News
Domestic Cat Monitoring and Awareness Wrapping Up
The Domestic Cat Monitoring and Awareness in Alice Springs program is wrapping up for another round and the cats are exhausted from all their hard work recording where they go and what they see. The tracker data has been through the wringer! Maps have been produced showing where the cats go and what their hotspots
Cat Trapping Success
Feral cats have contributed to the disappearance of many ground dwelling birds and mammals in the arid zone and continue to threaten the success of recovery programs for endangered species. It’s therefore a service to the native animals of the region to trap any feral cats you find roaming your property. Land for Wildlife loan
Plant Scent: What’s That Smell?
The production of a scent by a flower is well-understood by many as a method of attracting birds, bats, butterflies, beetles, ants and various other invertebrates to the flower. The smell produced by a flower acts as an attractant, which is generally combined with a reward of nectar, and has the primary function of assisting
Plant Stowaways in Camel Harness
By Marg Friedel Back In March, Marg gave a talk to the Alice Springs Field Naturalists Club, which she called “Where did they come from and how did they get here? Examining the evidence for some familiar weeds of arid central Australia”. As part of her rummaging in the records of Australia’s Virtual Herbarium (AVH),
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
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
Biodiversity Matters: Buffel Busters Tour Video
Land for Wildlife assisted Arid Lands Environment Centre to run a Biodiversity Matters: Buffel Busters Tour on the 18th of February 2017. You can read more about the event at our Blog: Biodiversity Matters: Buffel Busters Tour of Alice Springs. Land for Wildlife were there to assist the Land for Wildlife properties to showcase the
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
In the Garden
By Candice Appleby All the rain we have been having of late has bought with it a burst of growth around the garden, which is great! But at times this can lead to unwanted over-hanging limbs, smaller shrubs becoming crowded or just an overall scruffy looking yard. Correct pruning techniques are essential to plant health
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
Biodiversity Matters: Buffel Busters Tour of Alice Springs
Land for Wildlife kicked off last weekend with its first collaborative workshop for 2017 – a Buffel Busters inspiration tour of Alice Springs. Arid Lands Environment Centre hosted the event as part of their Biodiversity Matters initiative, with Land for Wildlife supporting the tour to a range of Land for Wildlife properties and other local
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
Stinkhorn Bringing in the Crowds
The summer rains have brought up some unusual fungi around town, including this fragrant specimen, known as a Stinkhorn (possibly classified under the Phallus genus, though it hasn’t yet been identified to species – if you know what it is, get in touch!). The fungus popped up overnight and by the afternoon, it possessed a
Land for Wildlife Calendar 2017
Don’t miss all those important wildlife/environment holidays – grab the latest Land for Wildlife / Garden for Wildlife Calendar. Download the 2017 Calendar and print a copy for your home or office to keep track of your comings and goings!
A Colourful Tale (and Tail) of a Skink on the Prowl
I was lucky enough to come across a Three-spined Rainbow Skink (Carlia triacantha) resting on the warm paving tiles recently. They are often somewhat dull in colour, but some are striking with a bright blue head that is indicative of a breeding male. The darker tail in this case is due to regeneration, as it
New Viruses Offer Hope for Improved Rabbit Biocontrol
By Greg Mutze, Biosecurity SA About 6 years ago, two things happened that may ultimately lead to better biological control of rabbits in Australia. RHD Boost (K5) The first one was a plan developed by Australian rabbit researchers to look for new strains of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV, also known as RHDV1 or calicivirus) in
Variegated Fairy-wren Snapped Taking a Bath at the LFW Office
A Variegated Fairy-wren (Malurus lamberti) was snapped in a compromising position at the Land for Wildlife office. A group consisting of one male, a female and many juveniles (being a highly sociable species, this group structure is quite common) were seen fluttering about in a Witchetty Bush (Acacia kempeana) and Old Man Saltbush (Atriplex nummularia
Back Roads at Hermannsburg
See the Back Roads episode from Hermannsburg to see the Ntaria Junior Rangers at Palm Valley. LFW was there but missed the cut (we are in the background being semi-famous though). Great to support such a great ranger team! Head to ABC iView and *View the Episode.
TeeGee’s Escapades
Land for Wildlife was conducting trials this month with the GPS-trackers and video surveillance camera as part of the Domestic Cat Monitoring and Awareness in Alice Springs project. The first cat to trial the camera was TeeGee, an adventurous tabby moggy that was adopted by his owners’ pet duck (Scarfy and Friend), and has since