Issues around the natural environment
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...
Native Bees There are over 2000 species of native bees, although only about 1700 have been named! The smallest is Cape York’s 2mm long Quasihesma bee, and the largest is the carpenter bee found in Queensland and northern New South Wales which can grow to 24mm...
Orb Weaving Spider Although spiders are unpopular with lots of people, they play a very important role in the garden. They assist in the pollination of plants, recycle dead plant and animal matter, and help to keep insect populations under control. John Dengate looked...
Recycling Don’s tip: it’s possible to recycle all sorts of organic matter (that’s anything that was once alive) in your garden. Add leaves, lawn clippings, kitchen scraps and even torn newspaper to the compost heap. Large items such as prunings and...
During a bushfire, some trees burn and fall over, but others don’t fall for hours or days later. Sometimes the trees are structurally weakened, like the hollow one shown in our segment. Other times the trees dry out and lose water pressure in the trunk or branches,...
Lightning Struck Gum Don looked at a gum tree (Eucalyptus nicholii) that was struck by lightning three weeks ago. The side of the tree that was struck is now completely dead, with a scar of exposed red brown bark from top to bottom. All the electrical equipment in an...
Mirage on the Road If you’ve ever thought you saw a pool of water or some dark shadows lying across the road on a hot, clear day, you’ve seen a mirage. Don explained what actually happens. On a hot, sunny day, the air just above a road heats up. As the air...
Burke’s Backyard visited Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, which has a clinic for the treatment of injured native wildlife. John Dengate talked to rehabilitation officer, Libby Hall, about a barn owl. After being hit by a car, the bird was receiving some tender,...
Save the Car You might think that getting rid of your old petrol guzzling vehicle and replacing it with a brand new, fuel-efficient car would be a good thing to do to help the environment. Not so, says science reporter Graeme Quirk. It’s true that a new vehicle...