With the Kruger National Park as vast as it is, and with human impacts kept to an absolute minimum, invertebrate life can thrive to an extent that is no longer possible in most of our “developed” society. Summer is a good time to see these fascinating creatures, as our visit in December 2021 proved yet again.
Beetles form the largest and most diverse order in the entire animal kingdom, and there are thousands of beetle species in the Kruger National Park.
While perhaps not as numerous as beetles, the various kinds of Butterflies gets lots of attention thanks to their delicate beauty.
Why exactly Moths are often regarded with such disdain compared to their relatives the butterflies I can’t comprehend, as some of these night-flying creatures are equally beautiful.
Our dislike of Flies is a lot easier to understand, though only a very few of them are actually a nuisance to humans and they all perform a wide variety of vital functions in the ecosystem.
We were lucky to see several “armies” of Matabele Ants on the hunt:
Another diverse insect group, with equally diverse survival strategies, are the Bees and Wasps.
My aptitude at identifying the various kinds of Damselflies and Dragonflies is still sorely lacking.
Web-spinners are a small and little known insect order.
A group of Gregarious Spotted Cockroaches scrambling up the wall of the laundry building at Satara was a welcome distraction on washing day.
So scary and large was this Bark Katydid crawling up a tree in Satara that you’d have to forgive me for the photograph not being entirely in focus…
Bark Katydid
Millipedes are such a familiar group of animals, and yet every time we visit the Kruger Park we are astounded to see just how many unique kinds find a home there!
We end of this post with a group that makes many peoples’ skins crawl: Spiders. Being responsible in no small part for controlling the numbers of all the other invertebrates, the entire ecosystem would collapse in their absence.
de Wets Wild 
Wow, that rain spider is spooky looking! Great series!
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Thank you, Lori. Scary they are, but I am grateful that – for the most part, giant crickets excluded – I was able to overcome that to get some close-ups.
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Ek hou baie van die motte en die skoenlappers! Ai, die ander is ook nie vir my nie!
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Mooi bly maar mooi, Aletta, en lelik, wel…
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😊 Lelik en baie interessant.
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Die entomoloog het verwoed die bestaan van die Signal Hill Roach ontken en vertel van sy graad en professionele status, terwyl drie van dié goedjies agter die TV uitgekom en by die elektriese bekisting ingeklim het. Kaapstad se sg “Atlantic Seaboard” is vergaan van hierdie unieke cocoraci maar die entomoloog stry. Soms is ‘n kamera net die ding.
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Die waarheid kom partykeer op die ongewenste tye uit!
😀
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Sjoe Dries, hier teen die einde van jou post, het ek al verder weg gesit van my rekenaar … daardie spinnekoppe 👀👀. Maar hoe pragtig is jou skoenlapper foto’s!
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Baie dankie, Corna. Mens kry nogal n skrik vir die gesigte so van naby af! 😀
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I am enjoying the way you have categorised your many photographs from the KNP. The focus of this post is very interesting in its diversity.
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Thank you very much, Anne
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I can see where the ideas came for the invading aliens looking like insects. Most of these look so odd up close. That last shot of the spider in defensive position is cool.
On an unrelated note, now that I’m back from California, we just finished watching the Seville 7’s tournament and I was greatly relieved when the Boks poured it on against Australia. 🙂 Now we’ll switch to catching up on the Six Nations competition where my favorite team is France and my favorite player Antoine Dupont. 🙂 Maybe one of these days I’ll get to see the Springboks play as well and the All Blacks should be out of New Zealand one of these days.
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Insects certainly do look very alien-like in close-up!
The Rugby-world is certainly heating up and I bet the All Blacks are chomping at the bit to get going!
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I bet they are! They were probably getting really annoyed about Australia and then the Boks doing so well. 🙂
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Sjoe, ek sal weer moet kom kyk na al die goggas. Baie is bekend maar mens moet rustig sit en elkeen bekyk. Dis nou ‘n pos so na my hart met die verskeidenheid van critters.
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Baie dankie vir die gawe terugvoer, Ineke!
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Wat vir my lekker is is dat dit lyk of Bea ook in goggas en dinge om haar belangstel. Ek dink hierdie ouma gaan haar gate uit geniet as ons eenmaal op ons plasie is.
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Beslis iets om na uit te sien, klink dit vir my!
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Beslis.
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Hats off vir elke vlinder foto. Ek probeer eindloos en het min sukses😂
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Dit is baie gaaf van jou, Woestynkind. Gelukkig het ek nie die dosyne floppe hier uitgestal nie! 😀
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Dis nie jou skuld nie; vlinders studeer nie beeldende kunste nie. Dit het ek agtergekom in die welige ekotuin by Mouillepunt.
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Hulle laat n mens se voetstap-tellertjie lekker optel as jy hulle met n kamera jaag, dis gewis.
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Bo-op die Brandwachtberge, naby die Thomas-hut (dis op Google Maps) sien mens nie voëltjies of baie insekte nie. Dis tussen ses- en seweduisend voet bo seespieël daar.
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Die toppe van ons hoogste berge is harde wereld!
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Dit blyk so te wees en die ekologie verander baie vinnig binne ‘n paar meter van vertikale reis. Op daardie hoogte sneeu dit soms ‘n paar meter elke jaar; ek was al daar in die sneeu.
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Dit is meer as 40 jaar gelede dat ek laas in die sneeu was…
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Ons het in die laat 1990s sneeu gehad in die Noord Vrystaat, daarna in die Noord Boland en selfs op Tafelberg
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Ek’t altyd gedink Olifant is koning, totdat ek gesien het hoe hulle trop vlug voor één seekoei!
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