Travel-Nature-Blog: 2016

Wednesday, 16 November 2016

Great Spirit - Native American Prayer for Mother Earth

Wednesday, 14 September 2016

Mkambathi Nature Reserve

Hi, here is the link to the story connected to this very, very short video :)
http://mother-nature-blog.blogspot.co.za/2016/03/mkambathi-nature-reserve-eastern-cape.html

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www.kasthurie.wix.com/nature-and-travel/

Thank you for visiting..

Monday, 20 June 2016

HOLE IN THE WALL, Wild Coast, Eastern Cape

Hole in the Wall is about 520 km via the N2 (around 7 hours) from Durban, situated 9km from Coffee Bay and surrounded by vast stretches of unspoiled coastline.

This landmark was created millions of years ago through the restless action of waves against the rock, which is made up of Ecca shale and sandstone, capped with hard volcanic dolerite.

We visited the Hole in the Wall, between 16 and 19 June 2016. Beautiful beaches - breathtaking skies and mountains. Not forgetting farm animals from horses, cattle, pigs, donkeys, sheep etc., including wild flora – huge Aloes in abundance.

(The Ecca Group is a group of sedimentary geological formations found in southern Africa. A component of the Karoo Supergroup, it consists mainly of shales and sandstones, laid down in the sandy shorelines of swamplands during the Permian Period.)

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Friday, 6 May 2016

Amaryllis Plant

"Thank You Mother Nature"! Our first bulb plant to to flower as beautiful as this. It is kept indoors and look how perfectly beautiful!

Amaryllis is a small genus of flowering bulbs, with two species and is a native of the Western Cape region of South Africa, particularly the rocky southwest area between the Olifants River Valley to Knysna.

Amaryllis widely sold in the winter months for their ability to bloom indoors.
Amaryllis is the only genus in the subtribe Amaryllidaceae
(tribe Amaryllidaceae

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Wednesday, 4 May 2016

“Chilli Plant” - fruit that adds flavour and little bite to food!

These fiery fruits are native to Mexico and the many different varieties range from mild to very, very hot. India is the world's largest producer, consumer and exporter of chili peppers.

What gives chillies their kick is capsaicin, the active component in the seeds and white fibrous membranes. There are some evidence to suggest that ingesting capsaicin releases our ‘feel good’ hormones, called endorphins, which might be why some think chillies are additive!

Chilli peppers in moderation are very good for us. Both sweet and hot chilli peppers contain vitamins A, C and E, and capsaicin stimulates the appetite, helps to clear the lungs, improves circulation and acts as a painkiller for rheumatoid arthritis suffers.

Growing Chilli Peppers

• Can be planted out in the garden or in pots

• Chilli peppers need at least full morning sun and a sheltered position so that the wind does not blow off the flowers – no flowers = no fruit!

• Plant in rich, well-drained soil and water regularly, especially in very hot weather.

• Mulch to keep the soil cool and feed once a week with a liquid plant food that does not have too much nitrogen.

*Note: If the plant gets whitefly or aphids (usually a sign of stress), spray with an organic insecticide.

Types of chilli peppers

Chilli peppers are not actually peppers. Most edible chilli peppers belong to the Capsicum annuum species and range from…

Very hot: Habanero, Tabasco and Thai Dragon FI
Hot: Serrano, Cayenne, Cherry Bomb FI, Bird’s-eye (also called Zanzibar chillies), Super Chilli FI
Medium to mild: Jalapeno, Santé Fe Grande
Mild: Paprika
Ornamental: Fiesta, Red Missile, Medusa, Masquerade (ornamental chillies can be eaten, but they are tasteless).

In Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and other Asian countries, the word "pepper" is usually omitted.

Sources:

www.herb.co.za, www.chillifarm.com

http://www.mother-nature-blog.com/#!“Chilli-Plant”-fruit-that-adds-flavour-and-little-bite-to-food/c1q8z/561539230cf2cf1c94cfacb5

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CAMEL’S FOOT TREE /BAUHINIA

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of these beautiful pink flowers just hanging all over

this huge tree on the side of a busy road in Port Edward (South Coast of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa, the Eastern Cape Province border).

To my surprise this tree, Latin name: - ‘Bauhinia’, is actually native to India, China, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan, Shri Lanka, basically the East.

The flowers are a valuable herb in Ayurveda – said to reduce growths on the body and for strengthening the glandular system. Fresh flowers are also used in salads

This tropical tree grows to 40 feet and worldwide there are over 300 species in the genus. It produces showy fragrant purple, pink, lavender or white flowers that grow in clusters near the stem tips.

Other names: Orchid tree, butterfly tree, geranium tree.

Sanskrit name: Kanchanar.

This tree is exotic in Australia, China, Philippines and few other places.

Unfortunately, this beautiful tree is considered an 'Alien Tree' in South Africa since it is not native to this country.

It is classified as:

CATEGORY 3: Invader plants, which have amenity value and which may be grown, but not planted, propagated, imported or traded. You may not grow Category 3 plants within 30 metres of watercourses and the Department may instruct you to control Category 3 plants in other areas.

http://www.mother-nature-blog.com/#!CAMEL’S-FOOT-TREE-BAUHINIA/c1q8z/561547a50cf2a7bb74cca541

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Tuesday, 3 May 2016

HLULEKA "Underwater" - Eastern Cape, South Africa

“LIFE UNDER WATER”, it is truly amazing to see how much life exist in the little rock pools, created by Mother Nature. Really fascinating!

We were also fortunate, due to the high density of fish in that area, to see many pods (around 12 dolphins in each pod) of dolphins as well as whales. All frolicking around, whilst we enjoyed the show.

www.mother-nature-blog.com

“Swim at your own risk” due to the sharks in this area. Well fortunately for us the sharks kept away! Enjoy!

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HLULEKA - Eastern Cape, South Africa

Travelling to Hluleka by motor vehicle is about 510 km from Durban, but took us around 8 hours to get there, due to the winding (tarred) roads and the dusty, bumpy gravel(dirt) roads, major road works along the way and of course our picnicking. But it was indeed worth it.

Hluleka, which is in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, is truly beautiful, with picture perfect views of the Indian Ocean meeting the gigantic mountains. The air is still crispy clean and land and water ‘pollution free’.

Everything in unison with each other – animals, plants… and man…

Enjoy!