Namaqua National Park seascape

Namaqua National Park seascape, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

We camped at Varswater in Namaqua National Park, South Africa, for two nights. It was rainy and wet, but the sun came out to brighten up the early morning scenery.

Penstemon payettensis

Penstemon payettensis, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

A beautiful species from Idaho. This was from the American Penstemon Society field meeting last June.

Hyobanche sanguinea

Hyobanche sanguinea, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

This is what a pollinator might see while foraging for nectar in a Hyobanche species. The flowers are pretty sturdy, and are likely pollinated by birds or rodents.

West Coast National Park, South Africa

Fynbos and Hyobanche at Cape Point

Fynbos and Hyobanche at Cape Point, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

This photo could be subtitled, "Where's Hyobanche?" - Look for the bright red dot in the photo - that's my search image for finding Hyobanche in fynbos habitat...

Hyobanche sanguinea at Cape Point

Hyobanche sanguinea at Cape Point, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Hunting for Hyobanche is analogous to going on an Easter egg hunt. The plants are very small, but quite spectacular in appearance in terms of their beautiful colors. When they are out in the open, as in this photo, they're not too difficult to spot. However, often they are under shrubs in thick fybos habitat, or in open patches in prickly thickets.

This population was on the Cape Peninsula of South Africa - not too far from the ocean.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Morning of August 26, 2013 - right before a massive cold front moved in and soaked us for the first few days of the field season. This was my first morning in South Africa, and I enjoyed a nice cup of cappuccino in the garden restaurant while having this lovely view.

Southern Night Sky

Southern Night Sky, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I'm back from South Africa, and I have a lot of material to post over the next several months. I'll start off with this highlight pic, though. This is a long-exposure from Kokerboomkloof in Richtersveld National Park. We camped there the nights of September 4 and 5. The dark sky was so impressive! It was lovely to see the milkyway in all its glory, plus the Magellanic clouds, Omega Centauri, and numerous other Messier objects visible to the naked eye.