Last week I visited the new Minerals Exhibition at the Australian Museum. It was amazing to see the minerals collection on display again. All my old favourite specimens were back along with new specimens and interactives.
I have loved rocks and minerals my whole life and started my rock collection when I was 4 years old. Thankfully it has improved in quality since then and I have moved past painting river stones in my backyard.
One of my favourite objects from the old museum’s display has always been a large Molybdenite specimen. Molybdenite is extremely soft with a metallic luster.
I would talk about that specimen when I took highlight tours as a volunteer at the Australian Museum over 25 years ago. I loved that is was a metal, but very soft and that one of its uses was as an industrial lubricant. There are so many other stories connected with the amazing mineral collection and my time at the museum. It was an honour to be able share my passion with visitors for so many years.
If you don’t already have one, I challenge you to find your favourite rock or mineral. Why not start your search at your local natural history museum and find your passion.
If you are in Sydney check out the new minerals exhibition at the Australian Museum. A visit to this new exhibition is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon or explore with the kids school holidays.
Coastcare Week 2022 is about discovering what you can do to help protect our coasts and marine environments. Australian Environmental Education has a range of free resources to show what you can do to help protect our coasts, no matter where you live across Australia.
Where the rivers meet the sea
Explore of the interactions between the land and sea. Eighty-five percent of Australians live within 50km of the coast. This session looks at the waste that washes downstream in our catchments, the impacts it has on our estuaries, wetlands and coastal areas where the rivers meets the sea.
Take a journey beneath the waves with Karen from Australian Environmental Education to explore Australia’s amazing marine life. Discover different marine habitats and the animals that live there.
Recognise Coastcare Week by learning how you can conduct a beach survey. Our coasts are impacted by our actions on land. Rubbish and microplastics can be found washed up on almost every Australian beach. Join Karen from Australian Environmental Education to learn more about micro plastics and how to conduct a beach survey.
Detail of hands holding colander with microplastics on the beach
Coastcare Week is about working together to care for our coastal and marine environments. Our coasts are impacted by our actions on land. Rubbish and microplastics can be found washed up on almost every Australian beach. These are great activities to do with your high school students.
The Beach Survey provides a starting point to understand the types of rubbish in the marine environment.
In Australia we know it is summer when the Cicadas starts their chorus. Cicadas are the loudest insects in the world and emerge from their underground world in late spring and summer. The peak Cicada season is November and December.
Red Eye Cicada Psaltoda moerens
Cicadas spend most of their life underground with many large Australian species living underground as nymphs for around 6-7 years. This is why in certain years some species are more abundant than others, there is often peaks every few years.
Listen out for the sounds of cicadas and keep an eye out for their exoskeletons on trees, walls, fences and shrubs.
The life of an adult cicada is very short, lasting only a few weeks. The female cicada lays its eggs by piercing plant stems and inserting the eggs into the slits it has made. The eggs hatch and are small, wingless nymphs. They fall to the ground and burrow below the surface. They live on the sap from plant roots and when the nymph reaches full size it digs its way to the surface. The nymphs then climbs on to a tree trunk or other object and sheds its skin for the last time. The fully-winged adult cicada which emerges leaves its old empty skin behind.
Australia has an estimated 750 to 1000 species of cicada
Only male cicadas sing. They do this in an attempt to find a mate.
Different species have different songs to attract only their own kind.
Adult cicadas have short lives, usually only a few weeks.
Most of their lives are spent as nymphs underground. For some species this can be up to several years.
Cicadas feed only on plant sap using their piercing, sucking mouthparts.
Cicadas feed on a huge range of plants, including eucalypts and grasses.
Birds, bats, spiders, wasps, ants, mantids and tree crickets all prey on cicadas.
I heard a weird cicada sound during a walk around the Badu Wetlands in Sydney Olympic Park. As I got closer, I discovered a Praying Mantis devouring a cicada.
