LOCAL LIFE

By Jenny Parsons 

Among the sweeping slopes of the Cape mountains where proteas catch the light, ericas add colour, and flowers scent the air, a quiet choreography unfolds each day. Butterflies drift between blooms, and then as dusk falls, moths take their turn. All are silent, purposeful and essential. These delicate insects, often overlooked next to bees or birds, are powerful agents of pollination, regeneration, and balance. In the fynbos, the smallest but most biodiverse floral kingdom on earth, they help sustain the very web of life that defines this landscape.

Butterflies and moths belong to the order Lepidoptera, meaning “scale-winged.” Each wing is covered in tiny scales that refract light into dazzling colours or subtle camouflage. There are approximately 4000 butterflies and 7000 moth species in South Africa. The fynbos is a hotspot where nature has shaped a complex evolutionary dance between flowers and their winged visitors. 

Butterflies and moths go through a few changes in their lifetime. Butterfly eggs become hungry caterpillars (larva) which eventually pupate (like putting themselves in sleeping bags) and transform into the magnificent adult butterfly which emerges and flutters off to start the life-cycle again. 

Butterflies and moths are not only pollinators but also play a role in nature’s food chain. Caterpillars are eaten by birds and butterflies are eaten by flycatchers, bats, geckos and even some carnivorous plants (Drosera species). To survive this constant threat, many species have evolved ingenious defences. 

The Garden Acraea stores toxins (cyanide) making them distasteful to birds. Other butterflies and moths rely on mimicry or “eye-spots” to confuse predators such as the Emperor Moth whose caterpillars can be seen on proteas (especially when they ‘prune’ the leucospermum species). Beauty in nature is rarely without purpose!

Pollination is one of the most vital services butterflies and moths perform. With their long, coiled proboscis, they can reach deep into tubular flowers, carrying pollen from one bloom to another. In the fynbos, where flowers are famously selective, these insects play irreplaceable roles. The Table Mountain Beauty (Aeropetes tulbaghia), for instance, is one of the few insects capable of pollinating the Red Disa. This orchid is found along cool mountain streams and would not survive without this butterfly. 

Nocturnal moths perform equally vital work. Hawk moths visit pale, night-scented flowers like Brunsvigia and Green Wood orchid. Their long tongues and night vision make them perfectly suited to these blooms.

Protecting butterflies and moths is vital as they are sentinels of change and are sensitive indicators of environmental health. Their survival depends on climate, plant availability, and clean habitats so shifts in their populations often reflect broader ecological changes. Monitoring butterflies and moths has become a valuable tool for understanding climate change, invasive alien plants, and altered fire cycles that are reshaping the Cape landscape. In the fynbos, researchers have observed mountain species retreating to higher altitudes as temperatures rise, while other species are expanding into new areas as rainfall patterns change.

Conservation organisations like the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa are working to document and protect vulnerable species. Citizen scientists now play an active role through monitoring and observations. Avoiding pesticides, allowing caterpillars to pupate, planting both nectar and host plants are simple steps that can make a real difference. In doing so, we weave ourselves into the larger ecological story – one of coexistence, beauty, and renewal.

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, You Scream Ice Cream in Hermanus is worth a visit. Owned by Nicolette Gers, the shop offers a variety of sorbets, nougats, meringues and ice creams that include vegan and sugar-free options, ensuring that there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Nicolette grew up in Cape Town  and attended Granger Bay Hotel School after matriculating. She went on to refine her skills in a four-year pastry course at Westminster College in London, before returning home to join the Mount Nelson Hotel. She later trained budding chefs at ICA Chef School before joining Lindt, where she spent four years immersed in chocolate. 

They moved to Paarl for her husband’s work and Nicolette started a new chapter at De Villiers Chocolate, where she spent seven years as chocolatier, product manager, and product developer. There, she perfected her craft, creating new flavours, developing products, and experimenting with ice cream.

In January 2021, Nicolette and her family moved to Hermanus to open their own business selling homemade, artisanal ice cream. She knew and loved Hermanus from her childhood holidays, and was drawn here by its excellent schools and its proximity to Cape Town. And so, in April that year, You Scream Ice Cream was born.

From a custom-built kitchen next to her garage at home, Nicolette crafts every flavour herself, refusing to use premixes, powders, or syrups in her recipes. “I prefer working with fresh, local ingredients,” she says. “Even the mint in my mint-chocolate ice cream comes from my own garden.” The result is a selection of nine delicious ice cream flavours including Chocolate Brownie made with Belgian chocolate, Rum & Raisin with real rum, Coffee Swirl made with actual coffee grounds, Strawberry Cheesecake with fresh frozen strawberries and cream cheese, and whatever seasonal creation Nicolette feels inspired to make next.

Vegan, sugar-free, options are also on the menu. Vegan ice creams are created with nut milk, while sugar-free flavours are sweetened with erythritol. 

Nicolette also makes sorbet which come in four refreshing choices: Rooibos and granadilla, lemon, peach, and mango. 

