Prof. Byron Lamont, presenter of last year’s Serventy Lecture, is offering a five-week course, loosely based on the lecture, through the Mature Adults Learning Association. He takes you through the development of the concepts of natural history, environment, ecology, ecosystem, and symbiosis as background to the topic. Then he discusses four examples of plant-animal relations that have been well-studied in Western Australia: hakeas and cockatoos; peas, fungi and woylies; carnivorous plants and arthropods; orchids and insects. Other topics might include mistletoes, birds and butterflies, if there is time. The series closes by noting that biotic interactions are the essence of conservation and how we can help preserve them.

1 May – 29 May, 11:45am to 12:45 pm (5-week course, $60)

Held at George Burnett Leisure Centre, Manning Rd, (opp. Elderfield Rd) Karawara

• Week 1: History of natural history, ecology, ecosystem, and symbiosis
• Week 2: Hakeas and cockatoos
• Week 3: Peas, fungi and woylies
• Week 4: Carnivorous plants and arthropods
• Week 5: Orchids and insects; implications for conservation

See https://mala.au/perth-branch/ for the enrolment options.