Issues around the natural environment
Grey Headed Flying Fox The bat is a fascinating creature that has appeared in the belief systems, art, literature, film and even recipes of people for centuries. You might not realise it, but bats will probably have visited your backyard at some stage this year. There...
Fairhill native nursery at Yandina in Queensland is undoubtedly one of the best native plant nurseries in Australia. At nurseries like Fairhill customers have access to the expertise of specialist staff, and they’re able to choose from a wide range of native...
Galaxias Around 90 million years ago a group of tiny fish called Galaxias lived almost side by side with the dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are long gone now, but amazingly those little fish are still with us, in fact a population can be found less than 10 kilometres from...
Although Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen) take their name from an unrelated black and white European crow, they are essentially ground feeding butcherbirds. They live in territorial groups and keep to a fairly simple daily routine. Early each morning magpies...
Ring around the moon, rain before noon. A mirky milky way means a dull damp day. Rain before seven, fine before eleven. We’ve all heard them before, you know, those little stories and rhymes which have just sort of grown up with us, and many people swear by...
Endangered Red Panda Modern zoos not only exhibit animals, they also act as safe houses for many endangered species, and they play a crucial role in preserving our precious genetic diversity. A good example of the conservation work zoos undertake is an international...
Environmental Special Many people are concerned about the welfare of the planet, but are unsure about what they can, or should do to help. In the past, scientists, government bureaucrats and the media told us a lot of things that simply did not make sense, and this...
Frilled Lizard The sun-loving frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) is the reptile emblem of Australia, and also the inspiration for the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games mascot “Lizzie”. Frilled lizards are common in the monsoonal woodlands of northern...
The Eastern Gambusia (Gambusia holbrooki) is native to the rivers draining the Gulf of Mexico, but it has been distributed worldwide to control mosquitoes. It was introduced into Australia in the 1920s, but has not been any more effective at controlling mosquitoes...
Horse Culling One of the proudest moments of the Sydney Olympic Games was the opening ceremony, when dozens of mounted stockmen rode into the stadium, each carrying an Australian flag. The notion of wild bush horses and brave mountain stockmen is one that is etched...