Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1501168
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 JUNE 2023 7 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 870. Striped Shield Bug IF looks are anything to go by, the striped shield bug definitely roots for Milan FC! Many of our bugs are liveried black and red but only the striped shield bug (M. spallut irrigat) comes in the correct stripey pattern. While 'bugs' is a term most people use to refer to crawly creatures in general, there is actually a large group of insects that even entomologists call bugs. Many of these (the bugs, not the en- tomologists!) feed by sucking sap from the stems or leaves of plants, and to do this they are equipped with a syringe-like beak with which they pierce the plant. Several bugs are partial to particular plants, and for the striped shield bug the sap of the humble fennel (M. buż- bież) is ambrosia! Learn to grow herbs and enjoy a vegetarian BBQ with us in June! Have you always wanted to have basil, thyme and mint at your finger- tips? This is your opportunity to learn how to grow these herbs at home. Dance Beyond Borders and Friends of the Earth Malta would like to in- vite you to a herb growing workshop followed by a potluck vegetarian BBQ kindly supported by the Veg Box Malta. Bring any vegeterian dish or drink to share. Invite your friends and family to join us! Rooting Kinship will be part of the Refugee Week Malta programme which is centred around the theme of Compassion this year. We believe that reconnecting with the earth can also help us remember our place in the natural world, rediscovering that we are part of nature, and it is part of us. Save the date: we are meeting on 21st June 2023 at 7:30pm and staying till late. The event will take place in the Friends of the Earth Malta Green Resource Centre (Xatt ic-Cangatura, Floriana). Victor Falzon, Desirée Falzon www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 758: Registration is required by 16th June via the link https://foemalta.org/ event/rooting-kinship/ 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 District X - 10th Anniversary 29 June Place: Lower Barrakka Gardens Celebrating a decade of district X at an exclusive location at the beginning of summer 10 years have flown by ever since district was born out of a semi-drunk phone call between two friends. From our humble beginnings at Playground, to our iconic residencies at Phoenix, Marrakech, and Treehaus, magical moments at the Siege Bell and Mnajdra, and our development of raw local talent into established selectors and international producers. There's so much we're proud of and grateful for, and we couldn't have done any of it without everyone who supported along the way. Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member Malta International Art Festival 16 to 25 June Place: Across Malta The Malta International Arts Festival (MIAF) blends innovation with accessibility - curating a programme of artistic excellence with strong contemporary aesthetics, accessible to a wide audience. MIAF goes beyond the conventional performance by hosting most of the programme within unique heritage sites. Every festival can programme a concert recital ... but this year MIAF is proposing concerts inside the subterranean 17th century cistern built by the Knights ... and invites audiences on a beautiful two-masted vessel to experience a theatre production set within the unique panoramic views of Grand Harbour. A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK Sarah Jessica Parker will make her West End debut next year as she stars opposite her husband Matthew Broderick in Plaza Suite. The adaptation of Neil Simon's 1968 play will open at the Savoy Theatre in January. The show sees the two actors play three different couples who stay in one famous hotel room. Tens of millions of people in North America are being urged to wear face masks outdoors after large areas of the US and Canada were blanketed by thick smoke from wildfires. Parker and Broderick have already starred in the Broadway production, which enjoyed a successful 19-week run. There are dozens of wildfires currently burning across Canada, but the prevailing wind has pushed smoke from several large ones in Ontario and Quebec south across the border with the US.