A few flowers…
Hello – as an excuse for not posting, here are some flowers from the plains for you to enjoy. As the saying goes: “A thing of beauty…”
A surprise visitor…
Was dozing reading and making some notes the other day when this surprise visitor dropped in.I guess I can use it as an excuse for not posting more often! More soonDino
More hawkmoths…
Hello – sorry for not posting more often (again!). In response to the question about the moth’s tongues – they can be very long up to 12″ or even more! There are mainly two groups of hawkmoths – those with medium-length tongues and those with super-long tongues… Here you can see examples of both a short-tongued … Read more
Hawkmoths…
Hello – sorry for not posting more often. Have mid-term exams coming up this week! I’ve been wanting to run a series about pollinators. This is the first of them. Pollinators, many of them insects, are one of the most under-appreciated groups of useful creatures in the world. Like the dung beetles they are toiling … Read more
More cute dung beetles…
Not so long ago on one of my early morning walks across the plains I came across a dung beetle sunning itself on the path. He was very obliging and allowed me to inspect him closely from a variety of angles. He also posed very smartly when I pulled out the camera and clicked away. … Read more
More on dung beetles
Hello – Many thanks to Faye and Paula for your kind comments. This post is in response to the question about dung beetle’s and why they have such fantastic ornaments on their heads. Firstly, much of the head structure serves a very practical purpose – the toothed, curved edges serve as an effective shovel with … Read more
Beautiful dung beetles
Hello – have a lot to say about the dung beetles, but in response to the widespread belief that they are not attractive (given their dietary predilictions)…Here are some sketches of a few East African dung beetles – I’m sure that you will agree that they are gorgeous. And yes, all of these feed on … Read more
Rainforest insects…
Here are some more interesting insects from Kakamega Forest in Western Kenya. Lirhanda Hill emerges from the green blanket of forest covered in lush grass and topped with gnarled protea bushes. There are some beautiful large trees in the relatively undisturbed forest that clothes one flank of the hillside… Lots of different insects frequent the top of the … Read more
A Vanishing Lake?
Hello – I’ve been meaning to run a number of posts on the changing environment in East Africa. As pretty much everyone is aware, there are a lot of changes taking place globally, with shifting weather patterns having serious effects on many different habitats. In Kenya, and much of East Africa, drylands are very sensitive to … Read more
Leopard Orchid…
Have been looking closely at a Leopard Orchid (Ansellia africana) to see what kinds of ants visit and potentially tend the buds and flowers. This species of orchid is found along the coast and in the Rift Valley as well as in the western forests of our region. It is a very pretty plant – … Read more