The quick and the dead

Dead trees standing starkly in a field of lush green grass.

This was one of those unhappy moments in the life of a photographer when I realised that I had accidentally moved the settings dial and over exposed the photo. The result was not what I expected, but after playing around with the contrast and luminescence settings I ended up quite liking the result.  I do so love the digital era.

Skywatch Friday - Harvey's Tree

I don't know who Harvey was, or why one of the roads at the Addo Elephant National Park was named Harvey's Loop, but I do know that near the Southern entrance to the loop is a ficus tree that has its own Facebook page and followers.

Harvey's tree as it has come to be know was systematically demolished by the elephants that moved into the Southern part of the Park, soon after it was opened. There was a lot of debate over the future of the tree and we all believed that the elephants would eventually destroy it completely, so we started a Facebook page to appreciate its resilience and monitor its demise or survival.

So far Harvey's tree has survived.

The tree has been photographed with a wide range of animal species grazing there, or just appreciating the shade. To name a few, these include lions, elephants, zebras, warthogs, hartbees and ostriches. When I took this shot there was just one humble Hadeda Ibis scavenging through the grass.

This view is looking south towards Algoa Bay which has disappeared in the horizon.

Gina, one of the lionesses from the park was enjoying the shade here some month's back, She has three delightful cubs now and does not show them off too often and I am hoping to see them soon.

Looking northwards towards Harvey's tree from Vukani Loop on a gloomy day, with the Winterhoek Mountains in the background. Click on the photo for a better view.

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Autumn Leaves

This was one of those “wow” moments on a recent road trip, when we drove around a corner into a grove of poplar trees, on the road to Die Hoek, near Oudtshoorn, in the Western Cape. The leaves were a blaze of yellow and the wind was gusting through them and whisking them away flurries.

Skywatch Friday - Shades of blue

The jacarandas have been blooming in Richmond Hill for the past few weeks. Their display is for such a short time, but it is really magnificent.

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The Streets Of Richmond Hill - Edward Street Synagogue

I could not resist the contrast between the red of the flowering gum and the blue on the buildings.

Close up of the flowering gum.

Breaking the rules again

A few months ago I posted some pictures of me breaking the rules, by taking hand held shots through the windscreen of the car, at night, in pouring rain and actually enjoying the blurred results. Traditional Max likes well composed, sharp pictures and does not like to deviate from what he is comfortable with, but that all changed that night - I now like the challenge of the abstract.

Last night conditions were perfect for my new bent, as it was pouring with rain, so Sue and I went out on a photographic jaunt. There was no room for tripods, so it was a question of cranking up the ISO rating and shooting through the car windows.

Heading down Donkin Street towards Govan Mbeki Avenue.

Palm trees on the Donkin reserve.

Heading down Govan Mbeki Avenue towards the City Hall.

Skywatch Friday - Diamonds in the sky

Sometimes if you look carefully you will find a diamond in the sky..............

.........and if you are really lucky you will be able to hold one for a while.

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Tuesday's Trees #23 - Karoo Acaia

A closer view of the formidible thorns of the karoo acacia.

Tuesdays Trees #22 - Aloe Speciosa

We have a wide variety of aloes in the Eastern Cape and they are not always easy to identify, especially where the habitat overlaps. After much research I concluded that these are the aloe speciosa, as opposed to the aloe pluridens. This is based on the assumption that they were not in flower - the aloe pluridens flowers at this time of the year, whereas the speciosa flowers in August/ September.

These are located just outside Alicedale.

Tuesday's Trees #21 - Pine Trees

This pine tree just happened to be at the right place at the right time, on Signal Hill, Cape Town.

Tuesdays Trees #19 - Spiny partners

Todays trees are the Aloe Ferox and the Acacia Karoo taken near Craddock.

Tuesdays Teees #18 - End of an era

The Baakens River Valley is a nature reserve that bisects a large part of the city and is home to a variety of wildlife and indigenous vegetation. Over the years alien invaders have also made the valley their home threatening the local fauna and flora. Though many of these are impressive trees, they suck up a lot of water and destroy the indigenous vegetation in their immediate vicinity.  

The blue gum invaders have been systematically ring-barked and most have now died off and will soon be replaced by the local vegetation.

