Life Wonderings of a Nature Lover: November 2020 Sitamani Country Diary
November has been a gloriously wet and verdant month, we’ve recorded rain on 22 days of the 30, a total of 196,5mm. The hillside is green with a wealth of flowers. The only flowering plant that doesn’t seem to enjoy the wet, cool conditions are the orchids, only one seen this November. The coolest temperature was on the 19th at 8C and the warmest 33.5C on the 8th. Most days were overcast and often misty.
Here are some of the wonderful flora and fauna seen during the month.
Monday 2
Trachyandra saltii
Eriosema kraussianum amongst the rock
Bagworm on Hypoxis
Tuesday 3
Although the light was poor, I couldn’t resist taking these late afternoon photos
Speckled Mousebirds
Male Red-collared Widowbirds almost in full breeding plumage
A soft end to the day
Saturday 14
Lotononis corymbosa
Vernonia hirsuta
Berkheya macrocephala
Caterpillar
Schizocarphus nervosus (=Scilla nervosa)
Dipcadi viride
Indigofera hilaris
Indigofera hilaris
In the KZN Drakensberg swathes of spectacular flowering, neon orange Watsonia socium, have covered the mountain slopes, our hillside has also glowed.
Watsonia socium
Striga bilabaiata
Striga bilabaiata
Wahlenbergia krebsii
Ledebouria sp.
Yellow-spotted Ground Beetle, Craspedophorus bonvouloiri
Cyphia elata
White Bramble, Rubus rigidus
Monday 16
I was so excited to see that an Ochna arborea had self-seeded in the little indigenous shrubbery I planted. Normally I’ve seen these beautiful, slender trees with beautiful ‘dappled’ bark in the mountains, their distinctive red and grey green, turning to black, seeds sparkling in the green foliage.
Ochna arborea
Ochna arborea
Tuesday 17
Cool dawn colours
Monday 23
Although I didn’t manage to take a photo, as we were having early morning coffee a russet orange Slender Mongoose, with a black tipped tail, darted across the lawn into the longer grass, so lovely!
Thursday 26
This interesting invertebrate was on the kitchen doorstep.
Friday 27
My find of the early morning was this large Granular Agate Snail, Archachatina granulata
I was on my way to look at the hillside covered with Silene bellidioides, in overcast conditions, they were still open. They are night flowering plants.
Silene bellidioides
Amongst the forbes, where there is good grazing, was this pile of Common Reedbuck droppings
Soft light and light mist in the valley below
Pill Millipede
Sisyranthus trichostomus
Pelargonium luridum
Vernonia natalensis
A delightful hairy caterpillar
Mariscus congestus
Hypoxis iridifolia
As I was wandering through the grasses I disturbed a Common Reedbuck. He stood up, watched me, then cavorted, before settling to observe me once again.
Common Reedbuck
Haemanthus humilis
Silver Bramble, Rubus ludwigii
Arrow-leaved Arum, Zantedeschia albomaculata
Lobelia erinus
Ajuga ophrydis
Otholobium polysictum
Cyanotis speciosa
Asclepias albens
Watsonia socium
A Bagworm on Cyanotis speciosa
The only orchid flowering this November Orthochilus foliosus
Clutia cordata
Pentanisia prunelloides
Ficinia cinammomea
A delightful spotted moth
Saturday 28
The most gorgeous dawn
Monday 30
To round off the month, the sky was filled with vibrant colour in the evening after a storm.
christeengrant 
So much rain! x
and it’s still raining lightly now. Although I know it’s not a return to historic weather patterns, very grateful for the soil soaking! xxx
Without apology, once again . . aaaah! and wow!
Do you post to iNaturalist.org? Hope so.
Glad to ‘see’ you here again! Thanks! Yes, I am on iNaturalist, post the interesting, unusual plants.
wonderful! I post for th4e Palmiet Nature Reserve, Westville, group.