Ernest Pringle of Huntly Glen Farm in the Baviaans River Mountains, north west of Bedford has three amazing collections.
These are of course private collections and are not generally open to the public but fellow collectors, enthusiasts and researchers may contact him to arrange a visit. Besides, the trip into the mountains is very scenic and enjoyable in its own right.
Butterflies and Moths
Ernest Pringle has assembled a collection of butterfliesand moths which takes up 150 display trays. This is the largest collection of indigenous butterflies and moths in South Africa and of great importance to lepidopterists.
Birds Eggs
He also has South Africa's largest collection of birds' eggs.
Lithops
Lithops, for those who don't know, are also known as stone plants or pebble plants because they uncannily resemble pebbles which is in fact their prime defense against being eaten. In their natural environment of a stony soil they do sometimes blend in so well as to be difficult to notice.
Lithops are indigenous to southern Africa and are a genus of the family Aizoaeceae, or ice plant. Typically, one specie of Lithops will be found in one small location. About a thousand populations have been identified.
Ernest has two greenhouses of Lithops and other indigenous succulents.
From the N10 Port Elizabeth to Cradock Road take the Bedford turnoff (R63). 11.2 km along this road is a gravel road marked Tarkastad.
Follow this road (you will pass two Glen Linden churches next to each other along the way) until you reach Eildon farm. There is a small chapel right next to the road on the left side and just past it is a turnoff to the right.
Take this branch and after 2.3 km you will arrive at Huntly Glen.
