Headlamps beaming, we started up the trail towards Devil’s Peak; not in pursuit of a porcupine, but of an early morning cup of coffee and a rusk with a view. As we graduated from the steep zigzags onto the contour path (a welcome relief for
This year, Earth Hour is not only about switching off our lights; it’s about interrogating how our electricity is produced. The lion’s share of South Africa’s electricity is generated by coal-fired power stations. The mining of coal can be hugely destructive, and the burning of these
If you’ve been to Hermanus and found yourself spellbound by its magnificent backdrop (as many people do), you’ve probably wondered how you could get closer to those mountains. The good news is that you can lose yourself in them. As one of the most spectacular, yet
One tends to imagine carnivorous plants growing in the shadowy depths of the Amazon rainforest or other exotic places across the planet. Who would have thought that we have our very own plant predators right here on Table Mountain? Drosera plants, commonly known as ‘sundews’, make
Many of us are aware that alien vegetation is a water guzzler, but do we appreciate just how much so? As South Africa is a chronically water stressed country, it is – and will always be – critical for us to understand where we can
Despite severe water restrictions, Capetonians are not doing enough to save water. In fact, in the week that Level 3B water restrictions were introduced, we consumed an average of 808 million litres per day, one million litres more than the previous week. Western Cape dam levels
There are over 4000 species of cockroach known to science, and only one has the ability to jump. While every other cockroach scuttles across the ground in regular roach fashion, one eccentric relation spends much of its day hurtling nearly 50 times its body length
After another spate of fires consumed the Western Cape last week, our fire protection services have once again had their work cut out for them. While the teams on the ground tackled blaze after blaze, what we (the general public) see and hear via the
I’m in search of an arum lily frog. What could be more perfect than a tiny, buttercup-coloured amphibian curled up on the crisp, white spathe of an arum lily? Arum lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) are some of the most unusual and spectacular flowers around (sadly, their pervasiveness
I stirred from early morning sleep, struck by those initial thoughts your brain uses to jumpstart your body into gear – where am I and what day is it? It didn’t take me long to recall. I opened the door, met by a stiff mountain breeze. We