Our garden the Micro-cosmos

With the cleaning of the herb garden I had to temporarily relocate some very important inhabitants. There is a whole other world that one is aware of but that you hardly see. The micro-cosmos of the garden is an intricate component of the cycle of life.

The residential common slug-eater (tabakrollertjie)

The Lizard playing dead

I was happy to see snakes, lizards, bullfrogs and spiders in the garden, a clear indication that it is a healthy garden. All these creatures make sure that the garden functions as it should by controlling other pests that eat plants and destroy crops.

A Huntsman spider

A spiderweb in the oaks

I wanted to clear all four beds but decided to leave two with some larger geranium and rosemary bushes to protect the lizards and little snakes from the Fiscal Shrike. The Fiscal Shrike was watching everything that was happening and dived to catch caterpillars and grubs in the freshly turned soil.

The Fiscal Shrike keeping an eye on the gardening

I watched him as he hopped from branch to branch in the freshly pruned rosemary bush clearly looking for the lizard. I was glad to see that the lizard still had his tail, a clear indication that he has been safe from the Fiscal Shrike up to now.

A sunbird in the roses

There were four sunbirds flitting from rose tree to rose tree hunting for spiders. One could hear the whirr of their wings and the sharp excited chirping up and down the rose garden.

It is only when one gets down to ground level that you discover the real magic of nature and how important it is for us to support and nurture it by maintaining an organic environment.