It looked like an ordinary garden flower bed, but I decided to wait for nature's visitors.
So many times, one just has to sit still and to wait for the action. This was such a time.
We were on our way out for a meeting when all of a sudden the water icon lit up red on the car's instrument screen, then a beep noise started as a warning. So, halfway we had to stop at a service station so that I could see why the car was crying for water. I cannot blame the car as the water level was dangerously low, and so I topped it up to the correct level. However, it would have been dicey to continue on the trip as it was a warm day, and I didn't know if the water would start acting up again. Years ago, the car that I had at the time overheated, and it cooked the engine. I had pulled over but the damage was already done. That is why I decided this time to turn back. So, we rescheduled the meeting on my wife's phone and we headed back. On the way the car was behaving, and we pulled in at a local farm for a coffee to steady my nerves :)
Just as well that we did as there is a coffee shop on the farm and while we waited for the coffee some movement caught my eye in a flowerbed close by. So, I kept my eye on the flowerbed and that's when I first saw the Acraea butterfly that landed on a flower. Some bees were also active in the flowerbed and with great luck a dragonfly came to sit close to us in the morning sun. All the photos that you will see in here were taken by me in that flowerbed.
Come and see.
The butterfly, also in the first picture, is a Garden Acraea (Acraea horta).
It is a member of the Subfamily Helioconiinae. There are six Acraea species in the country, and this Acraea is the only specie to be found in the Western Cape.
Did I tell you that the bees were also active in the flowerbed.
They were honeybees collecting pollen.
Just another one in a shady spot.
Here below I will show you three photos of the flowerbed.
That's the dragonfly that came to sit close by, and it looked like a Two-striped Skimmer (Orthetrum caffrum).
For some reason, he was skimming up and down and I will show you the reason why in another post.
Nature's song will continue long after humans are gone, as it was like such before and it will be the same after. Billions of people have enjoyed nature's bounty through all of the generations, and nature's resilience is legendary. Let me tell you that we were so happy to see this flowerbed, as it always shows us how simple life can be. I am reminded here, of a story about a wildfire scorching the earth, and afterwards to everyone's amazement a lovely crystal white flower started growing in the blackened wasteland of the fire.
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
Until next time, cheers!