If you love cicadas too follow Cicadarama. They are an Australian-based project focused on learning about the lives of cicadas. They need your help, become a Citizen Scientist and log your Cicada sighting. https://www.cicadarama.com/
FrogID Week 2022 is on between 11 – 20 November. This is the fifth FrogID Week and you can get involved. Australia is home to about 240 species of native Amphibians, all of which are frogs. In urban areas, human development has reduced the natural habitat available to frogs. FrogID Week is a great way to learn about frogs living in your backyard.
Peron’s Tree FrogGreen Tree FrogCommon Eastern FrogletStriped Marsh Frog
Help to record frog calls during FrogID Week using the free app and uncover which frogs live in your backyards, local parks and bushlands. Your recording can help identify changes to local frog populations and inform frog conservation across Australia. Download the free FrogID app today and help us count Australia’s frogs.
Watch the Focus on Frogs video to find out more about Frogs.
You can create a frog friendly garden
Frogs are very sensitive to water loss because their skin is permeable. This also means Frogs are really sensitive to chemicals. Frogs can end up absorbing chemicals that could harm or potentially even kill them. Pesticides can also deplete the frogs’ food source.
You can encourage frogs to come to live and breed in your backyard by creating a frog friendly garden. Create a small shallow pond in an area that is partly shaded or install a Frog Hotel.
Reducing chemicals use in your garden
Creating a Frog Habitat
Be patient and wait, if you build it they will come
Use FrogID to research the frogs that are found in you local area. This will help you work out what kind of habitat will suit your backyard best.
You can use PVC pipe to create a habitat for tree frogs. Frog Tubes are an easy way to provide somewhere safe for tree frogs to live too. Use a 1 metre length of PVC pipe and stick the base in the ground to tie them to a tree. It provides a really moist environment for tree frogs to hide in.
A Frog Hotel is a great option for tree frogs and provide them a safe place to hide during the day. Check out the video below for step by step instructions on how ro make a Frog Hotel.
Discover more about Frogs and some of their amazing adaptions. There are also lots of information to create a frog friendly backyard in your area.
Today is Threatened Species Day and it is a day to raise awareness of plants and animals at risk of extinction. Threatened Species Day is also significant for me as it is the anniversary of Australian Environmental Education which I started in 2019. The last 3 years have been full of many challenges and thankfully many rewarding experiences.
In the last 3 years I have written almost 160 webpages and 70 blog posts. I have really enjoyed creating all the content for the website and to see the information being used by so many people. There have been over 175,000 visitors viewing 300,000 pages and over 8 million impressions on Google.
The What’s in your Backyard series of videos on YouTube have been watched over 20,000 times. These videos are especially popular at the moment with people wanting to connect with their local environment.
I have been delivering onsite and online programs to councils, schools, vacation care centres and students learning from home. Since starting Australian Environmental Education 3 years ago I have delivered over 350 programs reaching over 50,000 students.
I was also recently awarded one of the top sustainability blogs of 2022 by Twinkl Education. It was great to have all the hard work over the last 3 years recognised and to know that the blogs, resources and activities are utilised.
Threatened Species Day is recognised across the Australia on 7 September every year to raise awareness of plants and animals at risk of extinction. Threatened Species Day acknowledges the death of the last remaining Thylacine, Tasmanian tiger at Hobart Zoo in 1936. It is a day to reflect on what you can do to make a difference, the future is in your hands.
Australia is home to more than 500,000 animal and plant species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. Over the last 240 years, more than 100 animal and plant species have become extinct. 1,800 animals and plants are at risk of extinction and many are iconic Australian species including east coast koalas and the greater glider.
Threatened Species Day is a time to focus on or native plants, animals, and ecosystems and look at how we can protect them into the future. Encouraging wildlife into your backyard by creating a sanctuary for native animals is a great way to start.
The What’s in your Backyard series of videos on YouTube can help you connect with your local environment. Remember just to look and listen to the world around you and you will be surprised about that you might find!
