A new discovery -- Leather-leaf Fern

 

During winter I discovered this beautiful fern just popping up between some pavers in a shady corner in my garden. It was so pretty and green so I decided to make a special little corner around it, incorporating a bird bath for my feathered friends.

It wasn't belong before they discovered this new feature, and soon they were flocking in and vying for the best bathing spots.

The Pennywort-looking weed actually adds some charm to this area. It also just started sprouting by itself in this shady spot, the only bit of shade in my mainly-sun succulent garden.

Rumorha adiantiformis loves a spot away from direct sunlight in a partly to fully shaded spot. Water regularly so that the soil remains moist but it must be well-drained. 

Afrikaans name : Seweweeksvaring (I have no idea why!)

Ferns reproduce from spores, not seeds. If you see small brown dots on the undersides of the leaves, they're probably sori, which are groups of sporangia that serve as spore cases. These spots may cover the entire underside of the leaf, but they aren't harmful to your plant. 

 With all the rain we've had over the last few weeks, it's grown so much that I had to remove a paver to give it some space to expand. And I've discovered two more ferns sprouting just opposite this one, will keep an eye on them and maybe find a spot for transplanting them.

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Because I could watch you

 

Nasty weather in Ballito on the Dolphin Coast (Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa) (reports of hail storms inland), cold for this time of the year, and two Laughing Doves (Spilopelia senegalensis) seeking shelter on my patio. 🖤

They are the most common little dove found in South Africa and are a resident breeder in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Western Australia.

Males and females look the same, but they can be distinguished from one another by the male’s courtship bobbing up and down when pursuimg a female. Mating pairs are monogamous and often mate for life.

because

i could watch you

for a single minute

i found 

a thousand things

that i love

about you

— unknown

This is where I live (4)

This is where it all happens -- my workstation. 

 

It ebbs and flows

 It ebbs and flows

and comes and goes ...

It’s a year since I lost my fur baby to cancer and it still ebbs and flows and comes and goes. 

RIP Jacko.

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Pic credit: Sam Toft

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This is where I live (3)

 

View from my bedroom window -- Sunset over the sugarcane.

This is where I live (2)

 

Early-morning mist -- view from my patio.

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This is where I live (1)

 This is where I live. No, not right under the Palm tree, just close-by.

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