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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 FEBRUARY 2022 13 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 801. Painted Frog WE have just one native amphibian, and that's the painted frog (M. żrinġ). It's so called because it looks like it's been spattered with blotches of cryptic paint, in such a way as to render it almost invisi- ble with its surrounding. This blending is no coincidence of course, since camouflage is the frog's best defence. Considering it's hunted by weasels, snakes and several water birds, it needs all the stealth it can get. Frogs have declined in recent decades, as valley ponds and streams dry up too soon for them to complete their life cycle properly. This is all too often due to (often illegal) overextraction of groundwater, which depletes the water table and leaves many val- leys high and dry. The painted frog has been protected for 30 years, but if its habitat goes, a fat lot of good that protection will do! Victor Falzon www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 692: Join us and subscribe to our newsletter to keep updated on our campaigns https://foemalta.org/join Inspirational Guide for the New Year FRIENDS of the Earth has created an overview for you to help you adapt more sustainable practices and live a more environmentally friendly life. #3 – Join Meatless Monday: Going meat-free helps save the world from climate change. Why? Firstly, massive deforestation takes place to make way for pasture land and arable land needed to grow feed-crops. Sec- ondly, the raising of animals produces an immense amount of green- house gasses. We can all make a start by cutting out meat! Find more information here: https://foemalta.org/meatless-monday/ #4 – Get informed: Start a new book, get informed about the challenges of climate change or simply read about inspirational lifestyles. Visit our Friends of the Earth Community Library in Floriana to find your book! Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation – www.foemalta.org/donate Don't miss this Breaking the Code Start date: 25 Febuary Place: M Space, Imsida Breaking the Code took London and Broadway by storm in this exceptional biographical drama about a man who broke too many codes: the eccentric genius Alan Turing who played a major role in winning World War II. He broke the complex German code called Enigma, enabling allied forces to foresee German manoeuvres. Since his work was classified top secret for years after the war, no one knew how much was owed to him when he was put on trial for breaking another code: the taboo against homosexuality. By Hugh Whitemore, based on the book 'Alan Turing: The Enigma' by Andrew Hodges, Directed By Stephen Oliver Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member Friends with plants by Ryan Falzon Start date: 18 Febuary Place: Il-Kamra ta' Fuq, Mqabba The exhibition features oil paintings based around the theme of plants – a subject which has currently become a trademark and a synonym of Ryan Falzon's oeuvre. Falzon goes a step further by including figures in his greenery inundated interiors. This comes as no surprise. Falzon amalgamates the concept from his Botanica series with another series titled Selfies, which has not yet been exhibited. A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK A series of unique paper sculptures depicting scenes from Scottish literary classics has fetched more than £50,000 at auction.The works - by an anonymous artist - all went for well above their original price estimate. Neighbours has been dropped by Channel 5, putting the long-running Australian soap opera's future under threat. The UK network announced last Sunday it would stop showing the programme later this year, after airing it for more than a decade. Last minute offers to auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull boosted the money raised for the Scottish Book Trust. Australian broadcaster Network 10 said it would look for a new partner to work with to keep it on air.