10 Saturday May 2014
Posted in Eco Tourism, Garden Art
The paint is made from soft rock called ochre, coloured either red, maroon or yellow from the iron oxide. The ochre was ground between two stones and mixed with, water, blood and plant juices to make paint. Red ochre paint lasts well as it bonds with the rock. Paint brushes were made from animal hair, feathers and reeds.
28 Thursday Nov 2013
Posted in compost, Flowers, Succulents
Tags
Africa, Cape Town, Epiphyllum, Flowers, garden, green cathedral, Kitty Hawk, orchid cactus, South Africa, Stanford, succulent, The Green Cathedral, Western Cape
Kitty Hawk
I purchased this Orchid Cactus Kitty Hawk from The Green Cathedral some years ago. She has rewarded me every year with a stunning display.
The name ‘Green Cathedral of South Africa’ is derived from a media publication and, until August 1 2011, used as an alias for ‘Soekershof; Private Mazes & Botanical Gardens in South Africa’; located in the tranquil Klaas Voogds area near the small town of Robertson. Since August 2011 Green Cathedral of South Africa resides in Stanford, Western Cape as does a precious collection of plants.
I dedicated this post to Herman Van Bron who is the custodian of the Green Cathedral.
Kitty Hawk
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Orchid Cactus http://aristonorganic.com/2013/11/18/orchid-cactus/
27 Wednesday Nov 2013
Posted in Bulbs, Colours, Gardens, Perennials
Tags
Africa, Bee, Cape Town, environment, flower, Flowers, Malva, Mesembranthemum, Mesembryanthemum, nature, organic, Pelargonium, plants, South Africa, South African endemic plant, Western Cape
A short distance from my home up the mountain can be found this wonderful eye-catching colour of endemic plants growing wild, surviving sandy soils and harsh wind and full sun.
The Wild Malva (Pelargonium cucullatum) is growing profusely. When crushed the leaves of some forms emit a strong, sweet scent. The flowers are faintly scented. Sunbirds, butterflies, long-beaked flies and moths have all been observed visiting the flowers.
Traditionally this pelargonium was used medicinally to cure colic, kidney ailments, diarrhoea, coughs and fevers. The leaves were used as a poultice for bruises, stings and abscesses. In the nineteenth century it was used as a hedge-row ornamental in Cape Town. It is also useful as a cut flower as the branches last for many weeks in water.
Vygies – Mesembryanthemum (meaning “midday flowering”) is a genus of flowering plants native to southern Africa. Thriving in hot conditions, Mesembryanthemum creates a ‘Magic Carpet’ and simply loves poor, dry soils where most other plants would fail.
Brass Buttons (Cotula). Annual herb growing up to 30 cm high, with finely divided leaves, with white or yellow rays and a yellow disc. Native to South Africa (Western Cape and Eastern Cape) where it is found in sandy and disturbed places.
Watsonia borbonica is magnificent will tall spikes of “Pink” flowers. Watsonia borbonica is pollinated by large, solitary bees, mainly of the family Apidae: subfamily Anthophorinae. The bees visit the flowers in the early morning, seeking nectar and collecting pollen from flowers that have just opened. The styles of the flowers only unfurl later on their second day and become receptive, and at the same time the nectar levels rise. The bees visiting for the nectar transfer some of the pollen collected earlier from the freshly opened flowers. By noon there is no more nectar or pollen and the bees move away. Goldlatt 1989 and John Manning (pers.comm)
10 Sunday Nov 2013
Tags
Africa, Cape Town, environment, Flowers, garden, home grown, nature, organic, quotes
The Poppies have escaped in Ariston, especially for “Remembrance Day”
31 Thursday Oct 2013
Posted in ecology
Tags
Africa, Angola, Avaaz, Brown fur seal, Cape, Cape fur seals, environment, Fur seal, July, Namibia, South Africa, South African fur seals
In the Republic of South Africa, the Cape fur seals (also known as South African fur seals) are considered “res nullius,” meaning they have no owner, and therefore, they have no animal rights protection as they are not considered sentient beings.
Along the eastern coastline of South Africa, around the tip of Africa, and up along the west coast of South Africa, Namibia, and Angola a very productive fishing industry exists in a range of over 4,000 kilometers (approximately 2,500 miles). It is here also where Cape fur seals breed, and for decades fishermen have waged a war on these warm and loving creatures.
