Two little umbrellas

“The Smurfs are little blue people who live in magic mushrooms. Think about it.”

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These two mushrooms popped through my lawn after all the lovely rain we've had. They started off as two strange, cigar-shaped white fungi that pushed through the grass until they were about 15cm high, and the next day I encountered these two lovely little umbrellas! The tallest one is about 20cm high.

According to Carla, who hosts Fungilicious on RedBubble, this shroom is a “Shaggy Mane” and is edible, but once they start turning colors and ‘ink’, like this one... they’re unsafe to eat.

Camera : Kodak EasyShare C195 - Pic taken in my garden.

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Did you know,
A fairy ring, also known as fairy circle, elf circle, elf ring or pixie ring, is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. The rings may grow to over 10 meters (33 ft) in diameter, and they become stable over time as the fungus grows and seeks food underground. They are found mainly in forested areas, but also appear in grasslands or rangelands. Fairy rings are detectable by sporocarps in rings or arcs, as well as by a necrotic zone (dead grass), or a ring of dark green grass. If these manifestations are visible a fairy fungus mycelium is likely to be present in the ring or arc underneath.

Fairy rings also occupy a prominent place in European folklore as the location of gateways into elfin kingdoms, or places where elves gather and dance. According to the folklore, a fairy ring appears when a fairy, pixie, or elf appears. It will disappear without trace in less than five days, but if an observer waits for the elf to return to the ring, he may be able to capture it.

Fairy ring in a suburb - Pic from WIKIPEDIA

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Here in Africa, Fairy circles are enigmatic barren patches, typically found in the grasslands of the western part of southern Africa. They are most prolific in Namibia, but are also present in Angola and South Africa.These fairy circles consist of round areas barren of vegetation; as yet there is no clear picture as to how they are formed, although scientists are researching the matter. One theory suggests termites as the creator of these circles, but recent studies have stated that there is no evidence termites would cause this phenomenon. In the oral myths of Himba people these barren patches are said to have been caused by the gods and/or spirits and natural divinities.

Studies done by South African scientists shows that these circles are under continuous development. They grow in diameter, expanding to as large as 9m in diameter, where they mature and "die", filled in by invasive grasses.

Fairy circle in Namibia.
Info and pic from WIKIPEDIA

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Early to bed

IS HIBERNATION NECESSARY FOR HEDGEHOGS?

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The nest provides good insulation, maintaining the inside temperature for most of the time at between 1ºC and 5ºC: an ideal level, as the hibernating hedgehog saves energy most efficiently with a body heat of 4ºC.

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It is commonly believed that hibernation is a necessary part of the hedgehog's life cycle, and that the hedgehog will suffer in some way if it fails to hibernate. This is not so.

The descendants of British-born hedgies transported to warmer climates only find it necessary to hibernate for a few weeks, or sometimes not at all. In colder countries like Scandinavia, on the other hand, where winters are longer, hibernation is extended.

Hibernation is fraught with hazards. Although the hedgies are inactive, they are as likely to die during hibernation as at any other time. Nevertheless, hibernation is a complex and valuable strategy that gives a hedgehog the chance to live through adverse conditions which it would otherwise have no chance of surviving.
Info from "Everything You Want To Know about Hedgehogs - Dilys Breese"

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When my hedgehogs went into hibernation, I noticed that, on fairly warm days, they would wake up and get out for a snack, so I used to keep a close eye and then offer some high protein food like meal worms as a snack - I always had a ready supply, and they really appreciated that.

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A long, fine life....

Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long, fine life indeed.
- From Jonathan Livingstone Seagull (Richard Bach)

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On one of my visits to St. Lucia, way up on the North Coast of KwaZulu Natal (south Africa), we were having lunch at one of the out-door restaurants, sitting on the deck overlooking the main road running through the village. One thing that pleased me tremendously is that there were seagulls everywhere - they straddled the railings of the deck, sat up on the roof and walked in between the tables like it was their second home (probably was!)

One chap decided to target me and took his place right next to my chair, giving me the 'stare'. Who can resist that?! Needless to say, I had very little lunch and he left a decidedly fatter and happier customer!

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Camera: FujiFinepix 2800ZOOM

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The start of a trend?

RUNNING IN CIRCLES

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Hedgehogs were first observed to run in circles in the 1960's and the phenomenon has been reported since. There are various theories about its cause, but none has so far been proved.

However, I've watched my Hedgies running in circles for years and this is what happens : they normally start at a point, say the food bowl, and run a little circle back to the food bowl and the next circle is a bit wider and the next one even wider - this carries on for some time, with Hedgie often doubling back on his tracks and continuing in the opposite direction, even making a figure eight - until they reach a barrier, like the fence or the wall, when it stops and they then continue snuffling around to see what they can find.

This brought me to the conclusion that 'running in circles' was actually a way of establishing their boundaries and heaven forbid any stranger that should enter that circle!

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Grateful for...

... the rain

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Lately the rain here in Gauteng, South Africa, always amazes me. It's so NOISY! Where are the days when rain gently fell with a soft pitter-patter on the roof, lulling the senses into sleep? These days it's accompanied by high winds, HUGE raindrops that drown out even your voice and wild thunder and lightning beating about the landscape with a viciousness that is quite scary.

