video Science & Nature A rare corpse flower and why it’s okay to do your nature watching online Putricia can be visited from 8am until 6pm daily. Once she blooms, Palm House will be open until midnight the following day. Amanda De George January 2025
video Science & Nature Beer traps and other snail remedies Prompted by readers who reported snails were infesting their gardens and their letterboxes – even eating this magazine! – we asked Merilyn House of Helensburgh Landcare for tips. Is your garden being overcome by snails? Are snails eating your... Merilyn House January 2025
video Science & Nature Tree of the Month: Tree Heath On Friday, December 13, Kieran’s Banksia Bushcare group took home the 2024 Fostering Community Spirit Award at Wollongong City Council’s volunteer recognition ceremony at the Fraternity Club in Fairy Meadow. Read the full story here Kieran Tapsell January 2025
video Science & Nature Bird of the Month: Topknot pigeon The bird of the month for January is the Topknot Pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus), a unique-looking large pigeon species occurring along the eastern coast of Australia. This species is frequently seen in large flocks feeding on fruiting trees high... Ewan Auld January 2025
video Science & Nature The joys of nature watching Oh what a difference a month can make. In the December edition I wrote about a nest of Tawny Frogmouths, the much-loved, odd-looking nocturnal birds, that appeared across the road. As chicks, these birds are even more hilariously funny looking... Amanda De George January 2025
video Science & Nature Dr Rip’s Science of the Surf: What’s that beacon? Ultimately though, when it comes to beach and rock platform safety, anything helps. You can find NSW ERB locations on the Surf Life Saving website Prof Rob Brander December 2024
video Science & Nature Tree of the Month: Brown Beech Kieran Tapsell of Banksia Bushcare shares his local tree of the month Brown Beech (Pennantia cunninghamii) can be found throughout the Illawarra. It has distinctive alternative, oval shaped, bright green leaves, with undulating margins. It is often... Kieran Tapsell December 2024
video Science & Nature Bird of the Month: Crimson Rosella The bird of the month is the Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans), a colourful member of the parrot family found throughout south-eastern Australia. In the Illawarra, they favour woodland and forested areas dominated by eucalyptus trees but will... Ewan Auld December 2024
video Science & Nature A classy grass showing off right now Right now many local grasses are looking simply spectacular. I’ve previously featured the Native Sorghum (S. leiocladum), Basket Grass (Oplismenus sp.), Pygmy Panic (Panicum pygmaeum) and the Love Grasses (Eragrostis species) and they’re all doing... Emma Rooksby December 2024
video Science & Nature Flooding and Illawarra’s native vegetation High rainfall events and flooding are regular occurrences in the Illawarra region, as in many parts of the world. The last four years have included three very wet summers (due to influences such as La Niña phase of the El Niño-La Niña Seasonal... Emma Rooksby December 2024
video Science & Nature Births, deaths and marriages: the perils of nature watching You’ve heard it, I’ve said it, we all know that spending time in nature is good for us. But as I spent the last few days on tenterhooks, using my camera’s telephoto lens as proxy binoculars, watching a tawny frogmouth family of four swiftly... Amanda De George December 2024
video Science & Nature Author Leon Fuller reveals Flame Tree secrets after bumper spring The vibrant Illawarra Flame Tree (Brachychiton acerifolius) has flowered in abundance this past spring. Writer of ‘Wollongong’s Native Trees’ and local expert Leon Fuller shared some lesser-known information about the iconic Australian trees... Tyneesha Williams December 2024
video Science & Nature Where have all the Christmas beetles gone? To add this season’s Christmas beetle sighting to the project, head to iNaturalist, the Christmas Beetle Count Amanda De George December 2024
video Science & Nature Wake up and smell the Coffee Bush! In fruit right now is one of the most common and widespread local shrubs of the Illawarra region: the Coffee Bush (Breynia oblongifolia). And it’s looking spectacular!! The foliage and ripe fruit of the Coffee Bush (Breynia oblongifolia). Perhaps... Emma Rooksby December 2024
video Science & Nature Frequent Visitor Award goes to Shark #1901 This is the second of my 2024 reports on detections of tagged sharks by our listening station off Stanwell Park. Most detection notifications supply the date and location the shark was first tagged and the date and location of the previous detection... Duncan Leadbitter December 2024
video Science & Nature Here come the cicadas: Don’t miss summer’s best show There’s a pulsating shriek, the call of dozens of cicadas yelling into the heat of the early summer morning. Their big, fat bodies thud against the house before careening back off into the sky. Many become food for our local growing family of... Amanda De George December 2024
video Science & Nature Fruiting now: the Cheese Tree The Cheese Tree (Glochidion ferdinandi) is a lovely thing, particularly at the moment when many plants are in full fruit and covered in their colourful pinkish-red, very vaguely cheese-like capsules. Cheese Trees are some of the most widespread... Emma Rooksby December 2024
video Science & Nature Deer damage Helensburgh Bushcare site For 30 years now, Helensburgh & District Landcare Group has been removing weeds and planting trees and shrubs at Helensburgh Creek. Those trees that were planted between 25 and 30 years ago are now, mostly, mature trees. We occasionally had deer... Merilyn House December 2024
video Science & Nature Corals of our Coast: Dive into the Illawarra By Phebe Fidge If you thought corals were warm-water spectacles exclusive to distant underwater seascapes, think again. Shellharbour scuba instructor Bob McKee has corrected many a tourist who’s assumed it’s too cold for corals on the South Coast... The Illawarra Flame December 2024
video Photo Feature Flame Trees in Flower Scroll through the gallery above to see the flowers that make up the ‘flame’. Tyneesha Williams November 2024
video Science & Nature The magic in Macquarie Pass and why you shouldn’t miss it I’m not a huge fan of the dark. Sure, I love wandering around my yard at night, especially as the weather warms and the cicadas start to emerge, shirking off their hard shells and transforming before my eyes. I love wandering down the street... Amanda De George November 2024
video Science & Nature Resilient native meadows can cope with wet and dry I’ve written about many of Illawarra’s local native ground covers, grasses and ferns. Individually each species has its appealing (or not-so-appealing) features, and environmental preferences, with everything from grasses that prefer to grow in mud... Emma Rooksby November 2024