The Cape fur seal has been a protected species in South Africa since 1973 under the Sea Bird and Seal Protection Act (Act 46 of 1973) but, ironically, this act was never written to protect them, instead its purpose was to control who could kill them commercially. South Africa only suspended “culling” and clubbing of the seals in 1990.
Despite vast protests, Namibia has continued annually to club baby seals and shoot bulls. Here, seal pups are killed for their luxurious fur, and males (bulls) for their genitalia which is exported to the East as aphrodisiacs.
Between July and November each year some 85,000+ seal pups and 6,000+ male adults are killed in a process the Namibian authorities refer to as an annual “cull” – we call it execution because the animals have no chance to escape. Animals are herded in to a group after which pups are killed with crude wooden clubs and bulls die from a bullet to the head. Pups that are still nursing are killed – their fur is soft and luxurious.
Sea Shepherd Cape Fur seal facts
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/The_Seals_Of_Nam_End_the_seal_hunt_in_Namibia/
24 Thursday Oct 2013
Posted in GMO
Tags
ACB, Africa, Genetically modified crops, Genetically modified food, Genetically modified organism, GM, GM maize, GMO, Maize, Mariam Mayet, monsanto, South Africa
| Wednesday, 23 October 2013 18:56 |
The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) has released a new report ‘Africa bullied to grow defective Bt Maize: the failure of Monsanto‘s MON810 maize in South Africa,’ showing how Monsanto’s GM maize which utterly failed in SA, is now being foisted on the rest of the continent, through ‘sleight of hand.’ |
Read more about it here : African Center for biosafety
Contact:
Haidee Swanby 082 459 8548
Mariam Mayet 083 269 4309
20 Sunday Oct 2013
Posted in GMO
Tags
Africa, Genetic engineering, Genetically modified crops, Genetically modified food, Genetically modified organism, GMO, South Africa, Southern Africa
18 Friday Oct 2013
Posted in GMO
Tags
Africa, Genetically modified crops, Genetically modified food, Genetically modified organism, GM, GMO, Maize, monsanto, South Africa, Tiger Brands
The ACB has today, released test results on the most extensively
consumed maize brands in South Africa, which indicate that the entire
maize supply is utterly saturated with GM maize. “The majority of
South Africans are not only eating GM maize without their knowledge
and consent but have no choice or alternative whatsoever even if the
products were correctly labelled. This is totally undemocratic and
unacceptable. It smacks of outright food fascism” said Mariam Mayet,
Director of the African Centre for Biosafety.
<http://www.acbio.org.za/images/stories/dmdocuments/GM-Maize_%20Press_%20Release-Oct2013.pdf>
South Africa is the only country in the world to permit the
cultivation of genetically modified (GM) seed for the production of a
staple food-maize. 86% of the 2012/13 maize crop was planted to GM
seed on 2.7 million ha. 81% of the white maize seed sold was GM-and
belonging to Monsanto. GM white maize is used principally as milled
maize meal for human consumption and eaten by several million South
Africans as a staple food, at least once a day.
Three major food producers Tiger Brands, Pioneer Foods and Premier
Foods control the milling of 60% of the nation’s white maize crop.
Milled maize products, Ace, White Star and Iwisa Super Maize Meal
belonging to Tiger Brands, Pioneer Foods, and Premier, respectively,
constitute over 73% of the maize meal market respectively.
The test results are as follows:
Premier’s Iwisa 81.2% GM content (labelled as ‘contains
genetically modified organisms”) October 2013;
Pioneer’s White Star Super Maize meal 72,04% GM maize content
(labelled as “produced using genetic modification”) October 2013;
Premier’s course braai pap, 55.22% GM maize content (labelled as
“may contain genetically modified organisms”) October 2013;
Premier’s Nyala Super Maize Meal, 87.44% GM maize content (labelled
as “contains genetically modified organisms”) March 2013;
Woolworth’s Super Maize meal, 79.78% GM maize content (labelled as
“may be genetically modified”) March 2013.
“We are hugely taken aback and disappointed by the test results for
the Woolworths’ Maize Meal as this high GM content and misleading
labelling flies in the face of their stated position. Woolworths is on
record as stating that their policy is to replace or remove
ingredients derived from GM crop sources, or to label the final
products containing ingredients derived from GM crops, to ensure
customer choice,” said Zakiyya Ismail, ACB’s consumer awareness
campaigner.
