Miguel setting up camera traps to capture visiting insects.
After hearing about the beautiful Nerine laticoma flowering in mass in the Kalahari, three lab members, Carolina Diller, Miguel Castañeda Zárate and Genevieve Theron, rushed there to study the pollination system of this species. The experience was however far more than just doing nice science in a nice place. The Nerines were exceptionally abundant, carrying on for as far as the eye could see in beautiful shades of pink and white. The mass of butterflies flitting around was astounding and non-stop. The Kalahari is of course blisteringly hot in January and presented an extra challenge to doing fieldwork. We however managed to set up our experiments in the heat on the first day and do pollinator observations.
Presenting their findings to the field guides at the reserve.
When not in the field, much fun was had at the very well-equipped research centre of Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, watching ground squirrels and giraffes go about their business. On the last day we gave a presentation to the field guides and had some nice interactions as a result. At the end of our presentation, we got treated to using their staff pool which provided a wonderful relief from the heat before heading back to the field for the last night of pollinator observations. The observations however didn’t happen on this occasion though as we rushed to get out of the field, bagging experimental plants in the rain with the lightning coming ever closer.
Nerine laticoma being visited by Danaus chrysippus (African Monarch)
Text and photos: Genevieve Theron, Miguel Castañeda Zárate, Carolina Diller.
Pollination Research Lab 