On Corals Spawning, and Lotus Lilies in Anderson Park Botanical Gardens, Townsville

At daybreak I walked in drizzle, the nagging calls of little corellas picking holes in the air. House sparrows chirped cheerfully, and a female eastern koel – her plumage all speckled brown and barr...

Cyclone Preparations, the Decade-long Drought, and Mosquito Manipulations

This morning, while I walked in Townsville’s Bicentennial Park, the sun rose above city and Ross River as an eye-searing ball of molten gold. Before noon, I rushed outdoors to snatch laundry off...

Aussie Frog Operas and Reptile Portraits

Again last evening, the sound of steady rain lulled me to sleep, as did soothing melodies sung by frogs ensconced in our yard. I’ve identified only three frog species  – green tree frog, orna...

A Closer Look

This morning, as I strolled the Ross River Parkway in Townsville, poincianas painted scarlet onto feathery green, and huge, bare sandbars lay exposed in the river. Clouds brooded overhead, only fragil...