h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Here is my photo report of my trip yesterday to the Polokwane Municipal Game Reserve! I'm posting it in three parts to make it manageable. Also of course you don't have to click on every image, you can use my descriptions to decide which ones you're interested in.

1. This is what the savannah of the reserve looks like at the start of winter. There is still green in the leaves of trees and shrubs, but the grass is dry and brown. The reserve is dominated by Umbrella thorns, Acacia tortilis, but there are also many Sweet Thorns, Silky Thorns and Scented-pod Thorns.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Savannah2_zpscb281f15.jpg

2. On this visit I was surprised to find many ferns of at least two species! I found the ferns in the shelter of trees and shrubs in thickets. I think the rain we’ve had this year has given them a boost. Ferns are rare in savannah; they occur mostly in forest in cool, shady, moist situations.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/BushveldFern1_zpsd23bd9a0.jpg

3. This pond is close to the start of the game drive. It is always a wonderful spot to stop and watch birds … unfortunately this trip I forgot my binoculars! But I did see many birds here, mostly seed-eaters like weavers and waxbills.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Pond1_zpsaa7eaeff.jpg

4. This is what we call ‘paddaslyk’ (‘frog ooze’) in Afrikaans. A kind of algae that forms thick mats on the surface of bodies of standing water. This stuff has a very characteristic rank-ish odour I always associate with savannah ponds and pans. Underneath it’s nice and shady for fish and frogs and hides them from the eyes of herons, kingfishers and other thingies that might want to eat them!

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/FrogOoze1_zpse55f1b74.jpg

5. Another view of the pond, showing some reeds and submerged water plants. The rain has filled up many such small bodies of water in the reserve this year. I’ll see how long the water lasts … next rains might be in October or November.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Pond2_zps20e914d3.jpg

6. This is the most frequently encountered evidence of animals. This was left by some small antelope, I can’t say with certainty which species.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/BuckDroppings_zpsd346add6.jpg

7. A final view of the pond. The red splotches at the left are Zinnia peruviana flowers, an exotic species that has become abundant in the reserve. In Afrikaans we call them ‘Jakobregop’ (‘upright Jacob’) because they stand up so straight with their flowers right at the top.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Pond3_zpsf590dcea.jpg

8. This is the inflorescence of Kalanchoe brachyloba. This is one of the most conspicuous succulents in the reserve. The great mountain aloes are of course the most conspicuous, but at this time of year these yellow inflorescences can be seen standing out all over the place in the dry bush or emerging above the grass tops.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Kalanchoebrachyloba1_zps5d66e808.jpg

9. The succulent leaves of the Kalanchoe brachyloba plant. You can see it using the support of the surrounding trees and bushes to gain height. The flowerheads can stand two meters tall.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Kalanchoebrachyloba2_zps6188f71a.jpg

10. Another Kalanchoe brachyloba flowerhead. The flowers are shrinking and the fruit capsules are expanding. This species is abundant in a few places. The rosettes are also quite large, reaching half a metre or more in width. At the end of winter the infloresences are dead and brown and the seeds are released into the wind, to germinate the next spring. This species is fairly short-lived, the main rosettes dying after flowering but sometimes resprouting from below.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Kalanchoebrachyloba3_zpse5ea4900.jpg

11. This, Kalanchoe rotundifolia, is a relative of the previous species. It is much smaller, with round, greyish leaves and pretty pinkish-red flowers that stand out against the grey and brown bush.
http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Kalanchoerotundifolia_zpse1b084ee.jpg

12. A low but broad Umbrella Thorn tree, showing the appropriateness of the name.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/UmbrellaThorn2_zpsadee1c49.jpg

13. A termite hill! I can’t tell you which species, but note the redness, which comes from the soil. In other places the termite hills are more brownish or greyish. Termites are very important components of the local ecology. The consume perhaps more plant material than everything else, including large mammals, combined. But they are food for many animals, their nests are used as homes, and even plants benefit by growing on or next to them.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/TermiteHill1_zps48034f2f.jpg

