Arthropod Action ...

Today Gigi and I photographed a few interesting arthropods as we set out for our regular Friday afternoon walk in Kirstenbosch.



There were a whole bunch of impressive stick insects hanging around the Pearson House verandah

















I spy a stick insect eye!


















The larva of a common local moth which I'll identify later

This time of the year they crawl up the walls of Pearson House in significant numbers where they pupate









And pupa of the same moth hanging under the windowsill

















Who is Gigi photographing up there, sitting on the ceiling?


















Mr cool hunting spider (about 3 inches long, toe to toe)












And here is a spider wasp who paralyses hunting spiders with her sting and carries them off to a hole

There she buries them there alive but paralysed and lays her eggs in them

When her eggs hatch her larvae have an instant meal available!

I suspect Mr hunting spider around the corner was a tad big for her to tackle so she is hunting in the wall vents for a slightly smaller victim



The last rays of the summer sun on Fernwood buttress at about 8pm that evening

















A family of Cape Francolin (or Cape Spurfowl as they are now known) soaking up the last warmth from the tar road











They were so casual that the hen allowed the youngsters to sit down and soak up the warmth right in front of us

They only moved off slowly once we shuffled right up close















And here growing in the garden is my favourite flower

The Flame Lilly (Gloriosa superba), the national flower of the, now, cyberstate Rhodesia where I spent my youth

I see that it is still the national flower of the basket state Zimbabwe.

What a come down - ag shame!