Pilansberg - Wild flowers - Part 7

I was there just after the rain and this means the ticks are out in full force, especially this little red ones. Needless to say, I did not do much walking that day.

He was clinging for dear life onto this grass stalk.

It seems it was the time when all the dragonflies were eager to have their photograhs taken too.

Silkworm update

Some of the silkworms have got really big and are already starting to spin themselves into cocoons. I was luck to get this one almost from the begining and if I held it up to the light, I could see him inside busy spinning.

The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of Bombyx mori (Latin: "silkworm of the mulberry tree"), the domesticated silkmoth. A moth in the family Bombycidae, it is very important economically as the producer of silk.

It is entirely dependent on humans for its reproduction and no longer occurs naturally in the wild. Sericulture has been practiced for at least 5,000 years in China (Goldsmith et al. 2004). A silkworm's preferred food is white mulberry leaves. It is native to northern China and Iran.

Its nearest wild relative is Bombyx mandarina which is able to hybridize with the domestic taxon (Goldsmith et al. 2004), and which ranges from northern India to northern China, Korea and Japan. It is not known when the domestic silkmoth diverged from its wild relatives, only that the domestic population originated from inland Chinese rather than Japanese or Korean stock (Maekawa et al. 1988, Arunkumar et al. 2006). Molecular clock studies suggesting an age of many millions of years cannot be taken seriously, as they assume that both species have evolved with constant speed since their divergence.
This is not correct however due to the domestication process having accelerated the pace of evolution (a similar problem affects the attempt to resolve the phylogeny of domestic Western honey bee subspecies). In fact, the domestic silkworm has undergone such strong artificial selection that it is completely unable to survive in the wild for any length of time. It is probably the most heavily domesticated animal known apart from domestic hybrids such as mules. Regardless whether the domestic silkworm is derived from a wild species that has since gone extinct, or from a stock of Bombyx mandarina that was taken into human care some 4,600 years ago (Yoshitake 1968), breeding of silkworms cannot have originated before the Neolithic as the tools necessary to make use of the silk thread on a large scale only have become available since then.

Sometimes, the Wild Silkmoth is considered a subspecies of Bombyx mori (the older specific name is used as per ICZN rules) as they are theoretically capable of full hybridization. However, due to the domesticated moth's requirement for human care to survive, gene flow is all but nonexistent and thus, despite its apparently recent origin, the domestic animal is generally treated as a distinct monotypic species today.Eggs take about ten days to hatch. Silkworms have a strong appetite, as do all lepidopteran larvae. They eat day and night, preferring White Mulberry but not being strictly monophagous they also take other species of Morus and some other Moraceae. Hatchlings and second-instar larvae are called kego (毛蚕, "hairy silkworm") in Japan, or chawki in India. They are covered with little black hairs. When the color of their heads turns darker, it means that it is time for them to molt. Later instars are white, nude, and have a horn on the back.

After they have molted four times (i.e., in the fifth instar), their bodies turn slightly yellow and their skin becomes tighter. The larvae enclose themselves in a cocoon of raw silk produced in the salivary glands that provides protection during the vulnerable, almost motionless pupal state. Many other Lepidoptera produce cocoons, but only a few large Bombycidae and Saturniidae have been exploited for fabric production. SilkThe cocoon is made of a thread of raw silk from 300 to 900 meters (1000 to 3000 feet) long. The fibers are very fine and lustrous, about 10 micrometers (1/2500th of an inch) in diameter. About 2,000 to 3,000 cocoons are required to make a pound of silk. Based on 1 kilometer (about 1100 yards) per cocoon, ten unraveled cocoons could theoretically extend vertically to the height of Mt Everest. At least 70 million pounds of raw silk are produced each year, requiring nearly 10 billion pounds of mulberry leaves. According to E. L. Palmer (Fieldbook of Natural History 1949), one pound of silk represents about 1,000 miles of filament. The annual world production represents 70 billion miles of silk filament, a distance well over 300 round trips to the sun.
If the animal is allowed to survive after spinning its cocoon, it will release proteolytic enzymes to make a hole in the cocoon so that it can emerge as a moth. This would cut short the threads and ruin the silk. Instead, silkworm cocoons are boiled. The heat kills the silkworms and the water makes the cocoons easier to unravel. Often, the silkworm itself is eaten (see also below).
The adult phase (the moth) cannot fly. The silkmoths have a wingspan of 3-5 cm (1.5 - 2 inches) and a white hairy body. Females have about twice to three times the bulk of males (for they are carrying many eggs), but are similarly colored. Adults in the Bombycidae have reduced mouth parts and do not feed. Scientific and medical uses
Due to its large size and ease of culture, the silkworm has long been a model organism in the study of Lepidopteran and arthropod biology (Goldsmith et al. 2004). Fundamental findings on pheromones, hormones, brain structures and physiology were made with the silkworm (Grimaldi & Engel 2005). To characterize the first known pheromone, bombykol, extracts were needed from 500,000 individuals because only very small quantities are produced (Scoble 1995).

