April and our False Bay garden with CNC and FIRES!
by Diana Studer
- gardening for biodiversity
in Cape Town, South Africa
City Nature Challenge is done. Now, we ID thousands of pictures! We are running eighth ... and counting. La Paz, Hong Kong, San Antonio, Houston, Monterey, Dallas, San Francisco (four in the USA where the challenge was launched). Ninth! Edged out by Graz.
In the garden we have bananas coming with at least four bunches visible as the bracts lift away. Previous harvest was May 2018! For Through the Garden Gate Down by the Sea in Dorset with Sarah.
 |
| Bananas in April 2024 |
April has been an appalling month for fires. 1 April a fire started a few houses away from us in the National Park, then burnt towards the beach.
 |
| Peers Hill fire 1 April 2024 |
7 April a small greenbelt along the coast burnt in ferocious wind. Four houses destroyed and more damaged.
 |
| Sunny Cove fire 7 April 2024 |
Today we are in the third day of a fire started on Table Mountain by a lightning strike. Inaccessible to firefighters, it is on the cliffs. Threatening both Kirstenbosch garden and pockets of indigenous forests. Yesterday an oblivious trail runner was rescued.
 |
| Thomas says bedtime! |
Turning to the creatures that find a home in our garden. Thomas explaining to Jurg - time to switch off the laptop and head for bed!
 |
| Clicking stream frog |
Frog with long toes. With an orchestra clicking away in our pond overnight.
 |
| Rain spider, looking at you |
Spider eyes are diagnostic for species. Long learning curve.
 |
| Crimson speckled footman butterfly |
Butterfly - crimson speckled footman - sheltering from strong wind.
 |
| Red-wing starlings eating Searsia berries |
Our Searsia shrubs are absolutely laden with berries this year and fruit-eating birds are happy.
 |
| Zoë belly to the sun |
Soaking up the autumn sun!
 |
| Robin-chat linocut print |
My London-born mother taught me that Cape robins have white eyebrows. Our usual Kirstenbosch Mondays include rotating art exhibitions. This is a print from an eight layer reduction linocut by Philippa-Jane Versfeld - 'some of the layers have multiple colour tones (sometimes up to 5 colours in one layer). Your Robin has 8 layers but 16 hand mixed colours in total'
Garden year month by month here, back to November 2014.
I invite you to join us at Elephant's Eye on False Bay. Please subscribe as you prefer
via Feedly,
or my Facebook blog page
Pictures by Diana Studer
of Elephant's Eye on False Bay
Teal blue text is my links.
To read comments if you are in a Reader,
first click thru to the blog)
Thanks for comments that add value. Your comment will not appear until I've read it. I welcome comments on posts from the last 2 months.
Google and Blogger comments uncooperative? Use Name / URL instead.
I'm so sorry about the fires, Diana! It's particularly frightening when they're so close. Our own fire season is currently predicted to be less intense this summer but then Mother Nature and the human fools that fail to consider her are never entirely predictable. I'm glad to see the cats know how to set priorities. The butterfly is a beauty too.
ReplyDeleteKitty tummy in the sun! :^) All your other garden critters are maybe not quite so relaxed, but still fascinating. Lovely butterfly.
ReplyDeleteHere we were privileged to have the local toad population singing every night this winter, and a few in the garden during the day creaking too. Getting all too rare around here.
Bananas--yum! Congratulations on your place in the competition--that's great! Sorry about the fires; I hope they'll subside soon. Cute kitty. And that butterfly--wow!
ReplyDeleteAha, signing in with Google account brings back MMM. It didn't before.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm sorry about the wildfires, especially so close to home. That must be so scary.
Love all your wildlife, and the cats! And bananas! Are they the sweet variety, or the cooking ones?
Lady finger bananas. Small and sweet.
DeleteFingers crossed the fires don't head your way. It's the first I've heard of the City Nature Challenge - strange seeing my radar's good at finding out that kinda thing...
ReplyDeleteThose fires look very close and frightening! Always wonderful to learn something new with your bananas not being produced each year. Not sure I would enjoy that spider visiting! Take care. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteGoodness, you must have been frightened at the fires! I studied up your version of a robin. Of course we have the American version, and I’ve seen photos of the British variety, now I’m “collected” another! Needless to say, it’s my favorite namesake bird.
ReplyDeleteThese fires are sad - but not near enough to be frightening. Our first house in Camps Bay was closer to the urban edge and we had serious fires there.
DeleteThe bananas look so good!
ReplyDeleteLovely to read your post on FB . .. I enjoyed seeing your cats, full of personality! Sorry to read about the fires. Here in Canberra (Aus) we are getting endless rain.
ReplyDeleteGo Well…😁😊
Fires are always upsetting as they burn native plants and old woods. I have never seen how bananas grow. Fascinating. And I love all the critters. That print of the Cape robin is beautiful as is the bird. So similar to other robins including ours.
ReplyDeleteToday our robin came home in his weathered denim frame <3
Delete