Category: Native Fauna
Beware! Bearded Dragons use roads too!
— by Kate
Watch out for lizards on roads in the morning or early evening, and after dark on hot days. A work colleague at Low Ecological Services was driving to work one morning and stopped to remove Bearded Dragons from on the road, not just once, but three times. The eventful trip caused us to wonder about,
A boost to Bilby population numbers
— by Kate
On-ground action helps to increase population numbers of the critically endangered Bilby Following our article in the Land for Wildlife November newsletter about the ‘Bilby Blitz’, an innovative survey program run by Indigenous rangers in northern WA and the NT, we are pleased to report more news of positive on-ground action to help save Bilbies
Red Mulga Lerp
At a recent Land for Wildlife property assessment, I came across a great example of Red Mulga Lerp that I wanted to share with the members. Red Mulga Lerp (Austrotachardia acacia) is a structure produced by the larvae of ‘lac’ insects. The Red Mulga Lerp is found on Mulga (Acacia aneura) bushes and the crystallised
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
Goodbye, my Kindred Spirit
I feel like the Western Bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus guttatus) is my kindred spirit. Quirky, hops around making silly noises while trying to look serious, and generally collecting all manner of things to make a nice home. When I first arrived in Central Australia, I was living in Mutitjulu at the base of Uluru and working for
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
Property Profile: Olive Pink Botanic Garden
Note that sections of this article were written for the Australian Plants Society Alice Springs Inc. and the Alice Springs Field Naturalists Club as part of a joint walk of Olive Pink Botanic Garden the groups ran at the end of April. Regular visitors to Olive Pink Botanic Garden over the years will have noticed
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
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 Structure and Insulation of Avian Nests
Birds’ nests have evolved into many shapes and sizes, but they all function to provide a secure substrate for eggs and hatchlings, camouflage and defence from predators, as well as protect the eggs, hatchlings and incubating parent from harsh climatic conditions. My doctoral studies focused on understanding the factors influencing the structure and insulation of
Slater’s Skink – a Lesser-known Central Australian Resident
By Claire Treilibs Without fur, feathers, or large-adorable eyes, reptiles generally draw the short straw when it comes to popular appeal of our native critters. Some (mammal-centric) commentators might argue that reptiles lack charisma, but these scaly creatures have their own je ne sais quoi. A lesser-known central Australian resident is the endangered Slater’s skink
Book Launch: Reptiles and Frogs of Alice Springs
Land for Wildlife launched the second edition of Reptiles and Frogs of Alice Springs by Nic Gambold and Deborah Metters at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre this month. The launch was attended by 20 keen Land for Wildlife and Garden for Wildlife members, who were treated to a presentation by Rex Neindorf on the biology
World Wildlife Day Nature Journal Competition
The 3rd of March marks World Wildlife Day, which was proclaimed by the United Nations in 2013 as a day for the celebration of the world’s wild animals and plants. The theme for 2017 is “Listen to the Young Voices”, as there is a need to encourage young people, as the future decision makers of
Snakes Taking a Dip
By Jeremy Snowdon-James On a recent Low Ecological Services P/L field trip, out west of Alice Springs, we were lucky enough to come across two beautiful young snakes, a Desert Death Adder (Acanthophis Pyrrhus) and a Little Spotted Snake (Suta punctata); though at first glance we may have missed them both! We were alerted to
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
Arthropod Populations Swelling Following Rain
With all the rain we’ve had in central Australia over the last couple of months, the abundance of Arthropods (including insects, arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans) has gone through the roof. Once of the obvious examples that long-term residents may notice is the increase in the number of Golden Orb Weaving Spiders (Nephila edulis). These are