World Environment Day is celebrated every 5th of June and this years theme is “Only One Earth” with the focus on “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”.
“Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature” has also been a key focus of mine since starting Australian Environmental Education. I believe you can make a difference today with every choice you make.
There are many ways that you can help to conserve Australia’s environment and be more sustainable. Think about the choices you make every day; how do you get to school, what do you put in the bin, how long was your shower today, did you remember the reusable bag for the shopping?
Help restore your local ecosystem this World Environment day with these great activities. Creating a Wildlife Habitat is a 5 part program that can help you plan and plant a wildlife habitat at your school, home or local area.
In urban areas, human development has reduced the natural habitat available to frogs. The Focus on Frogs workshop provides information and skills that will enable you to discover what frogs live in your backyard or local area.
Minibeasts in your Garden explores the diverse world of minibeasts. Discover why minibeasts are important and learn how find them in your garden or local park. The program will help you to identify common groups of backyard minibeasts and provides information and skills to conduct your own minibeasts investigation.
You don’t see many of the animals that live in your local area because they are nocturnal. Often it is the Noises in the Night that give us a clue to the nocturnal species that are living in our local area.
SeaWeek is a campaign to focus community awareness, provide information and encourage an appreciation of the sea. The dates are on 5 – 13 March 2022 and this years theme is Our SEArch – what will you discover?. The theme is based on the Ocean Literacy Principle that the Ocean is largely unexplored.
Key marine environments; ocean, coral reef and mangroves
I relate to this years theme as I love exploring the coastline and below the oceans waves. There is always so much to discover if you look. I have a range of resources to learn more about our marine world and for your to discover something new this SeaWeek.
FREE On Demand session
My Journey Beneath the Waves takes you and your students on an exploration of the marine environment. The temperate waters around Sydney are home to a variety of habitats including kelp beds and sponge gardens. These are wonderful place to dive and discover the diversity of animals that live there.
I talk about my experiences SCUBA diving and take you on a journey beneath the waves to explore this wonderful world.
Education Resources
Oceans contain the greatest diversity of life on Earth. Habitats range from the freezing polar regions to the warm waters of the coral reefs, deep sea hydrothermal vents to shallow seagrass beds and beautiful sponge gardens to giant kelp forests, marine organisms are found everywhere.
Australia is home to the over 10,000 beaches and no part of Australia is more than 1,000km from the ocean. Our coasts are impacted by our actions on land. Rubbish and microplastics can be found washed up on almost every Australian beach.
Pollution and rubbish get washed into our rivers and waterways with stormwater runoff and end up on our coasts and oceans. Over 75% of this rubbish is plastic. Plastics in the environment can take hundreds of years to break down, thereby impacting marine species for generations.
The Beach Survey provides a starting point to understand the types of rubbish in the marine environment.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated on 2 February every year. It is time for everyone to understand the importance of wetlands. This years theme is ‘Wetlands Action for People and Nature’. It’s an appeal to invest financial, human and political capital to save the world’s wetlands from disappearing and to restore those we have degraded..
Why are Wetlands important for Biodiversity?
Wetlands are important because 40% of the world’s plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands. Over 100,000 freshwater species have been identified in wetlands. Wetlands absorb and store water and help remove pollutant from our water.
Did you know?
Coastal wetlands are among the most biologically diverse places on earth
Coral Reef and Mangrove forest protect coastlines from storm surges
Wetlands are vanishing three times faster than forests with 35% disappearing since the 1970s. The causes of wetland loss include:
Drainage and infilling for agriculture and construction
Pollution
Overexploitation of resources including overfishing
Invasive species
Climate change
Since 1970 populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles have declined by 60%. There has also been a decline of 81% of inland wetland species and 36% of coastal and marine species. A staggering 25% of wetland species are considered to be threatened with extinction, including water birds, freshwater dependent mammals, marine turtles, and coral reef building species.
Wetlands are areas of land saturated or flooded with water permanently or seasonally.
There are amazing wetlands to explore in the middle of Sydney.
