Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Four-spotted Cup Moth

Larva of the Four-spotted Cup Moth Doratifera quadriguttata.
Land for Wildlife member Uwe Path has sent in another great photo from the ever-growing menagerie that can be found on his property. This caterpillar had us stumped initially but in the search for a positive identification, we found a very useful website.

The Coffs Harbour Butterfly House website has a resource for anyone trying to identify caterpillars, moths or butterflies. If you're ever trying to pin down the identity of a caterpillar in your yard try visiting http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/

The database here is by no means exhaustive but provides a fair cross-section of the more common species that you might come across.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Gardening may go to the very heart of what it means to be human.

The Radio National archives have served up the following morsel for all the gardeners out there. This interview with Robert Pogue Harrison on Late Night Live with Phillip Adams provides some interesting perspectives on gardens and gardening. The interview dates from 2009 and serves up some interesting food for thought.

Follow this link to download the entire interview.

Land for Wildlife Workshop: Rabbit Monitoring and Control - 10 am Saturday, 31st of March at Olive Pink Botanic Gardens

The infamous star of the show - Oryctolagus cuniculus. Pic. JJ Harrison
The 2012 series of Land for Wildlife workshops will commence on Saturday the 31st of March, with a workshop on rabbits and their control. The workshop will be held at Olive Pink Botanic Gardens in the meeting room beside the cafe. The information session will commence at 10am, and should run for about 20 minutes. The Land for Wildlife coordinators will be available after the information session for any questions relating to rabbits on your property.

Dr. Bill Low will be in attendance to provide an introduction to the history of rabbits and rabbit control measures in the NT.