Combretum imberbe by the Crocodile River

The mature Combretum imberbe tree growing solitary next to a big river has the luxury of spread its branches. The people know it: leadwood, hardekool (Afrikaans), motswiri (Pedi and Tswana), imPondondlovu (Zulu), mondzo (Tsonga), umMono (Swati), mudzwiri (Venda).

Large and old, the favourable conditions enjoyed here next to the Crocodile River have allowed this one to reach majestic proportions.

Raptors perch here to rest or spot the next meal.

A leopard may have reclined on a branch not so long ago, gazing at the grazing flesh and the scrumptious browsers. Life is about eating, mating, sleeping.

Maybe a fresh impala kill will be secured in a fork of this tree tomorrow night for safekeeping until the next meal (Grant and Thomas, 2001).