Environment
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Birds of a feather... bathe together
Feathers are critical for a bird’s survival: they are used in flight and to regulate their body temperature. Thus birds spend a lot of time preening, bathing and anting to maintain their feathers in optimal condition. These activities help to remove...
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Sicilian squill – l-għansar ikħal – Scilla sicula
The Sicilian squill or l-għansar ikħal in Maltese is rarely found in garigue and rocky steppes. Its leaves are broad, marginally toothed with a line of short, white hairs. The flowers are in pyramidal to hemispherical inflorescences with pale...
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The ball is in our court
The world could avoid much of the damaging effects of climate change this century if greenhouse gas emissions are curbed more sharply, new research showed. The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, is the first comprehensive...
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Pollution worst on record in Beijing
Air quality in Beijing was the “worst on record” this weekend, according to environmentalists, as the city’s pollution monitoring centre warned residents to stay indoors with pollution 30-45 times above recommended safety levels. The Chinese...
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Nations progress with climate-related laws
Countries are pushing ahead with laws to tackle climate change, despite ‘snail-paced’ progress on a global deal to cut emissions, it was revealed. Almost all of the 33 developed and developing countries surveyed in a new study had introduced or...
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Delimara needs gas, not hot air
Energy generation in Malta has been firmly entrenched on the political agenda for many years now, mainly in terms of utility tariffs, security of supply and its air pollution impact. So one can understand why political squabbling and fire-fighting...
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The barbary nut iris
The Barbary nut iris or il-fjurdulis is-selvaġġ in Maltese is frequently found in garigue, rocky steppes and country footpaths, particularly in the coastal area. This perennial plant grows up to 25cm. Usually one, sometimes two, very thin, long,...
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Southern dwarf iris
The southern dwarf iris or il-bellus in Maltese is rarely found in garigue and rocky steppes. This plant is a robust plant and grows up to 25cm. It has flat broad sword-like glaucous leaves which are slightly curved and evergreen with large showy...
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Australia remains on alert
Australia’s record-breaking heat wave has sent temperatures soaring, melting road tar and setting off hundreds of wildfires – as well as searing new colours onto weather maps. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has added dark purple and magenta...
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UN climate experts deny secrecy after new leak
The UN panel of climate scientists has rejected criticism that it is too secretive after a blogger sceptical about global warming published a leaked draft on Tuesday of one of its massive reports. The panel, whose work is a guide for governments...
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Bird whose song is like violin’s
The chiffchaff is a small woodland bird that can be heard calling on sunny wintry days. Its song is a repetitive chiffchaff hence its English, German (zilpzalp), Dutch (tjiftjaf) and Welsh (siff-saff) name. In Malta, it is known as vjolin...
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Maltese cliff orache – il-bjanka tal-irdum
The Maltese cliff orache or il-bjanka tal-irdum is rarely found. It is confined to the southern to north-western cliffs of Malta and Gozo, including the Fungus Rock Nature Reserve. This plant is perennial and grows as a dense shrub up to 80cm in...
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Biofuels not so green after all
Green schemes to fight climate change by producing more biofuels could actually worsen a little-known type of air pollution and cause almost 1,400 premature deaths a year in Europe by 2020, a study showed. The report said trees grown to produce wood...
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Royal urges action on environment
The Prince of Wales has spoken about how the prospect of becoming a grandfather is spurring his environmental beliefs, saying he does not want to “hand on an increasingly dysfunctional world”. Prince Charles, an outspoken campaigner on...
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It’s a growing bug’s world
Birds, plants, fish and molluscs are well studied in Malta but new information keeps flowing in from the diverse world of insects. Last year’s bulletin (Volume 4) from the Entomological Society of Malta opened another fascinating window on local...
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The harestail grass
The harestail grass or denb il-fenek in Maltese is probably native to steppes, garigues and sand dune grasslands, but has become weedy, and essentially grows in most habitats. This plant grows as grass with one or few erect stems and an unmistakable...
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Toothed medick – in-nefel il-komuni
The toothed medick or in-nefel il-komuni in Maltese is a very common plant and it is frequently found in various habitats. Its leaves are divided in three with yellow flowers and they appear between January and June. Upon pollination, these develop...
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A moth that ‘measures earth’
The small dusty wave is a very common moth. It does not have bright colours, unusual patterns or features and is easily overlooked. I recently found a small dusty wave resting on a window pane, which gave me the opportunity to look at it closely...
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Maltese Stocks – il-ġiżi ta’ Malta
The Maltese Stocks, know as il-ġiżi ta’ Malta is confined to cliffs and maritime valley-sides, but quite widespread along the southern to north-western cliffs of Gozo. The Maltese stocks are perennial and its leaves are fleshy and wavy-edged. The...
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Pushing Attard towards Rabat
PA 02153/10 was recently submitted to the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, proposing to develop a 1,000-grave cemetery, crematorium, service room, 75 parking spaces and other ancillary facilities on a site of staggering proportions (17,000...