Currently, research is focusing on genetics of silkworms and genetic engineering. Many hundreds of strains are maintained, and over 400 Mendelian mutations have been described (Goldsmith et al. 2004). One useful mutant for the silk industry confers the ability to feed on food besides mulberry leaves, including an artificial diet (Goldsmith et al. 2004). The genome has been sequenced (Mita et al. 2004), and many projects have worked on genetic engineering of silkworms to produce desirable proteins in the place of silk. Such proteins include human drugs (Grimaldi & Engel 2005).

Silkworm is the source of the traditional Chinese medicine jiāngcán. It is the dried body of the 4-5th instar larva which has died of the white muscardine disease. Its uses are to dispel flatulence, dissolve phlegm and relieve spasms. CuisineLike many insect species, silkworm pupae are eaten in some cultures (see Entomophagy). In Korea they are boiled and seasoned to make a popular snack food known as beondegi. In China street vendors sell roasted silkworm pupae.
Silkworm legendsIn China, there is a legend that the discovery of the silkworm's silk was by an ancient empress called Xi Ling-Shi. She was drinking tea under a tree when a ball of silk fell into her tea. She picked it out and started to wrap it around her finger, she slowly felt a warm sensation. When the silk ran out, she saw a small cocoon. In an instant, she realized that this cocoon was the source of the silk. She taught this to the people and it became widespread. There are many more legends about the silkworm.
The Chinese guarded their knowledge of silk. It is said that a Chinese monk smuggled silkworms, in a hollow stick, out of China and sold the secret to Europe.

Pilansberg - Wild flowers - Part 6

This one is very pretty when in full bloom as the centre unfolds as the orange flower opens.

I could not resist taking pictures of this lovely dragonfly as it posed for me.

What a face!!

I have never seen a spider like this with each half of him a different color. He was tiny about the size of the head of a cigarette.

Silk weaving - Part 2

The finer threads are put together into reels.
The brown ball is from the Mopani worm, the white is raw and spun silkworm wool.

These balls are taken and dyed into the most wonderful colors. Gaelyn bought some and I am surious to see that she is going to knit with it, so get on with it please my friend. :)

Patterns for the weaving are obtained from various staff members, each putting forward their ideas and it being discussed. There are various looms in the one room, some with a large single piece being woven....

...and yet other which have multiple pieces on it.

Various colors are incorporated and as you can see, it is all done by hand.

I love the knobby thread of this silk and it makes such a wonderful, rich texture for weaving and knitting being soft and warm too.

Some of the finished products are this scatter cusions on display all with true African designs on them.

Fine silk woven in places like China are for sale there too like these beautiful scarves.

Going through the process with the lady escorting me was extremely intersting and I would like to thank her for the time she took in explaining it all.

Tucked away, this old sewing machine was on display but not for sale. What a wonderful old piece. I am sure that even after all these years it still works which is more than we can say for all our modern equipment.....

Drakensberg

Although everyone here knows the Drakensberg Mountain range and I had driven past some of it before, I have never taken pictures of them. During Gaelyn's visit, she wanted to go for an overnight hike there so I stayed in camp, taking pictures of them and the insects.

There are many hiking trails which include places beautiful scenes and waterfalls, with wonderful places to stay in the area. In winter, these are one of the few mountains high enough to get snow and for a brief period, people go skiing there. Covering an area of 240,000ha the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is dominated by sheer cliffs, deeply incised valleys and crystal clear rivers.

San Art
The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is one of the richest rock painting areas in the world. Many enthusiasts and experts have searched for paintings in the park over the last 40 years. During this time 30 000 individually painted images in 520 different rock shelters have been recorded.

