Morning Light and Murdoch's Giant Mantis Pal

So it was just another lazy morning lounging on the patio couch, when this little dragonfly caught my attention. Needless to say, once I got snapping I found a few things that appealed to me. :)

This citrus swallowtail butterfly in the making appeared to be doing some kind of sunrise salute.

Butternut flowers - an ant's idea of heaven.

Murdoch was playing with something in the grass so I went over to check it out...

...and I would be a bit nervous of tangoing with this fierce little guy too! It's amazing how he blends in with the grass. 

The Funky Moth and the Green Pea Spider

This colourful little character caught my attention two nights ago, walking in agitated circles around and around a potplant.

I'm not sure if it was looking for a place to lay eggs, judging by the fluffy bundle beneath it's body and protruding from it's behind. The following morning it was hanging around on the patio floor, apparently threatening Dingo the dog who was fascinated but too intimidated to approach it.

Unfortunately having a wee camera and a mixture of cloud and morning light was not conducive to adequately capturing the pretty shade of green on this spider's back.

But I did think this a rather cute snap - it almost looks like the spider was more intent on eating the web than building it.

Siesta Restaurant & My First Pawpaw Flower

Ok so this isn't exactly a nature snap but I really loved the atmosphere of this Spanish restaurant Siesta, in Hartesbeespoort, that I went to with my mum.

Shaded by cool trees outside, we had a lovely afternoon out on the patio...

...and possibly one of the best desserts I've ever had - chocolate fondant with a Ferrero Rocher chocolate at the centre, smothered with berry coulis and ice cream. Wow.

Back in Kitwe, the turmeric was flowering beautfully upon my return. A photograph doesn't quite capture how it almost glows, exotic little thing.

To my absolute delight I finally have a viable pawpaw tree, after three years of failed attempts. You can just see that wee little fruit-to-be nestled away among the soft, velvety petals. 

The Citrus Swallowtail Butterfly

In recent weeks one of our tangerine trees has been infested with the most iffy caterpillars. They start out as a slightly offensive worm measuring about two or three centimetres...

...and grow to great squishy green monsters, seven to eight centimetres in length. So it was one Sunday morning when I was flicking yet more caterpillars off the leaves when I noticed a large butterfly flitting indecisively from leaf to leaf. It then perched awkwardly on one, pulled its abdomen towards the leaf and...laid an egg. 

This had me Googling in no time and there I found indeed, that the picture above is the squishy green monster metamorphosed. 

A Chilly Spring

The last few days of August were surprisingly warm when I arrived in Boksburg but no sooner did spring day arrive on the first day of September, than things took a turn for the chillier!

This didn't put a damper on the jasmine, which starts to bud even in the bitterest July cold. It's sweet perfume hangs over the garden like a scented veil.

The blossoming lavender attracts many bees, which in turn attracts Timmy the poodle who loves chasing them.

Lucy sulking about the weather, all fluffed up.

Tree Babies

I find few things more fascinating than planting a seed and watching it grow. Sometimes they let you down and nothing sprouts from the soil, sometimes they germinate with great enthusiasm and then wither away, and sometimes you are rewarded with a flourishing plant. In 2012 I planted a few lemon pips and now have three trees all wound about each other, standing over a metre high. 

Pictured here are wee apple seedlings - whether it was the pink or green apple pips that sprouted I can't say.

Looking back, you will find pictures of the custard apple that Ewa gave me. I planted the seeds back in March or April and was beginning to wonder if they would ever grow, and now in late August the first one has erupted through the soil, happily seeking the sunlight.

These last two tree babies sprouted from the lovely flat round seeds that pop out of the pods of these beautiful flowering trees that I have only seen in Zambia (so far). The blooms are white or purple, and as I was out on a walk one day I spotted a purple flowering tree with seed pods splitting open. Just what I was looking for! These germinated in just over a week. Hopefully one day they will both shade our wall with their pastel-hued blooms.

The Freaky Pea-Green Moth

One morning while inspecting my flourishing vegetable patches, I leaned over to adjust one of the pea plants that had come loose from the stick holding it upright. A small movement alerted me to the presence of this well-camouflaged character. 

"Have you ever seen a moth like this before? It's wings exactly match the colour and sheen of the pea plants themselves," I remarked to the hubby, as I showed him my photos. 

"Mmm, that's nice," he said. "It could be also be laying eggs all over your peas and before you know it, they'll be getting munched by some type of caterpillar."

Yikes. Who's the great biology fan now? I guess I was too caught up in the discovery. I nipped back, scooped Mr Pea Moth onto a twig and flicked him over the wall.