Flies are not popular. Their propensity to land equally on your food and dead animals, or other less desirable objects, has given them the not unfair reputation for carrying germs. But for the Carrion Flower, Orbea variegata, attracting flies is exactly what it sets out to do. The large flat…
Say the word “gentian” and immediately a deep blue colour is conjoured up. But members of the gentian family, Gentianaceae, in South Africa are anything but blue. Chironia linoides is one of these members of the Gentianaceae and flowers at Phillipskop through the summer from November to January. Its flowers…
Merciera leptoloba is a member of the bellflower family, Campanulaceae. As the common family name suggests, most members of this family have bell-shaped flowers, i.e. with a broad tube. (Indeed, the scientific name is also based on the Latin for bell: campana.) But as in many families, there is a…
Tok-tok beetles are one of those insects that form part of childhood memories. They are commonly seen during the day, walking boldly along paths. Their broad, almost bulbous abdomen makes them easily recognisable. But it is when they stop and use that overweight rear end to tap the ground with…
