Editor's note

We have a somewhat slimmed down edition as some of our authors were not able to contribute due to work commitments. Nevertheless, we have some fascinating articles, and it is great to have Neil Crouch writing for us again this time on a very special local species the Gladiolus cruentus. As usual, Neil includes some historical notes and writes from the perspective of a highly experienced “Plant Hunter”.

All our readers are likely to have noticed that the weather is not what it used to be. Arend Hoogervorst’s Opinion Column looks at the impact of climate change and the focus for this edition is on Heat Waves, what they are and what you should be preparing for – brace yourselves!

In this edition Nick Evans writes on what is arguably the most “beautiful” snake of our area, the Southern Vine Snake or Twig Snake which forms part of a very small group of snakes for which there is no anti-venom. So do take extra care before casually picking up a twig in your garden particularly in the Kloof area.

Steve Woodhall and Pat McKrill write about the impact of night and day on butterflies and snakes respectively. They both explore why some species appear to have evolved to function better in different light – makes for fascinating reading.

Many of us take insects for granted and pay little attention to them but in doing so we ignore the fact that they represent the largest percentage of the world’s organisms. Marlies Craig has always been fascinated by them and in this edition, she looks at the many varied and interesting ways in which insects get to move – you will be surprised at some of the creative techniques!

There is no Eco Impi interview for this edition, but we should be back on track with an interview in the Winter-Spring edition.

Sincere thanks to all the authors and to our Graphics Editor, Jo Sobey. All the contributions are pro-bono and take a considerable amount of time to produce. One can read in the words and see in the graphics the passion that goes into writing and producing each edition. It’s what helps to make this local magazine somewhat special.

I hope you will enjoy this edition and as always, your feedback will be most welcome.

Paolo Candotti
February 2023