The wild sage is the scent that I think of first when I think of Africa. I only learned on this trip that in some areas they call it the Zebra Sweat bush. Our guide said it is because it smells like zebra sweat -- but in reality, the plant has such a strong fragrance and is so prevalent that hunting lions roll in it to mask their own odor. Lions also roll in hippo dung when there isn’t any wild sage around. Just thought you’d like to know that.
This year, we traveled later and spring arrived earlier so we experienced some of the vernal sights and smells.
Many of the acacia tree species had begun to bloom adding startling bursts of color and scents to our explorations.
Wooly Caper Bush flowers smell so sweet the natives call it the bubblegum bush.
When I return home after each trip, I have pictures to remind me of the sights but I can only capture the scents in my memory.
Stories go along with each of the trees and bushes as the people of Africa remain close to the land. Some plants are still used medicinally. Certain branches can be peeled back to make a great toothbrush. There’s a tree with leaves so soft that one of the guides winked and called it the toilet paper tree.
Early spring also meant we saw animal behavior we wouldn’t normally see in the winter. The males begin their territorial sparring and although their efforts aren’t in earnest until later in the season, the sound of their horns locking and their bodies hitting each other made me wince.
The giraffe has a particularly awkward sparring ritual: using the boney protrusions that look like horns they alternately whack each other on the rump. Not serious at this stage, the sparring looked more like a civilized slapping match but I was assured that once spring is in full swing, the altercations can be violent enough to draw blood.
Whether location or weather, we felt the bugs a lot more this trip, too.
The ellies work at shaking the palm nuts from the palm trees. The outer layer that the ellies like is just a thin coating on each nut. They eat the whole nut and make sure they "plant" the remainder somewhere along the way assuring a supply for years to come as new trees grow from their efforts. If you look closely at this picture, you can see the nuts falling to the ground.
Back to reality and the scents of south Florida -- car exhaust!