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Nevertheless, I am GRATEFUL for the rain...

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Photograph of my patio on a textured back-ground by Kim Klassen

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Death on the roads

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SAFETY FIRST

Dead hedgehogs lying in the road cause much concern among hedgehog-lovers - and much controversy too.

Either it means that hedgehog numbers are being depleted by these casualties, or that the population must be vigorous to provide a continuous supply of victims.

It has also been suggested that hedgehogs are gradually learning not to roll up in front of cars, but to run for it, and that the 'runners' survive and pass on their genes to future generations. But the 'runners' are just as likely to be squashed as the 'rollers-up', as they will probably find themselves in the path of one of the car's tyres.

Hedgehogs can run quite fast, but not fast enough to avoid a car; and rolling up is no defense against four wheels.

In any case, there has been too little time, in evolutionary terms, for the hedgehog to adapt its way of life to the presence of the internal combustion engine, I think!
Info from "Everything You Want To Know about Hedgehogs - Dilys Breese"

My Native land, Good Night!

“Here an ancient oriel window opened glassless to the sky

and the light of the hunter's moon washed us in silver.”
- Unknown

Black ink sketch on a textured back-ground by Kim Klassen

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It was full moon last night and when I switched off the garden lights, my garden was bathed in a golden glow... and I could've sworn I saw the fairies hiding under the mushrooms...

One website explains the full moon thus,
"The moon and sun are on a line, with Earth in between. It’s as though Earth is the fulcrum of a seesaw, and the moon and sun are sitting on either end of the seesaw. Thus as the sun sets in the west, the full moon rises. When the sun is below our feet at midnight, the full moon is highest in the sky. When the sun rises again at dawn, the full moon is setting."

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"Lunar eclipses can only occur at full moon, where the moon's orbit allows it to pass through the earth's shadow. Lunar eclipses do not occur every month because the moon sometimes passes above or below the earth's shadow. Lunar eclipses can occur only when the full moon occurs near two nodes of the orbit, either the ascending or descending nodes. This causes eclipses to only occur about every 6 months, and often 2 weeks before or after a solar eclipse at new moon at the opposite node.

Full Moons are traditionally associated with temporal insomnia, insanity (hence the terms lunacy and lunatic) and various "magical phenomena" such as lycanthropy. Psychologists, however, have found that there is no strong evidence for effects on human behavior around the time of a full moon."
This info from WIKIPEDIA

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There you have it! No excuse for any bad behaviour in the future!

Have a good night tonight!

Camera : Fuji FinePix 2800ZOOM - taken in my garden

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Learn to be still

Early this morning, just as the sun was rising at about 5.30am, I saw that my little clump of cacti (Echinopsis) was flowering, the early morning light giving them a lilac tinge (they are actually pink), so I rushed for the camera, but when I got back the light had changed slightly already.

That brought home the thought that we should learn to be still, enjoy the moment as it is happening, even if we do miss putting it on film for posterity. Because now I missed half the precious moments anyway....

Cactus (Echinopsis) and flowers in my garden on a back-ground texture by Kim Klassen
- Camera Kodak EasyShare C195

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sometimes it’s good
to just let life
swirl around you.
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A Prickly Friend

TWO'S COMPANY

Some of the hedgehog colonies in the Scottish islands might have started simply because people like hedgehogs.

Apparently, during the second World War, members of the armed forces who were stationed there, smuggled them in, hidden at the bottom of their kit-bags, to keep them company. Some animals managed to survive the journey, and prospered in their new home. It's not the only occurrence of hedgehogs as family pets; hedgehogs on Alderney are supposed to be the descendants of animals bought from Harrods about 30 years ago!
Info from "Everything You Want To Know about Hedgehogs - Dilys Breese"

January gifts - Cape Reed Grass

green and tawny gold tall grasses . swaying in the breeze
a tumbled tangled garden . that needs cutting down
everywhere I look . love and gratitude follow
- Unknown

Yesterday I went outside to soak up some of this glorious weather we’ve been having and take some pictures. Ambling along my pathways, I was suddenly surprised to find my path blocked by some of my Cape Reed Grass (family Restionaceae). When did this happen? I thought. It has spread beyond belief in just a couple of weeks, even covering some of my miniature Phormiums.

Time to do something here, I decided. So, spade in hand I separated it into clumps, wondering what I would now do with it. Scratching around in my potting shed, I found an old Everite pot which seemed ideal, so in went drainage stones, potting soil and one of the clumps.

I found an empty corner and placed the pot amongst some Marigolds and Hen 'n Chickens (Chlorophytum comosum) and filled the area with a couple of rocks. I think a pot like this is excellent as it will contain the plant as well as show off the grass's natural beauty. Now off to find some more pots....

Another clump of Cape Reed grass that needs to be thinned out

How was your New Year's weekend?

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Pictures taken in my garden in Tarlton (Gauteng, South Africa) - Camera Kodak EasyShare C195 - Back-ground texture by Kim Klassen