Wildflower series ~ Nerine lilies

I have posted these before but I can't get enough of these miniature lilies. The Nerine family are found only in rocky parts of Southern Africa and Nerine rehmanni is the smallest of them. It flowers in Summer and it is a very common flower on the hillside at this time of year. Each flower is about the size of a pinky fingernail and it's easy to miss when not in flower, it has a small hairy bulb and a couple of slender leaves.

The leaves are highly prized by these guys, though, they are often to be found roaming the rocks in search of more of their favourite snacks.

Lily borers are black and yellow because they are toxic to predators and that toxicity probably comes from their preferred food: Most South African lilies are pretty toxic to mammals, containing compounds that affect the heart. The worms seem to do just fine on them though. They are the larvae of a fairly nondescript brown moth but when they lay a bunch of eggs on lilies growing in the garden, they are capable of munching through them in short order.

These lilies were probably casualties of these rapacious worms although lilies are also tough, so long as there is enough of the growth point remaining, they will regenerate, as these ones have