Pioneer’s ‘White Star’ super maize meal corners 25.3% of the
market, Tiger Brand’s ‘Ace’ super maize meal 22.5%, Premier
Foods flagship brand ‘Iwisa’ 13.3%, and when combined with sales
of its other brands ‘Impala’ maize meal and ‘Nyala’ maize,
Premier lays claim to a hefty 25.5% of the market.1
The ACB has during June 2013 also subjected several Tiger Brands’
‘ACE’ milled maize products for testing and these were unlabelled
and showed extremely high GM content:
ACE Super maize meal 78% GM maize content
ACE Maize Rice 70% GM maize content
ACE Instant Porridge 68% GM maize content
The ACB has also during March 2012, subjected Premier’s Impala maize
meal to testing and 66.18% GM content was found. This was unlabelled
at the time of testing in March 2012.
Animal feeding studies have shown Bt maize causes liver and kidney
damage in rats, mice and sheep,2 and severe stomach inflammation in
pigs.3 Further, approximately 64% of the GM maize grown in South
Africa is tolerant to glyphosate, a broad spectrum herbicide
associated with a plethora of health risks to human, animal and
environmental health. “It is very disturbing that South Africans are
unknowingly consuming staple foods whose safety has not been
established and where evidence of its potential harm is becoming
increasingly apparent,” said Ismail.
Despite the safety risks, Tiger Brands has refused point blank to
provide GM free food to the South African public. However, it has
expediently, caved in to consumer pressure and have agreed to use
non-GM ingredients in its Purity brand of baby foods after test
results showed these to contain high GM content. These baby foods were
also unlabelled. An Open Letter sent by the ACB to the National
Chamber of Milling in July 2013, as the representative body for the
milling industry in South Africa, calling upon it to ensure the
establishment of GM free value chains has been ignored. Instead, the
National Chamber of Milling has entered into a strategic partnership
with Africabio, the lobby group dedicated to
the promotion of GMOs in Africa.
Regulations for the labelling of GM food are currently still not
enforced. The Department of Trade and Industry has been dragging its
heels to provide consumers with the right to choose. “However,
labelling laws will not assist consumers of maize meal as they have
absolutely no choice but to be forced fed with risky GM maize. Tiger
Brands, Premier and Pioneer are holding the health of South African
consumers ransom by their failure to provide non-GM alternatives,”
said Mayet.
Contact:
Mariam Mayet 083 269 4309
Zakiyya Ismail 083 273 7304
More information available on www.acbio.org.za and easy to read
factsheets <http://www.acbio.org.za/activist/>
please share.
ACB Team.
27 Tuesday Aug 2013
Posted in Bulbs, Colours, ecology, Flowers, Gardens, South African Endemic, Succulents
Tags
Africa, arid area, barren landscape, coat of many colours, Flowers, garden, international tourists, Namaqualand, nature, plants, South Africa, Spring (season), Travel and Tourism, winter rainfall
a ruin in the fields at Papkuilsfontein
Namaqualand is home to this Spring miracle.
After the winter rainfall, Namaqualand dons her coat of many colours and for a brief moment, the wildflowers invade the countryside. Countless poems, novels, paintings and prose have been dedicated to this annual shower of God‘s colour.
Namaqualand is quite popular with both local and international tourists during early springtime, when for a short period this normally arid area becomes covered with a kaleidoscope of colour during the flowering season. This is known throughout South Africa as the Namaqualand daisy season, when orange and white daisies, as well as hundreds of other flowering species, spring up from a previously barren landscape.
27 Saturday Jul 2013
Posted in earthworms, ecology, Garden Creatures, South African Endemic
Tags
Africa, earth, Earthworm, environment, geometric tortoise, giant earthworms, Karoo, nature, South Africa, Tortoise, Western Cape
Driving through the Karoo during a huge thunderstorm can be an amazing experience. From encountering the Cape Karoo Tortoise which is known as the “Great Padloper” or experiencing these Giant Earthworms.
Giant two-meter earthworms rear up out of their burrows and find a road to cross. Startled motorists spot them more often than scientists.
South Africa has the largest earthworm ever found, according to the international Worm Digest digital archives.
The tortoise is a terrestrial (land-dwelling) reptile and the world is home to a total of about 43 species, with adults ranging in size from about 10 centimeters to one metre. South Africa has 13 species of tortoise and eight are found in the Western Cape alone.
This makes the Western Cape an international tortoise hotspot, because on less than one percent of the earth’s surface, we find almost a quarter of all known species, and there is even an endemic (a species found nowhere else on earth) named the geometric tortoise.
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