Plant of the Month : Fritillaria meleagris

This month many pretty snake's head fritillaria (Fritillaria meleagris) have reappeared in my garden after years of absence. We had planted the little bulbs several years ago. I like their unusual checkered flowers in a sumptuous red that seems so much more delicate than the usual Narcissus and spring snowflakes.  
After the first year of flowering they disappeared and we assumed the mice had gotten them. Not so: this year there are plenty and with unblemished lofty flower heads. What made them stay away for so long? What made them hide underground, biding their time? We have no idea and can only be guessing - dry winters? This last winter was slightly colder than the last two and had frost for longer periods. But how this might affect the bulbs, we have no idea. We are happy that they returned. 

Victoria Falls, Zambia - River Safaris and more

For a river safari so close to the falls it is best to take a boat with a spare strong engine just in case ... or many strong rowers!

Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park ("The smoke which thunders") lies on the Zambian side. There are no cats but antilopes, giraffes, zebras and many birds. We also saw a few hippos and crocs in the water. On the Zimbabwean side of the falls the protected area continues as the Victoria Falls National Park.  

These hippos were very relaxed.

well hidden in the dappled shade

Reed cormorant (Phalacrocorax africanus)

White-fronted bee eaters (Merops bullockoides)  

Black egret (Egretta ardesiaca)

Hadeda Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)

Whitecrowned Plover in flight (Vanellus albiceps)

 

Cattle egret at their morning toilette 

Redbilled Firefinch (Lagonosticta senegala)

Close-by a little upstream is an "elephant encounter" enterprise which is very well managed and elephant friendly. A family of African elephants lives here that visitors can interact with, feed and watch. Most were saved from culling or droughts as young animals. They are free to roam; in the evenings they often go down to the river Zambezi to take a bath. Elephants have long memories. One lady elephant left for a few months and came back with a young one that was integrated into the herd. 

 I know this motion from my horses ... 

... he is begging, he is hungry!

Good-bye, Zambia! 

Victoria Falls in Zambia - Wildlife around the Royal Livingstone Hotel

Victoria Falls in Zambia is not the typical safari place where one would go to photograph wildlife. People travel here to see the falls, to relax after a safari in the bush or to have an African experience in the excellent "Royal Livingstone Hotel" with safety and all the amenities of civilization. Or for a conference and all of the above, as we did in this instance. 

zebra roam freely on the property

Many birds can be seen without leaving the hotel grounds:

 Pied kingfishers, the "helicopter birds" (Ceryle rudis)

Blackeyed Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)

Cardinal Woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens) , female

Trumpeter Hornbill (Bycanistes bucinator)

African Pied Wagtail (Motacilla aguimp)

A brightred dropwing dragonfly - Feuerroter Sonnenzeiger (Trithemis kirbyi)

On my walk along the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls inside the park, to which the hotel has an extra side entrance, I met a large family of baboons who live there on the left-overs from the food of their human relatives. I observed them for a while going about their business as all families do, sitting, talking, scratching, thinking, feeding, carrying or making children, quite undisturbed by me but not bothersome either. 

admiring the falls?

"help me up, please"

"ouch!"

   "The Thinker"

Under the canopy of the imposing jackal berry trees (Diospyros mespiliformis) that grow on the lawn reaching down to the water ....

... one can relax in one of the swings there and doze off after a day out in the sun. 

Although the city of Livingstone is near, nights can be very dark. 

The lights of Livingstone illuminate the steam of the falls at night.

The Milky Way in the Southern Sky