The iconic Inhlosane ridge, visible from across the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, rises to 2026m from the surrounding settlements of Impendle, Boston and Dargle. From the peak, the views of countryside and the Drakensberg are incredible. In this area, you are likely to spot the Cape Parrot flying between patches of indigenous forest, Wattled Crane foraging in…
Category: Countryside
An Impendle Summer
Plant enthusiasts find floral treasures wherever they wander. Sharp eyes spot interesting things along roadsides, on working farms and in residential areas – often in unexpected places. The Impendle area is rich in special flora. Kniphofia laxiflora are particularly spectacular, Plenty of Kniphofia buchananii . The altitude in Impendle is much higher than the surrounding midlands, so it…
Cumberland Rocks!
When Stella Behn was just 10 years old, she remembers a neighbour calling her dad to help with an African Rock Python that was in the bath. “I wasn’t allowed inside but watched fascinated when they brought the huge snake out.” Needless to say, Stella is not afraid of snakes. Over the years, there have…
The Old Mushroom Farm
For 15 years, Nick Crooks grew button and black mushrooms in the tunnels on the farm along the Karkloof Road. To begin with, he didn’t have much idea about mushrooms, but with research and determination, he created a thriving business, which he sold to the staff (in the form of a management buyout) in 2006. …
Slow Midlands Meets Enaleni
The Slow Food movement, started 30 years ago in reaction to the introduction of fast food outlets in Italy, is flourishing in the Midlands right now. The principles of Slow Food are good, clean, fair food for everyone – something that is abundant in the Midlands. Richard Haigh of Enaleni Farm outside of Pietermaritzburg, was…
Orange Desmodium
Desmodium repandum Forget the Big Five or the Tallest Tree, it’s the little things in the forest that are really fascinating. Desmodium repandum is found all over Africa and is flowering in the Midlands at the moment. Although the flowers are tiny – less than 15mm – it is hard to miss the bright orange-red…
Autumn – isikhathi sokuvuna
You will know that Autumn is on the way when you feel a delicious chill around your ankles and the leaves of exotic planes and pin oaks turn scarlet, cinnamon and purple before falling. You can almost feel time passing in the air. It is time to relax and tune into the natural cycles, slow…
Snug as a Bug
Winter days in the Midlands are glorious. How fortunate we are to have blue rather than grey skies. It makes keeping warm so much easier – so make sure to let the sunshine in! Energy use usually increases in the colder months as people try to stay warm, but with constant price increases as fossil…
uMngeni Vlei
Today is World Wetlands Day. Wetlands are areas where water plays the dominant role in determining plant, bird and animal life within that environment. There are many wetlands in the KZN Midlands and Drakensberg – the water factories of the province. Southern Africa’s wetlands are amongst the most diverse both physically and biologically of any…
Spring Grassland Flowers
While Namaqualand gets all the publicity, the spring flowers of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands grasslands are an absolute delight for those who don’t follow the crowds. Only one in six plant species in grassland is actually a grass, with most of the perennial plants living for many years – re-sprouting annually, rather than seeding. This means…
Midlands Mosaic 