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Tree hollows are animal homes #3 – Eucalypt Woodland south-eastern Australia

‘Tree hollows are animal homes’ is a new series of designs inspired by the relationship between the many Australian animal species that use hollows and the trees that provide them. This #3 design includes illustrations of 19 animal species that use hollows in the Eucalypt Woodlands of south-eastern Australia.

“This is my favourite book”

Last Sunday morning, I was minding my stall at the Beechmont Market. The day was bright, sunny, with a chilly western wind. A woman picked up a copy of my book ‘Stories from the Wildworld’.
She looked at me and said “This is my favourite book. I try to give away lots of books, but I just can’t bring myself to get rid of this one. It’s my favourite book”.
Do you have any idea how wonderful it is, for an author and illustrator, to hear those words?

Free colour-ins to download: Tree hollows are animal homes #1

I’m very excited to release some new colour-in sheets that I’ve created from the first ‘Tree hollows are animal homes’ design. Both colour-ins are free to download, and you are also welcome to make multiple copies of each to give away free.

New designs: Magpie Studies and Australian Kin

Two new designs have just been added to my Redbubble store: ‘Magpie studies’ and ‘Australian kin’.

Why 15-second owls are wonderful, and 12 important elements for teaching nature journaling

A chance encounter with an owl made me reflect on how I teach nature journaling. Here are 12 elements that I think are important.

Of bugs and booyongs

Of bugs and booyongs

The rainforest holds many secrets in its high vaulted green ceilings, swooping loops of vines, a million soft mossy pockets and damp rotting piles of leaves. So many tales to tell. Of tree and leaf, beast and bug, season and storm. This one is about the black booyong,...

Swamphens in winter

Swamphens in winter

Last winter Dowse Lagoon nearly dried up completely. The water- and swamp-plants died back, and green pick was hard to find. Every day, groups of purple swamphens would forage in the grassy parks nearby. The lawn grass around here is the sort with underground runners....

Little red nomads head north for the winter

Little red nomads head north for the winter

  Around Easter-time it starts. The stirring of retired folks - the ‘grey nomads’ - as they load up their 4WD’s and caravans and head north for the winter. In south-east Queensland you see them on the freeways, mostly up from the colder south. On their way,...

Why is the ibis often grubby, and the egret always clean?

Why is the ibis often grubby, and the egret always clean?

Lifestyle choices or better beauty products? The Australian white ibis often looks grubby, but the white plumage of egrets always looks freshly laundered - with a purity and glow that the makers of clothes detergents would die for. Both birds start out with white...

A yellow robin lights up the gloom

A yellow robin lights up the gloom

  A yellow robin lights up the gloom of a forest at dusk. Sometimes, when I’ve been working quietly in a forest, I sense a presence nearby. A tickle on the back of the neck, or a flicker of something half-seen. And it’s this still little yellow bird. Perched...

Paperbark country

Paperbark country

  I live north of Brisbane, Australia, on the shores of Moreton Bay. This is paperbark country, or was. A place where blue gum woodlands once sank into grassy paperbark swamps which themselves interlocked fingers with muddy inlets flanked with mangroves. The...

Tales of Science

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Nature journaling

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Forest portraits

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Cartoons

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Wildlife illustration

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