I revisited the lilypond this weekend at the Botanical Gardens in Mbombela. I cannot get enough of that pond! Every time I go there I am delighted by the flowers, but on this occasion, I was a little creeped out by the other occupants.
I enjoy the frenzy of the bees. They duck and dive through the stamens and then pop up covered with pollen. Within seconds, they disappear again into the deep parts of the flower. They love it!
I was happily photographing the lilies and bees until something else caught my eye…
Yes! Large water spiders! I like photographing little creatures and this was a great opportunity! A number of flowers had spiders on the underside.
Wow! Look at the size of this spider! This is a six-spotted water spider. They are capable of capturing fish up to five times their body size! Tadpoles, frogs, and insects are also on the menu.
It is amazing how the spider floats on the water. The ventral surface of the body is coated with a hydrophobic substance that allows them to stay afloat and run across water. This also gives them the ability to catch prey, fast!
The Lily leaves are fascinating in the way they curve up. The greens are as fresh as I have seen in the plant world, and the thick leaves have wonderful vein textures.
The Lily buds have perfect conical shapes!
This lily fell over in its prime for some reason. It made for an interesting photograph.
Right next to the pond I found this little hopper sitting on a cycad. He is too cute! I love his eyes!
Oddly enough I did not see one frog in the lilypond, but here is a piece of art I did in pen and watercolour. Click on him and he will jump up!
Bye for now! Quaak, quaak!
Copyright ©️ Caroline Street Art/Poetry/Photography
Caroline Street Blog 
Gorgeous photography – and you really were good at spotting the critters ! Beautiful post
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Thank you, Tina! It was a good day. I have not done any photography for about 11 months due to lockdown and a herniated disc, which restricts movement, especially bending, but I managed to get some nice pics on my knees.
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Oh dear, that sounds terrible. I had the same several years ago from an overloaded backpack while hiking. It’s awful but it does get better! Have you tried injections? They really helped me.
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Thank you, Tina. It is a long story. The neurosurgeon said I had a ten percent chance of recovery and that an operation was on the cards. I was mentally determined for this not to happen. Prayer has brought me the healing, but I still have a little way to go and I have a great chiropractor…so, all is going quite well. P.S. I tried micro-needling, but it did not help and I hated those needles!😲
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I was given 2 steroid injections over the course of a year. The improvement was significant and nearly immediate. I’d highly recommend looking into it.
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Thank you for the suggestion Tina. I will look into it.
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Lovely shots, Caroline. Spiders are fascinating, and a few look like their hunting strategy is working!
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Thank you Eliza. Yes, I agree!
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The pond is certainly a treasure and has so much to offer!
The flowers are gorgeous and the frog will soon visit this pond.
Beautiful!!!
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Thank you Kaya! Yes, there are a lot of surprises.
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Great photographs and a great subject!
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Thank you Emanuel.
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