From Russia with love

I told you before that the Outreach has gone international this year, but I have not told you how worldwide we are. With all the biological names flying around, my Latin is getting better than basic. But I am also learning Russian.

More about that later. First of all, a report back on the countdown. Remember, the total tally for the trip is 1 500. Well, we’re way ahead after day one with a cool 431 species. Almost a third of the way and no, it’s not just a flora thing anymore. There are lots of crawly, flying and swimming creatures also in the bag. Including a Cape thick tailed scorpion (Parabuthus capensis) and a geometric button spider (Latrodectus geometricus) – see pics attached.

Talk about flying things, I went out today with Arnold van der Westhuizen and Renier Balt, the bird brains... no, no, no, I mean the brainy bird boffins. First you set up nets and traps and then it becomes a lot like fishing. Patience... But I’m talking out of turn, this is what Arnold, Researcher Animal Demography Unit, UCT said:

“The bird team started real early today – we left at 05:00 to start atlasing the square adjacent to Klipbokkop. A total of 53 species were counted with a Black Harrier quartering the vlei the highlight of the morning and a flock of 35 Blue Cranes on a pasture. Mist nets were set up later in the morning, but the weather was not favourable for capturing birds. In the afternoon we moved the nets to the Fynbos on the slopes closer to Klipbokkop. Five birds were captured for DNA samples – a Karoo Prinia, Karoo Scrub-Robin, Cape Sugarbird and 2 Cape Buntings. For the bird team the day was successful and we concluded the effort of the day at dusk with a ringing demo to the whole team of scientists and assistants on the Outreach.”

Now back to Russia. Or rather the Russian. Masha Kuzmina PhD is a postdoctoral fellow, Plant lead, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, but originally from St. Petersburg, Russia. All her life, she wanted to come to South Africa and now she is on the Outreach and said:

“After more than 20 hours trans-Atlantic-trans-African flight I finally stepped to the holy land. Cape Province, South Africa...Botanical geographers call it the Cape kingdom for its uniqueness and outstanding floristic diversity. You asking me what I feel...I’ll try to explain. It looks more like a strong shock when you find yourself in the parallel world. Reality exceeds expectations. All your botanical experience refuses to believe your eyes. The plant families you know all your life turn to be represented by the very unusual forms; you realize that each step of your foot, which you check by habit, covers numerous different species of the flowering plants which you do not know, and it makes you crazy and frozen standing one foot up...; something very familiar you can find among the commonest weedy plants growing along the roads here, because many popular garden and indoor pot plants from the New and the Old World originated from the Cape Province. Endlessly beautiful, unusual, appealing country, full of botanical treasures!”

Wow! And then she added:

“Милый Бадди, Вы очень симпатичный!”

Buddy (and the Outreach) loves you too, Masha...

PS: don’t forget to listen to RSG tomorrow (Wednesday) at 07:45