Other

Photographic Field Guide to Australian Frogs

Jade Craven · July 5, 2021 ·

I used to overlook the the frog sounds I heard when walking along the river or visiting my parents bush block. I started paying more attention and tried to identify species that I found. I quickly realized that that frog identification is quite complex and nuanced.

Photography Field Guide To Australian Frogs is one of the books I’ve been using to increase my understanding of frogs. It is a comprehensive guide that gives readers the tools to confidently identify the frog species found in Australia. It can be a lot of work, but it is an interesting journey.

[Read more…]

Book Review: Wild Mushrooming – A Guide For Foragers

Jade Craven · April 12, 2021 ·

There has been a growing interest in foraging for mushrooms in Australia, but, until recently, there wasn’t a dedicated resource targeted towards local foragers. There were multiple guides targeted towards overseas markets; however, there was a real safety risk when applying that knowledge to local ecosystems.

Wild Mushrooming fills a need with Australian readers. The guide advocates a slower approach by teaching readers to confidently identify a smaller number of species rather than have a superficial knowledge of many species.

This guide has the potential to revolutionise how fungi enthusiasts and foragers view fungi.

[Read more…]

Book Review: Forest Phoenix – How A Great Forest Recovers After Wildfire

Jade Craven · February 10, 2020 ·

In 2015, my parents’ bush block was impacted by the Scotsburn fires. The shed, cars and caravans were either destroyed or burnt out. In some areas, it felt like there were no signs of life. I tried to photograph how the area was recovering but I was flying blind. At the time, I was overwhelmed by all of the information about about how fire impacts on ecosystems. I resigned myself to just photograph what I could and make sense of it later.

This book has helped me make sense of it. Forest Phoenix is a short book that focuses on thearea of montane ash forest that was impacted by the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. Through short essays and captioned photos, the authors share specific examples of how the 2009 fire impacted on the ecosystem. The unique approach allowed me to learn and understand more about the ecological recovery that takes place post fire.

[Read more…]