"How Afghan cameleers helped shape our state" Historian Pamela Rajkowski OAM will trace the early routes of Afghan cameleers in South Australia and talk about how they helped shape our economy. Bus route W91/W90: stop 10. Noarlunga Train service: Clarence Park Station. Glenelg Tram: Forestville stop 4, 9min walk south. Entry by donation (minimum of $2). Bookings not required Please bring supper to share, tea/coffee will be supplied. Meetings should conclude by 8.30pm. At the start of each meeting a…

"The importance of symbiotic relationships between flowers, insects and microbes for pollination and development" Dr Miguel de Barros Lopez will present the latest findings in this rapidly changing field, from the importance of gut microbes for insect metamorphosis to the role of yeast in pollination. Bus route W91/W90: stop 10. Noarlunga Train service: Clarence Park Station. Glenelg Tram: Forestville stop 4, 9min walk south. Entry by donation (minimum of $2). Bookings not required Please bring supper to share, tea/coffee will…

"Creating a butterfly garden" Member Roz Daniell and partner have created a beautiful butterfly garden at Forestville and are now creating a ‘rain garden’ in the street. Find out their process and progress, as well as their tricks and hints for going about things. Bus route W91/W90: stop 10. Noarlunga Train service: Clarence Park Station. Glenelg Tram: Forestville stop 4, 9min walk south. Entry by donation (minimum of $2). Bookings not required Please bring supper to share, tea/coffee will be…

"Would you recognise a native South Australian land snail if you saw one?" Thanks to the recently published field guide “Australian Land Snails Part 2” we now have the answers.   While much work is done to combat the invasive species, little has been known about our native fauna; how and where they live, discover the main groups and where they occur.  Do they pose issues for our agriculture and how endangered are they?  Come along and discover more about their…

"THE KINGDOM OF FUNGI - variety and importance" Without fungi, life as we know it would not exist. Fungi play essential roles in the environment: as mycorrhizal partners with plants, as recyclers of organic material in all ecosystems and in the formation and maintenance of soil structure and functioning. Mycologist Pam Catcheside will look at the fungal kingdom, the variety of fungi, their ecology and their roles in the environment. Pam Catcheside was born in London, England, studied Botany at…

"THE RISE OF ANIMAL LIFE: THE CAMBRIAN ‘EXPLOSION’ AND THE GOBE IN AUSTRALIA AND GONDWANA" The Cambrian fossils of Kangaroo Island are among the most important in the Southern Hemisphere, and they represent the earliest complex animals in the planet. The green paddocks of KI provide a window to the oceans of half a billion years ago, in which the ancestors of today’s lobsters, clams and whiting lived. However, these ancient marine organisms look very different from their modem descendants……

ARID LANDS BOTANIC GARDEN John will cover the history of the Arid Lands Botanic Garden since he first proposed the establishment of the Garden in 1981, development of the Garden, the role of the “Friends” support group and the status of the Garden today. John is an experienced horticulturist with broad knowledge of ornamental horticulture in South Australia, particularly in the arid zone, and a passion for plants and gardening. Trained at the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide, worked at Leigh…

HOW TO BUILD A NATIONAL PARK Alan is a CPA qualified accountant with a lifelong passion for the environment. Having had a fascination for birds from a young age, after settling in the southern suburbs in the mid-1980s, he had a desire to see local open space preserved for nature. Increasing losses of open space had occurred and starting as a member of Trees for Life, Alan’s first efforts were plantings in the O’Halloran Hill Recreation Park. In 1996 an…