A few months ago I was lucky enough to be awarded an Enderby Trust scholarship. The Trust was set up by Rodney Russ, the founder of Heritage Expeditions, and the scholarship aims to provide young people with an opportunity to visit the sub-Antarctic and Antarctica, who otherwise wouldn't have the financial means. The scholarship pays for 70% of the Heritage Expeditions voyage fare, and the recipients pay the rest. For all four of us scholarship recipients who went on this voyage, it was a rare opportunity to visit an amazing part of the world which, but for the scholarship, we would not have been able to experience.
Read MoreHappy New Year
Happy New Year to everyone! 2017 was a busy, exciting and productive year for me, and I'm really pleased with how my photography progressed. I was proud to get my first AG Nature Photographer of the year image, after many attempts, and I'm already aiming to get more in this year's competition. I travelled lots for my PhD fieldwork, saw heaps of cool orchids, and got a few photos along the way.
Read MoreIt's pollinator week!
This week, from the 12th to the 19th of November, is Australian Pollinator Week. It was created to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators and of the recent declines in insect abundance. Say g'day to an insect, plant a flowering shrub, and don't use pesticides, and the indispensable insects may just survive.
Read MoreThe joys of fieldwork
Ahhh fieldwork. It never goes according to plan. But, finally, my field season has come to an end and its time to put aside the 4WD, camping equipment and car fridge, and actually unpack the bags which have been moving between the car and house since May.
Read MoreTozers Bush Camp, Bremer Bay
Tozers Bush Camp is a wonderful little patch of bush, surrounded by farmland, on the road to Bremer Bay. We were drawn to visit the place because of their now-famous orchid tours including the highly sought-after Queen of Sheba, Thelymitra speciosa, which we saw. But the place is so much more than a couple of admittedly spectacular orchids. We were so taken by the place that I've dedicated a whole blog post to highlight some of the wonderful flowers that we saw when were there in late August this year.
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