Category Archives: Nature Observations

Heave ho! Weightlifter goes for gold

Posted on 3 August, 2014 by fobif

You often see fungi thrusting up through soil crust, but mushrooms heaving rocks out of the way are less common. The photo below shows one such effort. We weighed the stone at 725 grams! Fungi often perform remarkable weightlifting feats. … Continue reading →

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Why we should like ants

Posted on 10 July, 2014 by fobif

‘I like ants and this talk is about why you should like ants.’ That’s how entomologist Alex Wild started his talk to his audience of 140 at the Newstead Landcare event on Sunday. In a hugely entertaining talk, peppered with … Continue reading →

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Celebrating Australia

Posted on 25 January, 2014 by fobif

We don’t want to enter the debates that sometimes swirl around Australia Day. But here’s something Australian we can definitely celebrate: a small group of Silver Banksias flourishing near Forest Creek in Happy Valley. Readers of our October 2013 Post … Continue reading →

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Jaw breaker

Posted on 7 November, 2013 by fobif

Walkers in the local bush from Fryers Ridge to Porcupine Ridge and up to Castlemaine have recently been noticing a beautiful small moth hovering around spring flowers. Its very challenging name is Pollanisus viridipulverulenta–apparently we can blame the name on … Continue reading →

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Butterflies feeding on sap

Posted on 6 April, 2013 by fobif

Tony Morton has sent us these observations of butterflies in Kalimna Park. The photos were taken on the west side of Kalimna, in the Castlemaine Copper patch, just above the bench, in mid-April 2012. He plans to look to see if … Continue reading →

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