Sterculius was the Roman god for manure heaps! This plant has the botanical name Sterculia quadrifida. It's common name is Peanut tree. Apparently the botanical name comes from the odour of the leaves and flowers, although I cannot really smell anything odd! The flowers are fairly inconspicuous, being a creamy colour. This is in stark contrast to the magnificent fruit. As you can see the shiny black seeds are held inside a brilliant orange capsule. They are quite striking. The fruit is said to be edible, raw or roasted and reputedly tastes a bit like peanuts. With any "bush tucker" I advise caution...if you are unsure of the species, leave it alone!  More >>

In a blog post I wrote in April I took a photograph of a snake near my shed, which was a freshwater snake [Tropidonophis mairii], sometimes called a keelback. A friend sent me two photos yesterday which were much better than mine! I mentioned in April that freshwater snakes seem to be able to eat cane toads [Bufo marinus] with impunity.  More >>

Snow wood s a much better common name than Stinkwood!
Stinkwood is the unflattering name given to Pararchidendron pruinosum, and I prefer snow wood, which aptly describes the flowers when they first appear. "Stinkwood" refers to the smell given when the tree is cut down... all the better reason to leave it alone!  More >>

Fungi are really important. Worldwide, fungi are the second largest group of living organisms...second only to insects. It is estimated that there are over 1,500,000 species, of which only 5 % have been described. This is just one fact I learnt at a recent Biodiversity workshop help in Brisbane. The speaker was Patrick Leonard, President of the Queensland Mycological Society, a most entertaining and knowledgeable speaker. I wanted to share some of Partick's insights with the blogosphere.  More >>

We  bang on a lot about weeds...[well I do...!].. .but why? Sure they can be a nuisance...like cobblers pegs getting stuck in your socks...but do they really cause a problem? We do know that weeds cost Australians lots of money in control and lost production...it is generally agreed that weeds cost the agricultural sector alone over 4 billion dollars per year. Certain species of weeds do not get a great deal of publicity, but have a serious effect on our nations biodiversity. Weeds can been loosely defined as "a plant growing where it is not wanted". This works, but I tend to think a weed is serious when it upsets the balance of an ecosystem. Weeds behave much like a school bully...they out-compete our native plants and can easily form mono-cultures. More >>

This butterfly is fairly common in our region. It is black & white on the upper surface, and yellow-orange, black & white underneath. It is around 50mm in width. It is particularly common west of the Great Dividing Range, but still comes to the coast on occasion  More >>

In our region the most commonly encountered water lilies are ...  More >>

Terry Stokes, a volunteer at Noosa & District Landcare's Riparian Nursery has a keen eye for things natural. Particularly for new and interesting creatures. Terry found this little fella a few weeks ago, and brought him [her?] in for me to have a look at. I have seen plenty of these guys at the nursery during my time here. They tend to be under the bark of logs or under rocks. More >>