"The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page". So said C4th philosopher Augustine of Hippo (and suggested by a friend).
So travel, travel, travel and while you’re ‘traveling’ even if it is simply around your neighbourhood, keep your eyes and ears open for frogs. Australia has over 240 known species of frog, almost all of which are found nowhere else in the world. Some species are flourishing, like the Striped Marsh Frog, but others have declined dramatically since the 1980s, and four have become extinct.
Frogs are essential to the environment. Rather like canaries in mines, they act as a natural bioindicator measuring the health of the environment. Throughout their lifecycles, frogs have an important place in the food chain as both predators and prey. As tadpoles, they eat algae, helping regulate blooms and reducing the chances of algal contamination. As frogs they are an important source of food for a variety of animals, including birds, fish and snakes.
There’s an app which allows you to record the calls of the frogs you discover and upload them to Australia's first national frog count. But you can also do it from your desk comparing records etc etc – be a citizen scientist. Check out Australian Museums FrogID project https://www.frogid.net.au/
Ands while you’re at it keep your eyes open for fungi! At this time of year all manner of fungi are popping up their sometimes bizarre and colourful fruiting bodies. Fungi in all their many and varied forms are essential to our environment yet we know so little about them. It is estimated to be around 250,000 fungal species in Australia and less than 10% have been described. What do we know about them and where are they? Check out https://fungimap.org.au/
Who could be bored!? Visit the Atlas of Living Australia and be blown away https://www.ala.org.au/
Next stop camels and the desert – wow!