There are a number of prime destinations in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park to see these paintings and have their cultural and spiritual significance interpreted for you. The Main Caves Museum at Giant's Castle is an easy half hours walk from the Giant's Castle main camp and the Battle Cave is relatively close to the Injisuthi camp. There is a new rock art centre at Kamberg with guided walks to Game Pass shelter and in late 2003 a magnificent San rock art centre is due to be opened at the new Didima Camp at Cathedral Peak.

Mountain Biking
At Cathedral Peak mountain bikers can enjoy the awesome views of the Drakensberg as they traverse the existing network of tracks originally put in place for forestry purposes in the sixties. A simple 14km mountain bike trail has been established in the beautiful Lotheni valley in the Southern Drakensberg. Mountain bikers have the opportunity to stop at the historic 'Gelib Tree' site and on a warm day there is the opportunity to swim at the magnificent 'Cool Pools'. The 75km Giant's Castle Mountain Bike Challenge is a major annual mountain biking event. This event combines the majesty of stunning Drakensberg views with the opportunity for mountain bikers to pit themselves against South Africa's toughest mountain bike challenge.
Flowers
Yellow irises grow in profusion on the alpine meadows of Lesotho within metres of the escarpment edge. The 'suicide lily' clings to its precipitous habitat on the damper basalt cliffs and from uder its leaves to the foot of the little berg is a spectacular variety of flowers making this a superb destination.

Fishing
Kamberg Nature Reserve is the a most popular trout fishing venue for novices and more experienced anglers alike. An added attraction here is the trout hatchery. River fishing is found at Kamberg, Royal Natal, Injisuthi, Cobham, Garden Castle, Giant's Castle and Lotheni. Dam fishing is found at Coleford, Kamberg, Royal Natal, Highmoor and Lotheni. Dam fishing at Lotheni is reserved for the occupants of Sime's cottage only. Highmoor is reserved primarily for stillwater trophy fishing and is closed intermittently for several months of the year. This is arguably one of the most productive stillwater flyfishing venues in KZN and caters primarily for the more experienced angler in wilderness surroundings.

WILDLIFE

The Drakensberg has a diverse population of birds, mammals and reptiles. The more common larger mammals that can be found are Mountain Reedbuck, Grey Rhebok, Grey Duiker, Eland, Klipspringer, Bushbuck and Oribi. The main predators in the Drakensberg are Leopard (found in very small numbers) Black-backed Jackal, Caracal, Serval, Cape clawless Otter and Spotted-necked Otter, various species of mongoose and genet. Troops of Chacma baboons, porcupines and colonies of rock hyrax are also found throughout this mountain park. The Drakensberg is home to over 300 species of birds. Thirty two of the species are endemic to Southern Africa. Some of the specials that can be found are Wattled crane, Cape vulture, Bearded vulture, Orange breasted Rockjumper and Yellow breasted Pipit. The Drakensberg is also home to 25 species of amphibians, 18 species of lizard (six of which are endemic) and 21 species of snake.

CULTURE

The Drakensberg is rich in cultural heritage. It is home to 35% of South Africa's San rock art sites. In South Africa the San inhabited the Drakensberg from the late Stone Age times until the late nineteenth century. The San had very few material possessions and did not build permanent shelters, but lived either under sandstone overhangs or temporary grass shelters. They left some of the finest examples of rock art in the world. The most common types of paintings are animal figures (mostly eland) and human-like figures.It is truly an awe inspiring experience to view this rock art. Guided Walks to some rock art shelters can be booked at Giants Castle, Injisuthi, Kamberg, Cathedral Peak and Royal Natal.

HISTORY

The Drakensberg was once inhabited by the San people, also known as Bushmen. They were hunter gatherers who lived in caves and overhangs in the sandstone cliffs of the little berg. They have left us a legacy of their paintings on the sandstone cliffs and cave walls, depicting their way of life and the various animals and people they encountered. In due course, the Amazizi, a tribe of the Nguni race arrived, and occupied the river valleys and approaches to the Drakensberg mountains.

They were pastoralists and agriculturalists, while the San people never tilled the soil or kept cattle. As there was no clash of interests, there was peace between the San and the Amazizi. In the early 1800's due to a series of events in Zululand, the Amazizi were attacked by the Amangwane. The Amazizi sought refuge in the mountains which were occupied by the San people and they clashed, probably over cattle. A third Nguni tribe, the Amahlubi moved into the valleys now vacated by the Amazizi but they, in turn, were attacked by the Amangwane.

