Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1526919
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 SEPTEMBER 2024 5 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 937. Churchyard beetle IT'S not a cockroach, it's not a monster, it's not a menace or a pest or a threat! It's just a beetle: flightless, harmless, clean, lumbering and minding its own business. It's called churchyard beetle not because it feeds on dead people, but because it likes shady places, if a bit damp all the better. It's also the reason why its Maltese name is ħanfusa tal-kantini, cellars too being shady and cool. The churchyard beetle is very active at this time of year, and a walk where there's plenty of shade and little or no undergrowth may give you an audience with this shiny, rather large black insect. It's also common to see females walking about with the smaller males riding piggyback, having their private moment – in which case, do not disturb! Well, actually do not disturb the loners either. Okay, maybe a picture but no more. Community Gardening Session As we settle into autumn weather, the Community Garden at Friends of the Earth Malta is back in action meeting for its first monthly session on 28th September 2024, from 4:00pm till 7:00pm This event will equip you with knowledge related to sustainable garden- ing! We have lots to get done in our veggie patch and wild garden. Join us to gain hands-on experience in crop growing, preparing the soil, prun- ing, composting/ vermiculture, creating a seed bank, beekeeping, water conservation, planting crops/ tree saplings, and learning more about the world of gardening. There will be water, snacks, and teas/coffees for everyone – you're en- couraged to bring along some food to share after the session. Victor Falzon www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 803 Register here: https://foemalta.org/event/20240928_communitygarden 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 SPMO Musical Mood 3 October Place: Mediterranean Conference Centre The St Paul Metropolitan Orchestra are proud to present the second consecutive season of delightful chamber evenings with SPMO Musical Moods, kicking off on Thursday 3rd October, 2024, with the SPMO Wind Quartet featuring Silvio Zammit on Flute, Alfred Fenech on Oboe, Peter Lyndley on Bassoon and Noel Beck on Clarinet, performing Beethoven, Puccini, Bizet, Morricone, Piazolla and more! Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member Valletta Early Opera Festival 2024 8,9, 10 November Place: Teatru Manoel Out of the two dozen or so operas that Mozart composed, only a handful are typically performed. For the second edition of the Valletta Early Opera Festival, Festivals Malta in collaboration with Teatru Manoel presents an enchanting rendition of Il Re Pastore. A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK Popstar Kylie Minogue has announced her biggest world tour in more than a decade, and a sequel to her comeback album Tension. The 13 tracks on Tension II will be released on 18 October, with the global tour kicking off in her home country Australia in February, before swinging through Asia and the UK. Ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince, who performed with Beyoncé and was seen by many as a trailblazer, has died at the age of 29. A spokesperson announced her death on her personal Instagram page and in a statement her family said she was an "unforgettable inspiration to everyone who knew her or heard her story". In a statement, the pop icon said she is "beyond excited" to be "celebrating the Tension era and more" with fans. DePrince made a remarkable journey from suffering as an orphan in war-torn Sierra Leone to numerous accolades in the world of international dance.