May 2009

News from Zululand

All is well in Zululand, beautiful shades of yellow, red and orange slowly settling in the African bush.  Beautiful sunrises illuminate the early morning sky; with mist in the valley and rays shining through the clouds here and there it truly is a magnificent sight.

It is also the time of the year when Scorpio appears in the Southern skies, Orion disappearing out of sight until it is once again time to show face in summer.  A true sign that winter has arrived.

Some more interesting animals caught on camera…

Bush Cuisine

Beer Bread

This is without a doubt the easiest bread recipe...it also works very well for pot bread

Ingredients
500g Self Raising Flour
5ml Salt
1 x 340ml Beer of your choice

Method

Sift Flour and salt together, add beer and combine. Knead until dough is smooth. 
Put dough in bread tin, let stand for 20 minutes. Bake at 190 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes.
Let cool and serve.

Have you ever wondered….?

Why do hares run in the lights of a vehicle at night?

Hares running directly away from the lights results in shadows of the animal being cast to one side and/or in front of it at the same time.  This is caused by the wide spread of the headlights.  Two shadows occur at the same time, one on either side of the hare.  Small timid animals like hares (but even larger animals) take fright when they see these shadows.  They dart away, only to be confronted by another shadow on the opposite side.  This results in a side to side running (zigzag motion), keeping them in front of the lights.

The best thing to do when encountering this behaviour is to stop the vehicle and switch the lights and engine off.  Less noise will allow them to listen for danger in the area, and they are more likely to move off sooner after their scare.  This is much less traumatic for the hare than forcing it off the road.

Written with the help of “Beat about the Bush by Trevor Carnaby

Umbrella
Thorn Acacia tortillis

This widespread tree is very common all over South Africa, its name giving away it’s distinct shape of an umbrella.

Acacia tortilis occurs from sand dunes and rocky scarps to alluvial valley bottoms, avoiding seasonally waterlogged sites. A very drought resistant species, the umbrella thorn grows in areas with annual rainfall as low as 40 mm and as much as 1200 mm, with dry seasons of 1-12 months. The tree has a combination of one straight thorn with a small hooked thorn alongside. The thorns are thin and grow in pairs.

Crested Barbet
Trachyphonus vaillantii

One of a group of superficially similar-looking barbets belonging to the genus Trachyphonus, the Crested barbet is the only representative of its genus in Southern Africa. Its yellow under parts streaked with red and separated by a black breast band are diagnostic, as are its yellow face and short, straggly crest. The sexes are similar but the females are usually less vividly coloured than the males; immature resemble adults. It is found either solitary or in pairs and can become quite confiding in suburban gardens.

Territorial in the breeding season, it aggressively defends its nest hole against other hole nesting species. The Crested barbet feeds on insects, fruit and worms.

Funny Bones

Two snakes were out taking a stroll when the son snake turns to the mother snake and asks: "Mommy! Are we poisonous?"
"Why, yes we are", says the second.
Again the baby snake asks, "Are you sure we're poisonous?"
"Yes, we are very poisonous."

The baby snake becomes very upset. Again, he asks, "Are we really, really poisonous?"
"Yes we are really, really poisonous. In fact we're the most poisonous snakes in the world. Why do you ask?"
"I just bit my lip!!!"

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Feel free to drop us an email with your favorite jokes to add into future newsletters. You can send them to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Brain Teaser

Thank you to everyone who responded to our April competition! The winner of our Leopard Mountain competition for April is Carl & Marilynn Cavendish Congratulations - you have won yourself and a partner a free night at the lodge including dinner, bed & breakfast as well as game drives!

Last Month’s competition was:
       
My roots dig deep
I’m a Leopards favorite seat
With no thorns on me
I’m a very well known tree
Truly South African I am
You can turn my fruit into jam
Elephants love me
As you can usually see
With broken branch
You can tell by a glance.

What am I?
Marula Tree – Scelerocarya birrea

You could be the lucky person to win yourself and a partner a free night including dinner, bed & breakfast and game drives at the lodge. Simply answer the riddle below to be entered in our lucky draw and email us the answer to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   (competition closes 20th June 2009 terms & conditions apply): 

This month’s competition:

You’ll find me on ground,
Or in a tree
Assassin beetles pick on me.
If you touch me I curl up
To save my life with some luck.
With millions of feet
I don’t have much meat.
See me you’ll squirm
I’m a lot like a worm.

What am I?

Stand another chance to win yourself and a partner a night at the lodge…Send no more than 2 of your favourite Leopard Mountain holiday photos to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to see if your is the best.

This competition is running until the 31st of  December 2009, winner will be announced February 2010. 
  

News from the Lodge
 

With the crisp morning air, the views have been spectacular...sunrises out of this world gleam
through the morning clouds.  Rudolph had an awesome sighting of a Little Sparrow Hawk diving through the air, grabbing a Yellow Fronted Canary, catching it for his daily meal.

Other sightings included Impala battles, Hamerkop, bagworm and a lot of various spiders and yes... more Leopard sightings (well done Rudolph).

Click here to have a look at our online gallery of Leopard Mountain Lodge!

Best guest comments of the month:

Thought for the month:

“If at first you do succeed, try not to look surprised.” - Anonymous