The Amahlubi were in turn forced into the mountains just as the Amazizi had been. For ten years the wars raged until the Amangwane eventually settled in the valleys, having disposed of the Amazizi and the Amahlubi. Four years later The Zulu King Shaka's troops attacked the Amangwane who fled westwards into the mountains. After this period of slaughter and destruction, relative peace returned to the Drakensberg mountains and the survivors of the various tribes came down from the mountains and re-established themselves in the river valleys. This alleviated the pressure on the San people who had been badly affected by these wars. Respite was brief as within ten years the arrival of the Voortrekkers and the English settlers led to further troubles. The clash over hunting grounds, private ownership of land, and the arrival of cattle led to increasing numbers of cattle raids by the San people. Eventually the situation became so bad that the San themselves were hunted and decimated by the settlers.

In 1849, due to the failure of various attempts to prevent the cattle raids, a series of buffer 'native locations' were established between the settlers and the Drakensberg mountains. For some years thereafter, raids, particularly in the Bushman's River area near Giant's Castle, ceased almost entirely. A brief resurgence in cattle raids followed in the late 1850's through to the 1870's after which the raids fell off sharply. The last sighting of San people in the Drakensberg mountains was in the early 1880's.

EDUCATION

The Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park offers a wide variety of educational opportunities in many disciplines. These range from vegetation and animal studies to culture, sociology and geology. This mountain range rises some 8000 ft. or 2440 m. from its base on the midlands plains with vegetation zones that reflect altitude and aspect starting at sub-alpine on the summit, down through podacarpus forest, grasslands, wetlands and valley bushveld.

The ancient rocks of basalt and sandstone and the shale beds lie exposed with the earths history of upliftment and erosion revealed for the student. All these characteristics have resulted in a host of habitats and consequent diversity of plant and animal life. The incredibly rich rock art heritage from the San people and the interesting history of the Nguni peoples` movements and conflicts that has resulted in the current tribal occupation along the length of the Drakensberg, plus the interaction of the Zulu and Sotho speaking people on the eastern and western sides of this " barrier of spears" makes for fascinating cultural studies. It is a World Heritage Site and a Ramsar Site. There are education centres at Royal Natal and at Wagendrift from which the central Drakensberg is easily accessible within one hour on good roads.

Silk weaving - Part 1

In the small town of Graskop, there is a place where they weave raw silk into all kinds of beautiful items and during Gaelyn's visit here, I asked the people there if I might take pictures of the process to share with you and they agreed. They can be contacted at:
http://www.africasilks.com/

For more information on the silk trade and silkworms, go to:
You will never guess what happened to me today and Silkworm update

Now we have a 'chicken and the eggs' story which came first? Okay, lets start with the eggs which are layed by the moth....

Out of the thousands of eggs laid, the worms breed out. They feed mostly on Mulberry or lettuce leaves.

In a few months, they begin to spin silk cocoons around themselves and there are stunning pictures of it in "Silworm update". There they remain through the winter.......
...... and the moths hatch from that.

Depending on what they are fed, the silk is either yellow or white. The silk shop has their own farm where they breed the worms and gather cocoons by the thousands.

Now here the story splits and I will give you the explination as given to me by Africa Silks...

Fine silk: "With this method a single thread is reeled off the cocoon, which was boiled with the pupae inside, because once the moth exits, the thread will be broken. Using a good quality cocoon this continuous thread can be up to 1,3 km (about half a mile) long. This is the method used for producing the fine silk associated with eastern countries." The method used is all done with expensive machines not available in smaller countried like SA.

Raw/rough silk: "In this method the cocoons are boiled after the moths exit to remove the gum-like substance called Serosin. After drying them off, the silk threads are loose and ready to be spun into threads or stretched into squares for use." This process and its weaveing is done manually or with manual looms. In the picture below, the lady is busy washing the cocoons.

Once washed, they are stretched apart as far as they will go an attached to this aquare wooden frame.

Once enough have been attached to the frame, it is removed and look like this. As you can see, it is kind of lumpy and not the smooth silk one thinks it should be.

Mopani worms are also used and woven by Africa SIlks, the processing of the silk being more labor intensive than the silkworm. The wild Mopani worm does not feed in captivity, therefore the cocoons are harvested from nature. Their cocoons are very hard and nut-like and involve a long process to be washed, brushed and spun into threads, ready for weaving.

Below, a lady takes the sqares of rough silk and spins them into thread.