Columns » Nature

Damsels of the deep

May 19th, 2023 - Howard Birnstihl

Getting up close and personal is something you can easily do with dragonflies, and with their slightly more elegant counterparts, damselflies.

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Do not read this … it’s disgusting!

April 13th, 2023 - Howard Birnstihl

All I can say about the grub in the accompanying pic is he’s a real show-off. And definitely not anal retentive.

A fly on the wall

March 15th, 2023 - Howard Birnstihl

Okay, so summer’s over and you’re sick of the sight and sound of flies buzzing around, following your every move, landing on your food, crawling around your eyes; getting in your hair. And here’s some bloke expecting you to read about them. Huh, some chance.

A small inconvenience

February 16th, 2023 - Howard Birnstihl

The two suspicious characters hanging about at the top of the pic are mosquito larvae, commonly known as wrigglers, and their companion at the bottom is a red mite.

Flights of fancy

December 14th, 2022 - Howard Birnstihl

As a photographer, one of the most helpful gadgets I ever designed for my local welding man to bring to fruition was a pipe with a clamp at one end and lateral hole at the other.

Coming soon to North Melbourne

November 16th, 2022 - Howard Birnstihl

You probably haven’t been able to tell with all this rain lately, but spring has well and truly sprung, and I for one am thrilled.

Delicate monster

October 12th, 2022 - Howard Birnstihl

The delicate looking creature in the accompanying pic is aptly named a lacewing. But don’t be fooled by her demure feminine charm, this lady is a cold calculating killer. And she was, even as a child.

The gall of North Melbournites

September 14th, 2022 - Howard Birnstihl

If you’re a gardener, or just wandering North Melbourne’s parks, you’ll have seen many galls in your time, although you may not know a lot about them. Non-gardeners can mistake these often colourful and attractive little baubles for a natural part of the plant, which of course they are not.