14. Aerva leucurva is a member of the amaranth family. It is called ‘Aambeibossie’ (‘hemorrhoid bush’) in Afrikaans but I can’t find out why! Perhaps it has been used as a folk remedy in the past. It is a fairly abundant small, soft shrub.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Aervaleucura_zps94b270ac.jpg

15. My first good photo opportunity! This Impala ram was relaxing in the shade and didn’t bother to get up when I stopped the car next to him.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/ImpalaRam1_zps1e9e289a.jpg

16. Here the impala ram shows his profile, his lyre-shaped horns almost lining up:

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/ImpalaRam2_zps0ffca1d5.jpg

17. This was the day of the ostriches! Here you see a few of a group of about twenty in total, running in the road ahead of the car. I just drove along slowly, not rushing them. These are all females or youngsters. I did see males later but they were too far to photograph. The males are glossy black with white wing feathers and rusty brown tail feathers.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Ostriches1_zps27f7c60c.jpg

18. Another shot of the ostriches. If only I had someone with me to take photos of them while I was driving! They were just trotting along relaxedly and there were some to the sides of the car as well which would have been easy to photograph. I had to stop the car every time I wanted a shot and then of course they were moving away quite fast. So all I have are rear these rear views! But as far as experiencing it, it was lovely to encounter these big birdies.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Ostriches2_zps4c7012ac.jpg

19. Another bushveld fern growing fresh and green in the shelter of a thicket. I think this is a Cheilanthes, note the quite different leaf architecture from the other one.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/BushveldFern2_zps9e96b190.jpg

20. And … now we come to the real highlight of the trip! This was the best giraffe photo opportunity I have yet had. Here is one of the first … a glimpse through an opening in the trees … but I soon got to see them much better!

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/WillemvdMerwe/Giraffes1_zps9aa534bb.jpg

This brings us to the end of Part One. Stay tuned for Part Two!

Nice tour, friend! I like the pastel colours of the photos, the shades of green and grey and earth colours.

I never saw an impala ram before, or frog ooze, or a termites hill! Or ostriches. Thanks! And I can travel from my armchair.

Thanks for the virtual tour.

We get frog ooze too, know how that smells...

What a treat to see the giraffes, you lucky duck, as Elektra would say

I took a good look at the hemorrhoid bush, there isn't anything in its appearence that I can see would lend itself to the name so perhaps it was used as some kind of remedy, or is a warning!

Looks like you had a good day out

Thanks again for putting the photos I've been looking forward to them

You get frog ooze too?

said cc to Peanut.

Found it

It is traditionally used as a remedy.

I haven't quite worked out how to link as it opens a pdf and this is still new-fangled

hopefuly this will be enough for you to google, it a study on traditional remedies

[PDF]
Isolation and identification of a novel anti-diabetic compound from ...



upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-10232010-172051/.../01chapters1-2.pdf

by MS Deutschländer - 2010 - Related articles

you want chapter 2.4.26

I thought it looked quite an interesting read

Yep cc,it is quite smelly, next time there is some to scoof some off the pond I'll invite you round if you want to see and smell some first hand

don't I do just the best invitations

Hi Cactuscafé and Peanut! I'm glad to see you here. I'll soon load up some more photos. Anyways Peanut, that is a different 'aambeibossie' ... here in South Africa it happens a lot that different plants wind up with the same vernacular names. But that is a very interesting site nevertheless ... I'm growing many of the plants they mention, but not for medicinal properties!

Looking forward to those pictures

Not the same plant, ah well, it was an interesting find anyway

Fascinating stuff as always Willem, and I am so pleased to see you getting about on your own, though I agree it might have been helpful to have another person with you. I think to drive, as you have such a good eye with the camera



Websailor

The photos are lovely. You are so lucky to see the animals in the wild, I have only seen them in captivity. They are still impressive but I feel so sorry for them. Had a wonderful encounter with a captive giraffe years ago. I wish I could find the photo.

Websailor

Yay!

And thanks for the frog ooze invite, Peanut. . That's my kind of invite. . .