March Lilies in February

8 February 20208 February 2020 | Forgotten Fields

After an extended period of drought, the Western Cape province of South Africa has experienced a rainy summer. So unusual is this that wild autumn lilies have sprung from the ground a month early!¹ Expected only after the first rain of March, this is the Belladonna lily (Amaryllis belladonna) blooming in early February—high summer in South Africa!

The South African autumn begins in March and ends in May.

12 October 201912 October 2019 | Forgotten Fields

A Cape Skimmer in the Reeds, 11 October 2019. Copyright 2019 Forgotten Fields. All rights reserved.

Whilst photographing the Southern Red Bishops yesterday, this Cape Skimmer (Orthetrum julia capensis) was my companion.

Image | 6 October 20196 October 2019 | Forgotten Fields

An African Stonechat, 05 October 2019. Copyright 2019 Forgotten Fields. All rights reserved.

Also taken Friday, an African Stonechat (Saxicola torquatus). This is the male of the species which I often mistake for the Cape Batis (Batis capensis) female, which it resembles at a glance. I made the error again on Friday, not recalling that I had photographed the bird in the field opposite earlier this year!