Tag: South Africa

African Snow

Kitty Viljoen captured elephants enjoying the snow in the Sneeuberg – which translates to Snow Mountain – on the Western Cape of South Africa, where snow set in late last week. She also photographed giraffes in snow in the Karoo semi-desert region. […] Snowfalls are not infrequent across parts of South Africa during the winter, though this cold snap comes late in the season. In July, parts of the country were blanketed after several days of heavy snowfall.
The Guardian, 10 September 2018

[Found here.]

Highway Beautification in the Great Karoo

Courtesy of Mr. Possum:

A Google street view of the main highway between Johannesburg and Cape Town. LOL one lane each direction. The weed whacking crew are trimming excess vegetation!

They are in the middle of the Great Karoo:

Here’s the Google Maps Street View linky if you want to have a look around.

South African Sociable Weaver Bird Nests

In the vast barren landscapes of the southern Kalahari, Sociable Weaver Birds assume ownership of the telephone poles that cut across their habitat. Their burgeoning nests are at once inertly statuesque and teeming with life. The twigs and grass collected to build these nests combine to give strangely recognisable personalities to the otherwise inanimate poles.

Apparently a nest can become so large, that when wet, its weight can topple the telephone pole it hangs from.

[Caption and images found here via here.]