29 October 2023 | Biodiversity
Wasps we should welcome At primary school I had a teacher who was very concerned we’d swallow a wasp in a can of soft drink. He often told us to use a straw (before single-use plastics became recognised as an environmental disaster). He was worried about the...
20 August 2023 | Biodiversity
Gang-gangs are becoming gone-gones Gang-gang cockatoos are commonly seen in Melbourne’s suburbs. Often they are seen eating the red berries of cotoneaster or other introduced plants. If you’ve seen them – as I have fairly regularly – it might surprise you...
29 July 2023 | Australian Natives, Biodiversity
Tasty bushtucker treats around our streets Walking around my Macleod neighbourhood the other day, I came across a street tree absolutely covered in fruit. While there are definitely lots of olive trees on our streets, that’s not the tree I’m talking about. I’m talking...
7 July 2023 | Australian Natives, Biodiversity
Hardy & cheap local native plants for your garden While it’s a relatively lean season in the vegetable garden, it’s the perfect time to be planting lots of indigenous plants, allowing them to develop roots and settle in before the spring and the growing season...
4 June 2023 | Biodiversity
8 cool things about mosses Until recently I’ve never paid mosses much attention. I’m ashamed to admit I remember peeling blankets of moss off rocks as a kid and building imaginary fairy villages with them. Lately though, I’ve been appreciating their beauty as they...
25 April 2023 | Biodiversity
Microbats: nature’s answer to mosquito control I grew up in a mud brick and recycled timber house with inevitable little gaps in lots of places. Maybe it’s unsurprising then that I have grown to love our native microbats. We had one flying around inside after dark at...
