In her latest article on her website, Wild Bees, the naturalist Karin Sternberg turns a seemingly unprepossessing topic, namely a bare patch of ground, into a fascinating story.
Bare ground, she writes, is generally regarded as lifeless, and ignored in environmental impact assessments. However, whiled exploring a bare and seemingly barren patch of land in the Wolwekraal Nature Reserve, she soon discovered that it was ‘teeming with life and intrigue’. Among others, it harbouredthriving subterranean colonies of wild bees, which she goes on to describe and photograph in riveting detail.
According to Karin, the study illuminates a ‘vital lesson’, namely that even the most unassuming stretches of bare land could harbour intricate ecosystems. These should be recognised and preserved while still allowing for erosion control and restoration efforts such as reseeding and replanting on damaged lands or vacant erven. ‘Remember, biodiversity might be thriving unseen beneath our feet.’ To read the whole article, click here.
FEATURED IMAGE: A ‘deflation hollow’, triggered by a stone age settlement, in the Wolwekraal Nature Reserve outside Prince Albert in the Karoo. Image: Karin Sternberg.