they turned out to be buds but it seemed they wouldn't flower.

Then they revealed themselves to be delicate little nocturnal beauties, opening around sunset and closing again before nine o'clock in the morning.

Simply ages after planting loofah seeds and watching this small straggly vine grow slowly but surely up the wall and entangle itself with the existing creepers, it has finally flowered! 

Another cool moth hanging out at the bar.

I was quite sad to find this butterfly deceased on the driveway, especially since it's the first I've seen of this kind. :( 

Weekend Visit to Nsobe Game Park

This little bug is as tiny as an ant, but so brilliantly coloured you can't miss it.

A middle-aged moth, worn down from partying hard.

Interesting web but no spider.

These pukhu make me think of Bambi - so cute!

A tree wearing another tree.

These waterbuck were at the base of the koppie where our suite was.

Beautiful sunrise.

I want these flowers in my garden!

And these butterflies!

Wow, this butterfly is so well camouflaged I had to look twice whilst taking its photo.

A fierce soldier ant guarding his smaller working buddies.

Another butterfly/moth that is new to me.

Strange orange berries - maybe some kind of fairy food. :)