Nardoo - The desert fern 
The recent Queensland floods will trigger the germination of one of the strangest and most notorious plants in Australia. Abbie Thomas tells the tale of her first encounter with nardoo.
 

Seahorse stallions turn broody 
As summer draws to a close, a quiet reversal of gender roles is in full swing in the kelp beds, rocky reefs and seagrass meadows of Australia's coastal waters. Pregnant male seahorses are giving birth to their final brood of the season.
 

Severe Storms 
The blinding rains and gusty winds of severe storms can strike at anytime, from summer to winter. While storm season for most of eastern Australia comes to a close with the end of summer, in northern Australia the peak time for these awesome events is just beginning.
 

Misunderstood mistletoe 
Are mistletoes friend or foe? They provide food and shelter to a vast range of birds, mammals and insects, yet now infest trees in plauge proportions in some parts of Australia.
 

Fat Little Fairies 
A strange, sharp call - 'Huck! huck! huck!' - comes floating across the water as the sun sets on a Victorian beach. The call is echoed by another, and another. On the beach the silent, waiting humans hold their breath in anticipation. Just off-shore a swirling mass of movement becomes visible in the dark water and then suddenly about 40 little feathered heads poke up and nervously scan the land for danger.
 

Tadpoles on the hop 
Across Australia, tadpoles are changing. They're growing legs and becoming frogs - one of the miracles of nature that has enthralled children for generations. The beginning of autumn is peak time for witnessing this amazing metamorphosis - but there's a sting in the tail. Frog numbers have been fast declining around Australia for a number of years.