Outreach team donates blood for DNA sampling

Elandsberg

Today was the day of Renosterveld. A day the team will never forget. Not only because they had the opportunity to offer their knowledge, skills and effort to help gather information that will help the most threatened habitat in the Cape Floral Kingdom survive, but also because they’ve been attacked. 

Just after nine we arrived at Elandsberg near Wellington. At 4000 ha in size it is the flagship piece of Renosterveld left. Quite scary if you think that Renosterveld used to stretch all the way from Vanrhynsdorp, down south to Tygerberg Hills and eastbound all the way to Mossel Bay. The dilemma is that the soil type and rainfall (250 – 600 mm) of Renosterveld is ideal for cultivating wheat and vineyards. For bread and wine. Essential stuff to fight hunger and keep the economy going. So the farmers are doing a good job, and they’re also coming to the party. They are aware that only 4% of Renosterveld is left and do an effort to conserve. Like Elizabeth Parker, the owner of Elandsberg that donated this piece of Renosterveld to remain unspoilt. Forever and a day. 

Luring a baboon spider from its hole

So the team hopped out of the Toyotas, ready to get going. Just before they dispersed, the enemy came. The attack began. Tabanus taeniatus descended in hoards, attacking from the air like Messerschmitts with silencers on. The common name for these gnats is horse fly, but I’m not so sure of the spelling. 

Snakeman at work

At one stage I was convinced that they were not real common Western Cape insects, but a strange kind of specimen from outer space that came on a mission to collect DNA from all these clever scientists. Look at it: they zoom in, zap you, zip your blood and zoot off to the mother ship. I tested my theory on Il Doctoré Olive, but he didn’t even smile; just turned around and kept on swatting flies. Then there was Snakeman handling a sand snake. It got aggressive and struck him on the finger. The next moment his face grimaced, but he did nothing about the snake. It was just hanging from his finger while he swatted a horse fly zapping him on the leg. Apparently the snake was harmless. 

Geometric tortoise

Be that as it may I have never seen sampling done at a jog. No wonder these guys brought back another 259 species, the highlight being a geometric tortoise, (Psammobates geometricus), one of the most endangered living creatures in South Africa today with just around 2 000 still left. 

This is not Buddy's water bowl

Later on I came across this lonesome yellow bowl standing in the middle of a huge patch of Renosterveld. It was heart warming. Shame, somebody thought of Buddy in this heat. Eagerly I approached, just to see the ‘water’ flooded with insects. Then Christian Deschodt, one of the insect gurus explained. It was a pollinating insect trap. The yellow bowl looks like a giant flower to them, so they charge in, just to plop into the propylene glycol in the bowl; a fluid that does not evaporate. I counted. At this stage 12 of the 259 species were in the bowl. These guys are good. Good, but tired tonight.

Therefore I bid you all a good night’s rest.



View the route we travelled today to Elandsberg: http://gpsed.com/track/5061178322052380339