Customers can taste before they buy, enjoy scoops of ice cream in crunchy sugar cones, order a milkshake or sorbet slushie, or take tubs home in 500ml and 1L sizes.

Nicolette’s creativity doesn’t stop at ice cream. She also makes nougat, meringues, cookies, and cakes for local cafés and shops such as Bakgat Bagels in Hermanus, and Agteros and Birkenhead Brewery in Stanford. She also collaborates with other small businesses, stocking items from Fletch & Co. and showcasing local artists’ work in her shop.

Running an artisanal ice cream business is a team effort. Nicolette is joined in the shop by the friendly Anelisa, while Anelisa’s mom Vuyo helps in the kitchen. Her children occasionally work shifts for pocket money, and never say no to taste-testing new flavours. 

While demand for her products is growing, Nicolette is determined to stay true to her vision: “I don’t want to mass produce. I want everything to stay personal, handcrafted, and full of flavour.”

You Scream Ice Cream is located at 1A Warrington Place, Harbour Road, Hermanus. For enquiries, call 082 050 7444.

Few events capture the spirit of a community quite like an interschools clash, and this year Hermanus has had reason to celebrate on two fronts. Throughout 2025, Hermanus High School (Hermies) and Curro Hermanus (Curro Lions), have each claimed memorable victories that left their learners, teachers, parents, and alumni beaming with pride.

The Hermies have already faced Worcester Gymnasium several times this year as part of their interschools clash, competing in tennis, cricket, golf, and swimming in the warmer months. In mid-August, they took to Hermanus High’s sports grounds for their final showdown of the year in chess, rugby, hockey, and netball. 

For the last four years, interschools has been a test of grit and determination, and this year Hermies finally turned the tide after three years of losing to Worcester Gymnasium. Their victory was greeted with shouts of celebration, which could be heard in the surrounding residential areas.

Hermanus High also had a special tented area during interschools for visiting alumni, as well as a get-together in the school hall after the day had concluded. 

The same weekend as Hermanus High’s fixture, the Curro Lions marked their own triumph, roaring to victory and lifting the interschools cup in another eagerly contested series against Generation Schools Hermanus (girl’s soccer), Robertson High (hockey and chess), Bonnievale High (rugby and netball), and Curro Somerset (boy’s soccer). The school’s celebratory posts thanked every hand that played a part, from the athletes on the field to the teachers on the sidelines, and the parents cheering from the stands. 

For both Hermanus High and Curro Hermanus, interschools marked the last winter sports matches of the year. 

For more images and the individual game results, visit the schools’ Facebook pages.

BY KATELYN SWANEPOEL

University of Pretoria MRI Whale Unit

Ever wondered how scientists keep track of whales? Do they sign a guestbook when they pop into the bay? Or how scientists know which whale is which? Pull up a deck chair (ocean view recommended) because you’re about to find out.

With the Kalfiefees around the corner, it feels like the perfect time to let you in on the behind-the-scenes of southern right whale identification. Think of it as a combination of CSI: Whale Edition and the infamous picture book Where’s Wally, especially the imposter Wally page but with whales. 

Every year, the University of Pretoria’s Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit conducts an aerial survey for the purpose of identifying our southern right whales. From Plettenberg Bay to Muizenberg, scientists snap a multitude of photos of every whale they encounter. And once the fun is over, the real detective work begins (the most time-consuming part of the job). Scientists comb through every image to pick the best “mugshot” (clear headshot, minimal foam, no bad angles). These are edited and cropped for the ultimate whale lineup. 

But why are whale heads of interest? You might know of the white, crusty patches found on the heads of southern right whales. These patches are known as callosities, and contrary to what you’ve believed are barnacles, are in fact calloused skin with whale lice attached to them. These lice are what make the patches appear white. Each whale has their own unique pattern of callosities that’re fixed since birth – just like fingerprints. 

To identify the whales, an individual mugshot is imported into the whale version of CODIS. This system contains the mugshots of every whale encountered since 1979. The system suggests possible matches, but the final verdict? That’s all human. Scientists zoom in CSI-style to confirm if the callosity patterns match. Every match is a little victory – just like finding Wally.  A match can be made to a whale within the same year or one that visited in previous years. 

Once the whale has been identified, and given a unique ID number, it is noted in a sighting catalogue that reflects the number of times it has been seen. 

For example, Bond (identity R0072) was the 72nd whale sighted for the first time in 2000. She has been seen around our shores six times thereafter.

Thea (identity R7918) has been sighted 11 times over the last 46 years on her return from the deep seas to calf. Her most recent sighting was in 2023. She is one of the oldest whales in the Whale Unit database.

Cathy (identity R1649), first seen in 2016, visited Hermanus for a second time in 2021, and can be expected to visit the bay for a third time this year. 

So, when you pull up that deck chair again (spotting a whale or two) remember: somewhere, hunched over a screen, is a scientist searching for ‘Whal-e’ in an ocean full of near identical giants.