Plants and Animals

How old was our eucalypt when it died in 2008? Although frequently promoting trees as evidence of current climate change, it’s been my view for a while that the science of “dating” any specimen’s history via its growth rings, must account for … [Read more...] about Truth in Tree Rings – A Note from Gavin

All good things must come to an end. Yesterday the tree surgeons moved in with their trucks, cherry picker and mobile chipper but the birds had moved back. A hasty roadside conference followed phone calls to base and several door knockings. The high … [Read more...] about Changing Habitat Part 2 – A Note from Gavin

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A federal judge has ordered the Interior Department to decide within 16 days whether polar bears should be listed as a threatened species because of global warming. The ruling is a victory for conservation groups that claim the … [Read more...] about Greenpeace Attempts Polar Bears Listing to Prevent Alaskan Oil Drilling

A former resident of Canberra complained today on talkback radio about how the city had become “tatty” during her brief absence. Apparently her family now lives somewhere up the north coast and have green lawns. The difference I reckoned was that the … [Read more...] about Changing Habitat – A Note from Gavin

Funny, the things that you see in nature, like this humanoid face on the cephalothorax of a golden orb-weaver, Nephila pilipes. I have previously described aspects of this spectacular species of spider, here and here. With this instalment, the … [Read more...] about Oh, what a golden web she weaves (part III)

“This due to their campaigns against whaling and sealing. Their campaigns are against a reasonable and sustainable harvesting of marine resources," states the Head of the Norwegian Fishermen’s Union, Reidar Nilsen, yesterday in paper, Fiskeribladet … [Read more...] about Norwegian Fishermen’s Union: NGOs a Threat to the World’s Food Resources – A Note From Ann Novek