Fabulous flies…
Have been watching flies coming and going from a flowering Rhus natalensis bush – you may think of them as just pesky insects, but take a closer look and you will see what marvelous forms they are…
Pollination
Gloriosa…
Hello – was just in Tanzania where early rains have transformed parts of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro into lush green pastures and meadows of wildflowers. Here is just one of them – perhaps one of our loveliest flowers – and aptly, being pollinated by equally gorgeous butterflies…
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
Orchid mystery
Hello I am currently in Western Kenya looking at one of the sites that I do some research in and exploring forests. Yesterday I went on walk in the Kaptagat Forest. This is a highland forest with a mixture of indigenous forest and commercial plantations. It had rained the previous night and the ground was … Read more