28 November 2023 | Biodiversity
The beetles bringing some Christmas bling Christmas beetles are a delight to see. They usually appear close to Christmas time and their shimmery, shiny exoskeletons decorate flyscreen doors wide and far as they flock towards any light. Some are metallic green, others...
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...
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...
28 February 2023 | Biodiversity
Bulleen River Red Gum to stay There’s some good news about the Bulleen River Red Gum, with confirmation from the North East Link Project team that it will no longer be felled for construction works. This is a significant win for locals who were outraged about its...
