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Science & Nature

Science & Nature

Fruiting now: the yummy White Aspen

We are fortunate in the Illawarra region to have so many useful and edible native plants. First Nations Peoples have known of and used these plants for many generations, but we more recent arrivals can be unaware of the good things around. One such...

Science & Nature

Beetling About with parasite moths

With Australian Museum entomologist Dr Chris Reid Sometimes I see and photograph things that look vaguely odd, but I forget about them. Here’s one of those things. I photographed this small moth (about 5mm long) on our curtains a year ago. It was...

Science & Nature

Want to grow something special?

By John Elton of Illawarra Grevillea Park With housing blocks getting smaller so too are gardens. A need to maximise space means that owners have to be judicious and often creative about plant choice. But they still want something that is special or...

Science & Nature

Tree of the Month: Black She-oak

Wollongong area has two genera of species belonging to the Casuarinaceae family. There are three species of Allocasuarina and two of Casuarina, and they tend to grow in different soil types and conditions. The Allocasuarina littoralis grows along...

Science & Nature

Bird of the Month: Golden Whistler

The bird of the month for April is the Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis). This common whistler species mainly occurs in south-eastern Australia. It is abundant in the Illawarra and can be seen in a range of habitats, including eucalypt...

Science & Nature

What’s in a name? In this case, a marsupial mystery!

Kangaroo Vine (Cissus antarctica) is one of the commonest and most recognisable of our local rainforest vines. Its distinctive toothed leaves with obvious venation, and the coppery-brown colouration of new tendrils and leaf stems, are often visible...

Science & Nature

It’s great outdoors: Hewitts Creek Bushcare workers on why they volunteer

“It’s great being outdoors. I feel like I’m improving my local area. So many of us enjoy using the cycleway between Bulli and Thirroul, and appreciate the greenspace and the recognition of the Sandon Point Aboriginal Place. I love having the chance to build on previous community work to beautify a section of the Sandon Point bushland.” – Jane Morrison

Tyneesha Williams

Science & Nature

On the verge of a grassy revolution?

One of my quiet pleasures in life is walking or cycling around the Illawarra, and just checking out what plants are growing where. Local verges are a real revelation, as a wealth of local native species call them home. Local grasses in particular...

Science & Nature

We need to talk about outdoor cats

If you’d like to do your bit to create safe environments for our local native wildlife and birds, check out Hollow Log Homes

Science & Nature

A sting in the tail? Blue dragon nudibranchs wash ashore

I’m telling you, blue dragon nudibranchs bring people together. After finding her very first blue dragon (and then another and another) after the recent big seas, my friend excitedly sent me a photo and the location. While I was running and...

Amanda De George

Science & Nature

How volunteering at Bushcare led to a career in regeneration

Spending time in the bush has given Daniel Pritchard more than just a way to help the environment – it’s given him a real sense of purpose. Whether he’s pulling weeds or planting trees, the work is hands-on and deeply satisfying. “The world...

Science & Nature

Latest plant mystery: What’s going on with the Sassafras?

The beautiful Sassafras tree (Doryphora sassafras) is a distinctive and very common local rainforest tree of the escarpment. It is present in many areas along the slopes and benches, but particularly the steep upper slopes. These upper slopes run...

Science & Nature

Luxury hiking developments look picture-perfect, but could stop everyday Australians from accessing national parks

The number of Australians accessing national parks is growing. But society is changing and people are engaging with nature differently than they used to

The Conversation

Science & Nature

Happy National Eucalypt Day to the Grey Ironbark and other outstanding habitat trees

Last Sunday 23rd of March was National Eucalypt Day. There are events being held throughout March, right around Australia, to celebrate this absolutely iconic Australian group of plants. There are over 800 species of Eucalyptus, most of them only...

Science & Nature

Dear sea anemone, why are you so hard to pronounce? Also, why do you look like an anus?

I found out this week that I’ve been mispronouncing the name of one of my favourite marine creatures for my entire life. Comically, my husband, who is a high school teacher, corrected me after he himself was corrected by his 14-year-old student in...

Science & Nature

Beetling About: Try replicating Darwin’s experiments

I’ve just finished reading Charles Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle (1839) and The Origin of species by means of natural selection (1859). Darwin was a man with an interest in explaining the world around him, collecting and studying anything and...

Science & Nature

Flipping fantastic: How ORRCA helps save our seals

When a human raises a hand in the waves, it’s a signal for help. When a seal raises a flipper, it’s usually cooling down, but many people assume it’s in distress and ring ORRCA, as the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in...

Genevieve Swart

Meet Jan Arone, winner of the Dunecare Golden Trowel at Puckeys Bushcare

Most mornings, Jan Arone walks from Fairy Meadow Beach to the lighthouse, stopping for a coffee before heading back – a 6km round trip that keeps the energetic 85-year-old moving. But Thursdays are different. That’s when she leads the Bushcare...

Science & Nature

Native Tussock Grass: a biodiversity bonanza

Illawarra is a real biodiversity hotspot, with many thousands of native species calling this place home. What a privilege to live among them! We live in a local government area with over 2,000 native plant species, hundreds of native mammals, and...

Science & Nature

Helensburgh Glowworm Tunnel: should we be gatekeeping the gate?

I tend to err on the side of the dramatic when it comes to wildlife experiences, but some really do deserve the squeals that they induce; cicadas moulting out of their hard exoskeleton, fireflies floating by, their clear bright light signalling for...

Amanda De George

Science & Nature

The Grey Nurse Arc: Mystery of missing sharks

The sharks of Bushrangers Bay have returned as mysteriously as they disappeared! Phebe Fidge reports Beneath the swirling waters of Bushrangers Bay, rich kelp reefs bustle with fish and urchins. Purple sea squirts protrude like alien fingers from...

Science & Nature

Bird of the Month: Azure Kingfisher

March’s bird of the month is the Azure Kingfisher (Alcedo azurea)

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