These blue gum branches look like gnarled fingers reaching for the sky in a last desperate attempt at survival.

Tuesday's Trees #17 - Strelitzia alba and nicolai

Way back in 2008 I started a series I called Tuesday's Trees and stopped after 16 posts.  I have decided to reinstate this series, because I have collected many more tree pictures since then.

I thought the tree Strelitzias would be a good starting point.

The Strelitzia alba grows in the forests of the Southern Cape and this grove can be seen along the road  as you travel up the Grootrivier Pass from nature's Valley.

The Strelizia alba grows to a height of about 10 metres (33 feet). We had some of these in the garden of our previous home. They are nice, but very messy.

This flower is from the Strelitzia nocolai, which grows naturally further north along the coast Eastern Cape and Kwazulu Natal Coast into Mocambique. It also occurs in Zimbabwe. I chose this flower, because I do not have one from the Strelizia alba. The difference between the two is that the flowers from the Strelitzia alba are completely white and lack the blue that is present in its cousins.



I have heard that the Strelitzia regina has become quite prolific in California. I would be interested to know if the tree Strelitzias have been introduced there as well?

Tuesday's Trees #15 - Baobabs

Baobabs remain one of my favourites trees, with their almost prehistoric look and shear size. These photographs are scans from our collection. They were taken about ten years ago at Mana Pools in the Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe.

We were told by a conservationist that these trees were gouged out like this by elephants looking for food during one of the severe droughts that hit the area from time to time.

In the old days the elephants would leave the Valley for the highlands in search of food, and returrn during the rainy season, but the traditional migration routes have now been blocked off by game fences and farms. They are now confined to the game parks and have to take what they can get.

The Zambezi Valley is one of my favourite places on the planet. I don't know what it is about the place, but everytime I go there it has an almost physical effect on me. I can't explain it but I just love the harshness of this vast, flat wilderness area.

Tuesday's Trees #14 - Norfolk Pine with a view

This Norfolk Pine makes a nice silhouette, against the back drop of the sunrise and Algoa Bay. It is situated in the grounds of the old teachers training college grounds, in Richmond Hill.

Tuesday's Trees - a jaunt through the forest

The road to Eden's Touch near Knysna. I did not take note of the types of trees, but you can be sure there will be Yellowwoods and Stinkwoods in the mix. The forests were badly plundered during the 1700's and 1800's, so sadly many of the giant trees were chopped down. There are strict laws governing the cutting down of the indigenous trees now, which will ensure that our heritage is preserved.


A scene from a forest walk I took through the forest at Edens Touch last year in October.

Tuesdays Trees #12 - Keurboom

No wonder the South Western Cape is known as the Garden Route, with this profusion of plants alongside the road.

The Keurboom, with its pink flowers is in full bloom, giving a spectacular show. Keurbooms are indigenous, fast growing trees with a fairly short life span. In the past I have succesfully grown these from seeds. They grow quickly and die off at about the time the slower growing trees start getting to a decent height. They are very rewarding trees in the forests and in the garden.

Tuesday's Trees #11 - Melaleuca

We have always refered to these trees as Myrtles, but I think it is a variety of Melaleuca. They were used to establish hedges in Port Elizabeth many years ago and those that remain are very gnarled and twisted.



This one photographed at St Georges Park was not part of a hedge, but has been around for a long time. Why I think it is a Melaleuca is that they are also known as paperbark and this one has that look about it.

Tuesdays Trees #10 - Jacaranda

This Jacaranda was photographed with an old point and shoot, on a farm in the Elands River Valley a few years ago.



Another exotic, but it makes a spectacular show of colour when in full bloom.

Tuesday's Trees #9 - Poplars

The scenery on the road between Hogsback and Cathcart can only be described as breath-takingly beautiful and today I want to show the poplars in all there glory as they were starting to lose their leaves.




The road itself is terrible, but the views more than compensated. The road was actually not a problem though, because we were driving quite slowly to soak up the view.




I think we struck it lucky travelling through during April, when the poplar trees were turning and putting on a such a striking show of colour.




They may be exotics, but they are certainly pleasing to the eye and add something special to the scenery.