Biodiversity in Nkhotakota really comes alive during the rainy season of December – April. During that short period, Miombo savannas explodes and gives you a real forest impression. The savanna (by definition) sprouts with intense green and lush and is teeming with life (really a woodland), most visible in arthropod diversity.

Throughout, walking safaris become spider obstacles, peaceful and spectacular, but spider nevertheless, and big at that. Every 10 meters is a spider web in your face if you haven’t paid attention. Butterflies are everywhere (studied extensively by late R. Murphy), giant flower beetles flying around, and large columns of ants and termites are waging merciless wars. Antlions eclose by the thousands (something I had never seen before).

If there was ever a reason to visit the (slightly tse-tse rich) very particular and rich biome that is Miombo, a savanna that thinks it’s forest at times. It’s during the rainy season, at least if you like biodiversity.

I will talk about mushrooms and orchids later, or the red-season of Miombo which is a sight to behold which I haven’t yet…

Here are some photos from a few days in Nkhotakota in January and this post, like many of mine, is a tribute to the small things. The forgotten beauties, the unrewildables, the crawlies, and the disappearing ones before they were liked. 

Every time the Big Five are mentioned, I think of the tiny thousands nobody talks about.

Other posts about Nkhotakota

Part 1

Part 2