Category: Biodiversity
Keeping an Eye on Invertebrates: Spider Wasps
By Caragh Heenan Spider Wasps (Family: Pompilidae) are, as their name suggests, a family of Wasps that prey on Spiders (Order: Araneae). There are four subfamilies, including Ceropalinae, Ctenocerinae, Pepsinae, and Pompilinae, where coloration and wing appearance vary greatly among the many species. They are solitary Wasps that are native to Australia, and despite using
Dormancy Schmormancy
By Caragh Heenan I was talking recently to a Land for Wildlife member about why there aren’t any reptiles around in the cooler weather and this sparked the thought that while most of us know about the fact that reptiles are cold-blooded and therefore may slow down in winter, not many people know about the
Property Profile: Bruce and Meg Simmons
Bruce and Meg Simmons moved to Schaber Road in 1993, initially moving into a shed while the house construction was being completed. As an avid gardener, Bruce has been working tirelessly to remove weeds from their 2.0 hectare property ever since. Bruce was ‘Buffel busting’ within the year—beginning with the western (roadside) portion of the
A Buffel Grass Story
By Des Nelson Having recently heard the sometimes repeated view that CSIRO was responsible for the invasion of Buffel Grass in central Australia, I would like to present some observations of my own. I do not write of hearsay. I had first-hand experience of all places and events here described. In the early 1950’s I
Barking Curiosities
Bark is a non-technical term for the layers of tissue outside the vascular cambium of a tree, woody vine or shrub. The purpose of bark is to protect the tree against sun damage, fire, invertebrates, bacteria and fungi. Bark is made up of two components – the inner bark (living tissue composed of the innermost
Biodiversity Survey with the Tjuwanpa Women Rangers
Land for Wildlife has been engaging with the Tjuwanpa Women Rangers for many years now, providing support for on-ground work and facilitating workshops with the Ntaria Junior Rangers. In early April, Land for Wildlife helped the Women Rangers to discover the wildlife in the region by conducting a short biodiversity survey, as well as assist
Bagworms: A Case of Invertebrate Fever
Bagworm Moths or Case Moths belong to the family Psychidae. They are ranked in the Tineoidea with the family Coleophoridae (also known as Case Moths), though this latter family generally build with silk alone and have females that develop wings following pupation, unlike the females of Psychidae. The Psychidae adult female is largely wingless (has
Mist Netting and Bird Banding Workshop
As part of National Bird Week 2017 (inspired by the Birdlife Australia Aussie Backyard Bird Count), Land for Wildlife conducted a mist netting workshop for members on a rural property in White Gums. Bird banding is an activity that requires the bander to be trained to handle birds and trap them in an ethical and
Bird Bath Biodiversity Survey 2017
Land for Wildlife has conducted biodiversity surveys on member properties since 2007. They are an important tool in determining the success of land management activities carried out and to create a better understanding of species population dynamics in areas of mixed land use. The information gathered from the surveys adds to the knowledge of species
Property Planning for Wildlife
We all love the plants, animals and other aspects of the natural world that we are surrounded with and want to learn how to protect them – the best that we can. You can aim as high as you like – or as humble as you like. Just do what you can. At the basic
Building Bat Boxes
By John Tyne (Parks and Wildlife Commission NT) John Tyne (Parks and Wildlife Commission NT) and Erin Westerhuis (Charles Darwin University) gave an excellent presentation and workshop on bat boxes at the Land for Wildlife birthday event recently. Here, John gives some hints and tips on how to create bat boxes of your own. Thanks for
Land for Wildlife and Garden for Wildlife Central Australia: Celebrating 15 years of Wildlife Habitat Preservation, Enhancement and Restoration
Land for Wildlife is celebrating 15 years of the program in central Australia, and Garden for Wildlife is celebrating 10 years of the program! We hope that the two complementary programs have been beneficial to our members and we look forward to continuing to support local landholders to preserve, enhance and restore wildlife habitat on
The Impact of Wildfire in Central Australia
Fire has been an integral part of central Australian arid ecosystems for thousands of years. Fire is used by humans as a hunting aid, for signalling presence, for warmth and for cooking. Fire has a positive effect on germination of ephemeral plants, and is also known to be important for germination of many tough-coated seeding
National Tree Day Festivities
By Candice Appleby To celebrate National Tree Day on Sunday 30th July, the Land for Wildlife team hosted an official launch of the new online interactive Central Australia Register of Significant Trees map. Thanks to the support from Territory Natural Resource Management, Olive Pink Botanic Gardens and Low Ecological Services P/L. It was a lovely
A Selection of Grasses from Central Australia
For those that attended the Biodiversity Matters: Buffel Busters Tour of Alice Springs, you may be familiar with the booklet that we have been developing—A Selection of Grasses from Central Australia (yet to be formally titled). The information used was sourced from an excellent online resource called AusGrass2, in combination with 30 grass samples collected
Frog Frenzy for World Wetlands Day
Land for Wildlife went along to the Territory NRM World Wetlands Day Event on February 1st at Simpsons Gap and were delighted to see all the frogs that have emerged following recent rains. Three species were present at the TNRM hosted event, including the Centralian Tree Frog (Litoria gilleni), Red Tree Frog (Litoria rubella) and
Bird Breeding Bonanza
Many avian species are breeding in town at the moment, with young chicks and fledglings making their way out into the world. Several Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles) chicks and Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) cygnets have been seen at the Alice Springs sewerage treatment ponds over the last couple of months. In my own yard, I
Parks and Wildlife NT Lorikeet Survey
By John Tyne On September 28th, eight volunteers assisted Parks and Wildlife to conduct a census of introduced Rainbow Lorikeets in Alice Springs. The volunteers came from a number of organizations including Birdlife Central Australia, Alice Springs Field Naturalist Club and Land for Wildlife. Thirty nine locations were surveyed for rainbow lorikeets, with volunteers recording
Air Bee n Bee: Creating Hotels for Native Pollinators
Spring is here and gardens are a buzz! Insects play an important role in the environment as pollinators and nutrient recyclers. While it is easy to get carried away with the huge role that introduced European Honeybees (Apis mellifera) play in pollinating crops, there are many more species of native solitary bees (harmless and non-aggressive)
A Month for Considering the World Around Us
September has seen a host of days dedicated to recognising the world around us – National Wattle Day, National Threatened Species Day, National Bilby Day and National Landcare Week. September is also Biodiversity month! Residents of Alice Springs are fortunate to live in such a unique region with undeveloped landscapes on our doorstep, threatened species