The return to cooler nights and mornings heralds the turn of season. Autumn is upon us. The little birds, silver-eyes, are enjoying the cool mornings and evenings as they zip through the garden. Some even stop off for a bite to eat. Hey, little bird, that’s my fig! Read more
I would like to thank Margaret for the Ragtag Daily Prompt today. Her prompt is iridescence. She posted a lovely photo of a beetle that looked very like the golden stag beetle. So I thought I would join in with a couple of iridescent beetle photos of my own, as well as a bird photo for good measure. Read more
My February Changing Seasons post will be divided into two parts. Part 1 contains the serious environmental message. Part 2 is more lighthearted.
This post contains images that may distress some viewers. Read more
My February Changing Seasons post will be divided into two parts. Part 1 covers the serious stuff. Part 2 will be more lighthearted.
February – in the dying days of summer, danger lurks.
The shrill wind blew of the calamity to come.
But no one was listening.
Did you know that the UN declared 2010 to 2020 the Decade for Deserts and has called for urgent action to fight against desertification? The main reasons are land-clearing for agriculture, over-grazing and other land uses (eg. mining), unsustainable land management practices and climate change. In a vicious cycle, degraded lands hold less carbon and less surface moisture. It is estimated that it takes 1000 years to generate 3 cm of topsoil and if the current rate of soil degradation continues, all the world’s topsoil could be gone within 60 years. No topsoil. No life. Read more
I remember vividly that freezing cold day in 1991 when I went to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. It was more than the cold that sent shivers down my spine. There was no-one else there. Just us. We were so small next to that massive geological formation. I thought I would never see anything like it again, especially not in my own country.
Smaller in scale, but just as awe-inpiring. In Gamilaroi Country. Read more
Once upon a time, yellow box and red gum grassy woodlands stretched from Toowoomba to Victoria (Australia), providing a continuous wildlife corridor 100-150 kilometres in width and 1,500 km in length. Since colonisation, vast swathes of grassy woodland have been cleared for agriculture. Now there may be as little as 1-5 percent remaining. most of which has been modified in some way by grazing. Many birds and animals have become trapped in isolated communities, reducing valuable genetic diversity and leaving them vulnerable to threats of local habitat loss. It is not surprising then, that yellow box and red gum grassy woodlands have been declared a critically endangered ecological community. Read more
In 2003, bush-fires ravaged the old Nil Desperandum homestead. After the fires, the historic rammed-earth cottage was re-built to the original 1896 design. Nil Desperandum forms part of the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve (near Canberra). Amidst the devastation wrought by the fires, a part of a commercial camellia plantation somehow managed to survive. Surrounded by dense bush on all sides, it truly is a miracle garden. Read more
I would like to thank Frank at Dutch Goes the Photo for his Tuesday word prompt, crawl. It allows me to post about something near and dear to my heart. Yes, I know. Everything is near and dear to my heart, but that can’t be a bad thing surely? You have probably all seen the news this week about a recent insect study review. The review found that insect numbers have plummeted, experiencing a 2.5% loss per year. Now one can argue about the rate of decline, whether it can be applied uniformly across the globe and to all insects, but one thing is clear, our insect population is in trouble. Read more
Today I have some clandestine photos to share with you, dear Readers. Provided on a need-to-know basis. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. The subjects are well camouflaged.
I recently went on a short walk with my son for the purpose of some online activity. Suddenly I heard the unmistakable sound of a bird of prey. “What was that?” I exclaimed. “Oh yeah,” my son said, “two sparrow-hawks nest in those pine trees over there.” To say I was indignant, Ladies and Gentlemen, was a total understatement. I demanded to know why this information had been withheld from me. Was the information top-secret, only to be disclosed to those who ‘need-to-know’? Well, no. He just forgot. Can you really believe that? Read more
In the interests of posting more flower photos and sharing memories, I present to you some rose photos.
I have four lovely rose bushes at my house. All but one was given to us. One by our mum/mum-in-law — a treasured possession. Friends gave us another (Homage to Barbara) when she (the mother-in-law, not the friend) died. Ever practical, like the woman herself, the flower heads just drop off when they are done. Barb would have appreciated the joke. The third rose was also given to us by a friend. It was one of the roses planted in the Rose Gardens at Old Parliament House (Canberra), but it was culled from the garden to make way for more healthy stock. Their loss, our gain, don’t you think? Read more
Reflections of An Untidy Mind 