Volunteers on the third annual Australian Geographic Society Lord Howe Island scientific expedition helped discover insect species previously unknown to science.
Wcollecting wasps, millipedes and soldier flies. But our group of keen citizen scientists on last year’s scientific expedition to Lord Howe Island turned out to also be good at collecting spiders and crustaceans.
Our scientific mentors – Drs Juanita Rodriguez and Bryan ‘The Fly Guy’ Lessard, both entomologists from the Australian National Insect Collection, a Canberra-based CSIRO facility – were nevertheless endlessly good-natured about the array of minibeasts with which we enthusiastically filled our sample tubes.
It wasn’t just small, industrious spiders or tiny freshwater prawns that split our focus. As well as collecting samples during the week-long expedition, we also counted anemonefish and sooty terns; hiked through kentia forest; swam in turquoise waters; looked for turtles at Old Settlement Beach; ate three-course meals of fresh seafood and home-grown produce; and enjoyed drinks at sundown on the lagoon as mutton birds clumsily landed before ducking into their underground nests.
Lord Howe is described by visitors with all kinds of paradise-related terminology, and rightly so. But what also struck me was the sheer abundance on the island – of birds, fish and turtles, of palms and ferns, of beaches, walks and food…an abundance of delight.
Denne historien er fra March - April 2019-utgaven av Australian Geographic Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra March - April 2019-utgaven av Australian Geographic Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Loveday Internment Camp, SA A
DURING WORLD WAR II, civilians n Australia deemed \"enemy aliens\" - mostly those of German, Italian and Japanese descent were housed in internment camps.
THE STORYTELLERS OF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
More than 100 dedicated Master Reef Guides are sharing the GBR's most important stories with visitors in a bid to inspire its greater protection.
A BEAUTIFUL DISASTER
Does last summer's mass coral bleaching event sound a death knell for Australia's beloved Great Barrier Reef? \"Not on my watch!\" is the message coming from he army of heartbroken, but resolute, marine scientists who've responded to the crisis by doubling down on their research.
AROUND AUSTRALIA IN 44 DAYS
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first aerial circumnavigation of Australia. Aviator Michael Smith retraces the flight in his unique amphibious flying boat, Southern Sun, starting and finishing at RAAF Base Point Cook, on Melbourne's Port Phillip, taking in 15,000km of vast, diverse and stunning coastline in between.
CLEAR-CUTTING KOALA COUNTRY
More than 3000sq.km of forests on NSW's Mid North Coast have been earmarked for the Great Koala National Park. But there's still work to be done before this proposed reserve becomes the safe haven koalas desperately need.
MORE THAN QUOKKAS
Sure, you can't avoid those cute little marsupials that made Rottnest Island world-famous, but there's so much more to life on this ocean-ringed jewel off the Western Australian coast.
A WILD POLO TUSSLE
It's an event reminiscent of a Banjo Paterson poem. For 35 years, in the High Country 200km east of Melbourne, city polo players have gathered annually at Cobungra, Victoria's largest cattle station, to vie with a rural team for the Dinner Plain Polo Cup.
Ancient know-how meets a modern challenge
Contemporary marine park management is infused with traditional knowledge to tackle new threats on the Great Barrier Reef.
LOOKING FOR TJAKURA
The search is on across Australia's deserts for a culturally important vulnerable lizard.
RESCUING THE CHUDITCH
After intensive planning, recovery for this endangered marsupial species is being stepped up to secure its future.
