Jumping-ball Moths and the Glossy Wild-currant

Glossy Wild-currant, Shiny-leaved Rhus, Blinktaaibos
Searsia lucida (formerly Rhus lucuda) ANACARDACEAE (the mango family)

At the moment the fruits on the Glossy Wild-currant can be seen on the Common.
A fascinating insect-plant relationship plays itself out with the Glossy Wild-currant Rhus lucida and the Jumping Gall Moth Scyrotis athleta. In the sand and leaf-litter beneath Searsia lucida one can sometimes see small (about 6 mm) oval balls that jump. In the ball is the larva of a moth, Scyrotis athleta (family Cecidosidae). The movement and jumping is a response to heat and facilitates repositioning of the ball into ideal pupating conditions in the soil and leaf-litter. It is quite a mystery how such a small larva in such a confined space is able to exert the force required to jump (up to 10 cm). Janse (1920) concluded that it is done by careful positioning inside the ball and rapid contracting and relaxing of muscles.

The balls start off as bumps (galls) that form on the leaves of Searsia lucida. A female moth lays her egg probably by inserting her ovipositor into the leaf. The gall is formed around the hatched larva possibly as a result of the feeding action inside the leaf. This is still being investigated. The larva feeds inside the gall and when mature the external layer of the gall bursts open and the ball falls to the ground. Jumping can continue for up to 6 weeks and the moth emerges a few months later. (Information and more photos on the website biodiversityexplorer.)

Erica subdivaricata

Erica subdivaricata ERICACEAE (erica family)

This beautiful erica grows up to 1 m and has small, bell-shaped, white (sometimes just tinged with pale pink) flowers that come out from January on the Common. It occurs on lower slopes and flats in the south-western Cape, the Agulhas Plain and from Malmesbury to Bredasdorp, seeming to prefer slightly damp, partially shady spots.

It flowers in March on the Common.

Rough Blue Sage

Rough Blue Sage, Bloublomsalie, Salvia chamelaeagnea LAMIACEAE (the mint and sage family)

This pretty plant is flowering on the Common now. It differs from the other blue Wild Sage or Bloublomsalie, Salvia africana-caerulea, in that its calyx does not enlarge in the fruiting stage. It flowers from November to April.

Tips for growing the Rough Blue Sage

Liesl van der Walt of Kirstenbosch says, "The blue Salvia chamelaeagnea looks beautiful when flowering with blue agapanthus. The white form looks lovely mixed with other green foliage plants, giving the garden a fresh and cool look during the midsummer heat. Plants can be maintained in the garden for several years, but need to be cut back after flowering to keep them tidy and vigorous." (See Plantzafrica.)

Cluster Pine on the Common

The pine trees that occur on the Common are the Maritime or Cluster Pine (Pinus pinaster) and the Stone Pine (Pinus pinea) both native to the Mediterranean area of Europe and the Middle East. Lichen on the deeply fissured, characteristic bark of the Cluster Pine.