The humble tortoise. A peculiar, prehistoric creature with ancient origins dating back 260 million years. Originally a ‘fat lizard’, whose ribs broadened out and eventually united to form a complete shell, the tortoise we know today uses its suit of armour as a potent form
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
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
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
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
The Table Mountain Beauty (Aeropetes tulbaghia), otherwise known as the Mountain Pride butterfly, is a proudly South African resident that we should all know more about. An exquisite picture of natural beauty with blue ‘eye’ spots on its nutty brown wings, this butterfly is not
Any creature that can change colour and look in two different directions at the same time is certainly worth learning more about. Chameleons are remarkable animals, known mostly for their uncanny ability to adopt an entirely different hue within a matter of seconds, but also
Flies are such tiny creatures - at a glance, just wings and eyes. Yet these seemingly simple insects are among the most important pollinators on the planet. As they have evolved to fulfil this fundamental role in ecosystems across the globe, many species have adapted