Electrify your powered garden tools
By Lauriston Muirhead Petrol engines come in two main types – two and four stroke. In a “two stroke” the piston goes up (one stroke) and down (two stroke) to produce one push on the crankshaft. In a “four-stroke” the piston goes up and down and then up and down again – making four strokes …
Exclusively indigenous local garden
By Lizette Salmon, Gardens for Wildlife Albury-Wodonga Project Officer for Wodonga Urban Landcare Network I’ve had the privilege of visiting many wonderful habitat gardens across Albury-Wodonga, but to date I’ve only come across one that features exclusively indigenous (locally native) plants. Despite being located in the middle of suburbia, stepping into Neil’s backyard is like stepping …
Loving your lawn may be bad for your health
By Kirsten Coates Lately I have been obsessed with lawns, and I don’t mean in a good way. Having recently learned that the average petrol lawn mower produces more carbon emissions hour by hour than a car made me dig a little deeper into the facts. Ride on petrol mowers can produce up to 11 …
The Mysterious Koel
By Jonathon Howard It’s normal for folks living along the coast of NSW to hear the sound of the Koels in Spring when they arrive from their wintering grounds further north. These birds let the locals know they have arrived with a loud repeated ‘coo-weee’ call. However, Koels have also become common visitors to Albury/Wodonga …
At one with nature?
By Alan Hewett Living with nature can be both a pleasure and a challenge. At the moment in the very early hours we are waking up to the loud, repetitive and mournful cries of an Eastern Koel. This bird is a cuckoo from S.E. Asia that visits our shores to breed and deposit an egg …
Yellow-tufted honeyeater
By Ian Davidson and Chris Tzaros – Wangaratta Landcare & Sustainability The Yellow-tufted Honeyeater is a visually striking bird. It has an olive-yellow head and broad black mask that extends from the base of its bill, over its eye to the sides of its neck. It looks more striking due to the elongated yellow feathers …
Where will our food come from?
By Charles Robinson As I write, most of the major northern hemisphere rivers are running dry. From the Yangtze to the Thames; from the Mekong to the Po. The only people celebrating these events are archaeologists as the lowering river levels uncover forgotten ancient artefacts or even sunken warships. But even archaeologists have to eat. …
Garden Planning
By Jenny Indian A friend of mine recently lamented that when she planned her garden she failed to take into account the importance of planting native vegetation to attract native birds. Although she had planted some natives, her feeling was that she should have planted a total native garden. On reflection, I thought that was …
Frog habitat matters
By Anne Stelling, Parklands Albury Wodonga It’s frog season and anyone walking in the parks will be well aware – in some places the evening chorus can be almost deafening! Hearing their combined calls, I find myself listening for one in particular – the big, intermittent ‘gulp’ call of the Eastern Banjo frog. I haven’t …
The Wonders of Compost
By Chris McGorlick It’s little wonder to me that so many writers find success, fame or resonance when using their garden as muse or subject. Gardening is literally the act of coaxing life to flourish, so naturally it follows that it should also represent ‘fertile ground’ for euphemism and metaphor of human life. All the …
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Living Lightly is a column in the Border Mail newspaper on Wednesdays featuring local stories about sustainable living.
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