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The American “Fearsome Critters” and Other Tall Tales
I’m an Australian, and playing some good-natured pranks on tourists is a time-honoured tradition. Our most famous of these pranks is probably the Drop Bear, an aggressive relative of the koala that drops from trees onto unsuspecting prey. I was delighted to discover that we are not the only country that does this! It’s a…
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5 of the Most Bizarre Mushrooms
A while ago I talked about my new love for mushroom hunting and what exactly it is that I love about mushrooms, but today I’d like to get into the specifics of some truly bizarre species of fungus. If you didn’t already know that mushrooms are neither animals nor plants, here are five species that…
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Creature Feature: The Bearded Vulture
Yes, I know, I’ve already written about vultures here. But I wanted to give a shoutout to my favourite bird of all time: the lammergeier, or bearded vulture! This massive bird of prey with a 7-9ft wingspan lives in mountainous regions such as Africa, southern Europe and Tibet. Lammergeiers are Old World vultures, which means…
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Knitting for Chronic Pain and Mental Health
Having arthritis has me living like a retiree. I knit, crochet, cross-stitch, read, and drink lots of tea under a heavy blanket. Knitting for chronic pain is not a new or revolutionary idea, but it is something I’ve found incredibly helpful! I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition triggered by…
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What Was the Beast of Gevaudan?
The Beast of Gevaudan is a fascinating cryptid because unlike its modern counterparts – like Bigfoot and the Mothman – we don’t have any photographic evidence or living witnesses. The Beast terrorised the province of Gevaudan in the 18th century, but it’s likely we’ll never know exactly what it was. It was most commonly described…
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Nature’s Clean-Up Crew: An Ode to Vultures
Winged heralds of death and decay, they say, circling the skies in a halo of doom. When it comes to judging a book by its cover, vultures have it the worst. They’re nature’s clean-up crew, tidying up the messes that would otherwise fester and rot in the sun. Their stomachs kill diseases from prey that…
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My Gothic Horror Pet Peeves
I’m a huge fan of Gothic literature, movies, aesthetics, etc., and even though I’ve just missed Halloween, it felt like a good time to talk about spooky things! Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I can be a bit of a snob about the things I’m passionate about. Gothic horror is one of…
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Shoreside Musings: Thoughts by the Beach
Going to the beach feels like a dream.The soft yellow sand feels like melting into a cloud, my feet sinking deeper, slowing my movement. Everything echoes. The wind whips through my ears, painting the warm glow of the sun with strokes of chilled air. Seagulls shriek and it reverberates, sounding distant and close all at…
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My New Lockdown Hobby: Mushroom Hunting!
Like most people, the pandemic has left me with a lot of spare time on my hands (though, of course, never as much as I’d like). One thing that I am very grateful for is that I live on my family’s beautiful sheep farm. I’ve always been passionate about nature, and my friends and family…