From the time we moved to the Highveld to the present, the Kruger Park in the Lowveld was visited more than any other wildlife area, with varying degrees of interest depending upon the age of the viewers. Because of the frequency of visits, many photographs were taken. There are many different vegetation types in the park. Among one of the more memorable sights, is the great stretch of mopane scrub somewhere in the central part of the park in autumn and winter, when the leaves turn a wonderful red-orange colour.

The above pictures were taken inside camps of the Kruger Park. The standard accommodation was thatched rondavel, with community open-air kitchens under thatch. There were also camping areas that allowed very economic visits. During the drought in the years around 1982, game such as the impala above would occasionally wander into the camps, probably for moist grazing. The last picture is of beautiful indigenous trees in a rest camp situated between accommodation camps.

Various water views in the park. The picture to the left is a view of the Olifants river from the Olifants Camp. The second picture was taken in the eastern part of the park. In the third picture, waterbuck are on the bank and hippos in the water. This picture was taken from a bridge spanning the river, and closer viewing was not possible. The last picture is probably of the Olifants river again at a different part.

Somewhere in the middle of the park on the journey north was a wide stretch of wintery, gold and red mopane bushes. Next, wild dogs photographed near Pretoriuskop about 1982. A very small klipspringer (rock jumper) behaving according to its name, standing on a rock. A kudu bull at sunset.

On the last visit to the area, some time was also spent on a private game reserve for the first time. This has the advantage of allowing better, closer shots on game drives in open vehicles. Above are a junior zebra, classic umbrella acacia, a heron wading into the water and a wonderful winter sunset.

The private game reserve was in the Timbavati area, and some great close-ups were captured of lion, buffalo, elephant and giraffe.

The above pictures are a mix of Kruger and private game reserve animals. The first is of a waterbuck, the second of a bushbuck very close to a Kruger camp. The last two pictures are of wildebeest (gnu) and sable antelope.

Baboons hot-footing it down the road, and rhinos taking their time. A kudu bull at sunset, and an elegant impala.

Various birds. Blue and common waxbills, long-tailed shrike, hoopoe and lilac-breasted roller.

Bigger birds: Marabou storks, ground hornbill, woolly-necked stork and helmeted guinea fowl.

Some of the vegetation seen in the area. The first includes a lilac-breasted roller taking off from its perch in a tree (see sitting roller above) with beautiful turquoise wings. Dry river bed vegetation, bush view and an aloe in the bush.

Mopane Trees
The Mopane tree is also called the butterfly tree because of the shape of its leaves. It is tolerant of poorly drained soils such as those with high clay content. As a result it is widely distributed throughout southern Africa. Where the soil is poor, the trees are short but can attain heights of 8 ft in nutrient-rich erath. In the picture above, the short mopane has formed a low scrubby woodland, not much taller than the zebra. Mopane trees are deciduous, and the leaves turn wonderful shades of red and yellow before falling at the end of winter, in September and October. Where the trees form a woodland, the ground is usually covered by grasses - much like the picture above. The leaves are rich in protein and phosphorus, and are well liked by browsers. Elephant feed on mopane as well. The mopane worm, the precursor to the emperor moth, is an important source of food for indigenous people and is high in protein and very popular (a picture of one can be seen in "Big Pictures").

Acacia Trees
Acacia trees are probably the most common trees in the African bushveld. They are also distributed throughout the world in Australia, Asia and South America. The Australian species diverged from the African species at the time of the split-up of Gondwanaland, some 130 million years ago.

Acacia trees have feathery leaves and sweet-scented flowers liked by bees. Many of the trees have thorns. They are found in the greatest variety where rainfall is about ten to thirty inches a year. Acacias can vary in size from small bushes to large trees some sixty feet high. Some can have umbrella tops up to 120 feet across (see picture above.)

The umbrella thorn tree is a common acacia of semi-arid areas. The leaves are very small giving the umbrella a soft, feathery appearance. Browsing animals eat the leaves together with the thorns, the latter more easily when young and soft. The older, hardened thorns can be a deterrent to over-browsing. The thorns are sharp and white, with some straight and others hooked. They are arranged singly or in pairs. The tree flowers in December (summer) with dense, packed white florets, but the flowering can be sporadic depending upon rain.

Acacia tortilis (umbrella thorn) produces a large number of pods that are eaten by wild and domestic animals, and sometimes by man. The pods are tightly coiled spirals, pale brown and fall to the ground unopened. They accumulate in large numbers and are eaten with relish by such animals as kudu, impala, rhino and elephant. This is the manner in which the seeds of the unopened pod are dispersed for propagation and better germination after passing through an animal's stomach. The pods of some other acacia trees split before falling to the ground, thus dispersing the seeds by scattering.

References
The animals, birds and trees of the Kruger have been well-documented in numerous guides, reference books, coffee-table photographic works, story books etc. There is a wealth of printed information about this area.

A Kruger National Park Home Page
http://www.toursaa.com/krugerpark

South African National Parks Board
http://www.parks-sa.co.za

TOURSAA, a distribution agent for Kruger National
http://www.toursaa.com/SAPARKS/krug/kruger.htm