Koalas

The pretty face of one of Australia's icons is very well used in any possible way. Yet the population has been nominated as national threatened, although populations vary according to areas. Dog attacks, car accidents, chlamydia and even illegal shooting... not to mention all the natural tricks and worries caused naturally by the Australian environment, make their lives hard. The Brisbane Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, http://www.koala.net/index.php , the oldest and largest (over 130 koalas) sanctuary in Australia, collaborates with Universities and the Government to research and protect koalas and to educate people to behave properly. Their motto is 'The Earth is not only for humans'.

I see koalas as beautiful even when not directly whatching us, which is pretty much most of the time.

Meeting the Bush Stone-curlew

I saw three Stone Bush-curlews at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. They are related to waders but they are actually terrestrial and found on any habitat with ground litter, from rain forests to open woodland, their face expression are very interesting and ever changing. As many other Australian animals they were not scared by close observers, probably because they rely on their camouflage and stillness, I was surprised to read that they are nocturnal birds ( no wonder the big eyes) in fact they looked kinda sleepy. After a bit of research I found a few interesting aboriginal stories related to the Bush Stone-curlew, you can read more following this link: http://blogs.crikey.com.au/northern/2010/09/27/bird-of-the-week-the-bush-stone-curlew-as-a-harbinger-of-death-and-more/

-Names- 

English: Bush Stone-curlew

Latin: Burhinus grallarius

Italian: Occhione willaroo

Aboriginal: Willaroo
Ps:  the feathers by the sketch are real, taped on the page. 

There will be more about these birds on this blog in the future...

Until next time!               Matteo

A soft spot for Botanical Art

Prints and greeting cards and bookmarks available.

There are more than 700 species of Eucalyptus native of Australia, I was attracted and inspired by the colours of those leaves found on the ground of a damp forest or just after rain, as they can reveal a wide range and variety of shades, bright and shiny. The colours will just vanish as the leaf dries so I took some photos just after picking. The journal pages, second image, are one of my earlier study of Eucalyptus leaves, the difference with the wet ones is evident. The following links provide beautiful examples of botanical art from a couple of friends: Hemlata Pradhan from India http://www.botanicalart.in/ and Vichi Lee Johnston from Australia http://vickileejohnston.blogspot.com/

Until next post!            Matteo