The Drakensberg has dramatic scenery, but a relatively simple structure. Except for the lowest slopes, the whole of the Berg is made up of only two rocks. From 1500 metres altitude (The Cavern) up to about 2100 metres is the Cave Sandstone. It forms conspicuous pale yellow-brown kranzes capped by an undulating plateau – the
The Zulu and Xhosa word for the moon is inyanga which is thought to be of Khoi-khoi origin. Whereas Europeans have traditionally talked about a “man on the moon”, the Zulus and other African tribes see a woman carrying a bundle of sticks. A Zulu tale tells that meteors (or shooting stars as they are
The scientific names of plants can be very daunting – a strange, unspoken language that we often reject as far too difficult. But with a little explanation they become interesting and very informative. More often than not the generic name is of Greek origin and the specific name from Latin. Take for example the Cheesewood
Everyone knows that summer is the best time for birds. Migrants come from all over the world to join the hardy residents. Winter, by comparison, seems almost birdless, especially as the residents have given up singing. Its dry cold may seem daunting, but it actually brings in birds from other areas where winters are worse.
As Summer slowly quietens into Autumn, so the birds too slide gently from the frantic frenzy of being a parent to the more decorous state of grandparent-hood. The season’s young have been packed off to fend for themselves as best they can, and the parents can now potter about satisfying only their own simple needs.
Many animals scarcely show themselves at all, and when they do it is at night. Incidentally, long ago, when all mammals were small, they had to be nocturnal to avoid dinosaurs. Our warm-blooded condition today has its origins then, when mammals had to withstand the cold of night. One of the best ways to detect
The month of June seems filled with shivery winter days – I am so glad that mid-winter has now passed by and there in the not too distant future lurks that wonderful season called spring! I wonder if the birds feel the bite of cold as they hop about on frozen spindly legs, searching for
The spectacular Drakensberg Mountains took their place on the international stage with the proclaiming of the 243 000 hectare Drakensberg Park in December 2002 as a World Heritage Site, significantly meeting the criteria for both cultural and natural properties. This makes it one of 22 sites in the entire world – a truly great achievement.
A week or so ago I wrote about the Longcrested Eagle expanding its range, so it was particularly exciting to find one of these “expanded” eagles last week. Some of you may have noticed that we have become “frequent flyers” to the Cavern and it was there that we saw a Longcrested Eagle last week,
How did The Cavern get its name? This is an extract from Incwadi Yami (1887) by J.W. Matthews M.D. in which the adventurous doctor describes finding evidence of cannibals in the massive cave above the hotel. “Next day, with native police and horses which our host had kindly provided, off we started before the sun