Sydney Olympic Parks is an urban oasis connecting people with nature. This is a great place to explore to understand the importance of wetlands for biodiversity.
Frog Walk
The Frog Walk takes you to frog ponds, frog underpasses and even frog fencing at Wentworth Common and Kronos Hill. You can also visit the Brickpit Ring Walk too see the most significant habitat for the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog. Remember healthy frogs are an indicator of healthy ecosystems.
Narrawang Wetland
Meander along walking paths and a reed-fringed boardwalk to observe the habitat that supports a colony of the endangered Green and Golden Bell frogs and other frog species.
Badu Mangrove Boardwalk
Stroll the winding timber boardwalk in Bicentennial Park and you’ll discover surviving riverside wetlands that shelter colourful waterbirds plus the largest mangrove forest remaining on the Parramatta River.
Waterbird Refuge at Bicentennial Park
Walk up to the Waterbird Refuge significant waterbird habitat with a high abundance and diversity of resident and migratory birds. Together with the surrounding mangrove forest, the wetland is listed as a ‘Wetland of National Importance’ by the Commonwealth Government because of its high ecological values.
Take part in Australia’s biggest frog count during FrogID Week. Frog ID Week is on between 12 – 21 November. Australia is home to about 240 species of native Amphibians, all of which are frogs. In urban areas, human development has reduced the natural habitat available to frogs. FrogID Week is a great way to learn about frogs living in your backyard.
Peron’s Tree Frog Scientific name:Litoria peronii
Help to record frog calls during FrogID Week using the free app and uncover which frogs live in your backyards, local parks and bushlands. Your recording can help identify changes to local frog populations and inform frog conservation across Australia. Download the free FrogID app today and help us count Australia’s frogs.
This park in the middle of urban Sydney might not look like much, but after a few days of rain the low lying grass area became a Frog Swamp. I could hear the frogs call from 50 metres away, the closer I got the louder there were. I was able to get a great recording for FrogID Week. Listen below to the Common Eastern Froglets Crinia signifera and Striped Marsh Frogs Limnodynastes peronii calling.
Common Eastern Froglet Crinia signifera
Photo: Stephen Mahony
This tiny frog is only 3cm in size and if very commonly heard but rarely seen. They are common and widespread across south-eastern Australia. Their call is a repetitive “crick, crick, crick, crick, crick”.
Striped Marsh FrogLimnodynastes peronii
Photo: Jodi Rowley
This large species of frog is found down the east coast of Australia. Their call is a single, short “tuk” or “whuck” which is repeated every few seconds.
Join me on Tuesday 16 November at 2pm for a FREE live virtual excursion to learn more about Frogs and how you can get involved in FrogID.
If you can’t join me for the Live session you can watch the Fascinating Frogs video to find out more.
You can create a frog friendly garden
Frogs are very sensitive to water loss because their skin is permeable. This also means Frogs are really sensitive to chemicals. Frogs can end up absorbing chemicals that could harm or potentially even kill them. Pesticides can also deplete the frogs’ food source.
You can encourage frogs to come to live and breed in your backyard by creating a frog friendly garden. Create a small shallow pond in an area that is partly shaded or install a Frog Hotel.
Reducing chemicals use in your garden
Creating a Frog Habitat
Be patient and wait, if you build it they will come
Use FrogID to research the frogs that are found in you local area. This will help you work out what kind of habitat will suit your backyard best.
You can use PVC pipe to create a habitat for tree frogs. Frog Tubes are an easy way to provide somewhere safe for tree frogs to live too. Use a 1 metre length of PVC pipe and stick the base in the ground to tie them to a tree. It provides a really moist environment for tree frogs to hide in.
A Frog Hotel is a great option for tree frogs and provide them a safe place to hide during the day. Check out the video below for step by step instructions on how ro make a Frog Hotel.
Discover more about Frogs and some of their amazing adaptions. There are also lots of information to create a frog friendly backyard in your area.
