Web Report and photographs by Bruce Farthing
This weekend had us at the beautiful Kgaswane Nature Reserve for our Insects practical. As Shaun and I drove into the park, which is always spectacular with its amazing views, we had the sad realisation that this would be our last time in the Kgaswane with Bushveld Mosaic. We made a vow that we would return together with our respective families.
With a slight shuffle in our traditional weekend plans, we had a brief lecture in the dark and out in the open. The lecture covered the various insect Orders we could be expected to see over the weekend. The mosquitoes must have felt like they were being neglected and decided to remind us of their presence while we were listening to our lecturer, Roger.
Saturday started early with nervous energy hanging in the air. We all spent the morning cramming for our mammals test, something everyone had been quietly dreading. With the test finally over, we all gathered around the camp, and Roger briefed us on the insect traps we would be setting. Importantly, all trapping was conducted ethically, with the insects observed, identified, and released unharmed.
First up were some butterfly traps set with a deliciously fermented banana and rum cocktail to entice the butterflies in. These were hung around the camp and observed throughout the rest of the weekend.
Next up, we set off into the park to place some pitfall traps that would be left for 24 hours. The pitfall traps were baited separately with antelope dung, zebra dung, and some raw mince while the traps themselves were buried at ground level. We also had a short lecture on the famous Bushveld Mosaic’s termite hill, populated by snouted harvester termites.
After lunch and a welcome break, we headed out on foot near camp to search for insects in the grass and forest. This was great fun for all involved. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the weekend. Those of us with cameras became completely absorbed in photographing creatures we had previously walked past without a second glance. Others enthusiastically chased beetles, mantids, dragonflies, and anything else that moved.
After spending the afternoon in the scorching heat, we departed for Mushroom Rock for sundowners and returned to camp for the traditional group braai at the end of the day.
Sunday morning took us to the reserve’s wetlands, where a completely different world of insects revealed itself. Each step uncovered something new.
On the way back, Andre took us to an old colonial building known as Kruger House. Walking through it, you couldn’t help but imagine what life must have been like there many years ago.
On our way back to camp, we stopped to inspect our pitfall traps, eager to see what we caught. Some bait was a hit or miss with the insects; however, a few different species of dung beetle, spiders, and bugs were caught. We released all the insects back into the environment and returned to camp, where we collected our butterfly traps and held our closing lecture.
Camp was packed up. Gear loaded. Goodbyes said. As Shaun and I drove out, we took it all in one last time: the views, the bush, the feeling.
ED’s Note: Thanks Bruce great photos, I can see Andre finally has a few challengers in this department.