Interesting Bits and Pieces
From recent happenings or stories around Australia and the world.
Thanks RnR
From: 
The suspected weed at the centre of an Australia-wide spinach recall has been identified after an investigation.
Riviera Farms and Victoria Health confirmed the spinach was contaminated with a weed known as thornapple or its scientific name, datura stramonium.
“The investigations have not identified any other potential chemical, herbicide or other type of contaminant,” a statement read.
“No other Riviera Farms produce have been impacted by this weed.”
Other nearby crops are in the process of being destroyed as a precautionary measure amid fears of contamination.
The revelation comes after reports nine people had suffered “toxic reactions”, including symptoms of hallucinations and delirium after consuming spinach products.
Endangered pink iguana hatchlings found on Galapagos Islands.
Hatchling and juvenile populations of the Galapagos pink land iguana have been discovered for the first time since the species' identification.
The iguanas, which can grow up to 47 centimetres long, were first discovered by national park rangers in 1986 on the Galapagos' Isabela Island. However, scientists took decades to recognise the pink iguana as a species separate to others on the island.
There are just several hundred estimated to be left and their population is threatened by introduced species on the island.
Transit Systems NSW Christmas bus competition.
As part of the Transit Systems competition this year, six buses from six depots were decorated and driven across Sydney, with Leichhardt depot emerging victorious.
The Leichhardt display is a shimmering Christmas extravaganza complete with novelty Santas, fake snow and a reindeer nose.
Passengers have a one-in-850 chance of boarding the winning Christmas bus each day. It is recognisable for its blanket of tinsel and reindeer ear on the side mirror.
Driver Colleen Singh in Leichhardt bus depot’s winning creation.
Lovely story.
Birdlife Australia working with Aboriginal land council to return mistletoe to burnt woodlands.
Mistletoe is often associated with Christmas, yet native mistletoe is something of an unsung hero when it comes to woodland birds. It provides food, shelter, and nest sites, including for the critically endangered regent honeyeater, but repeated bushfires in recent years have wiped it out from a key breeding area in New South Wales' Lower Hunter region.
Mistletoe does not regenerate after bushfires and, without intervention, it will take many years to re-establish in the Tomalpin Woodlands — time the regent honeyeater does not have, as there are only about 300 left in the wild.
Arborists are working to restore mistletoe in the Tomalpin Woodlands.
NSW Woodland Bird project officer Kristy Peters said the project, which was launched a few years ago, was very hands-on. About 2,000 mistletoe seeds had been planted since the summer of 2020-21 and early monitoring was showing signs of success.
Hope the project works well.
Floss the dog goes on epic Australian road trip to find home, with animal shelters inundated amid rental crisis.
Floss loving life on the road with truck driver Barry. Photo: Barry Horsman.
Floss's journey started in Kununurra, a remote part of WA's Kimberley region, where the four-year-old border collie cross was found by local rangers roaming the streets. She was likely abandoned by her family, who had left town. Ruth Gourley, a long-time volunteer at Perth's Dogs' Refuge Home in Shenton Park, was contacted by one of the rangers who was desperate to see Floss saved from being euthanised. Ms Gourley wanted to bring Floss to Perth, where she had a better chance of being adopted, so she contacted Mr Horsman, a long-haul truck driver who agreed to take Floss to Perth on his next run.
Floss cooling off during her mega road trip. Photo: Barry Horsman.
However, due to floods, diversions and changes to Mr Horsman's delivery schedules They went the long way from kunanurra to Geralton, back up to Kununurra for a delivery to Echuca in Victoria. After picking up the delivery the pair headed through Katherine and Mataranka to Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory. Then they drove on to South Australia, to Port Augusta and Adelaide, before dropping off the huts in Echuca and then stopping in Ballarat to pick up cargo destined for Brisbane. From Brisbane, they drove down through Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria to arrive in Morgan in South Australia. From Morgan they finally headed via Port Augusta and the Nullabor to Perth.
Four weeks on from picking up Floss and 20,000km later, the pair finally made it to Perth just in time for Christmas.
Christmas bells bloom in abundance for 'third good year' after fires at Lake Innes Nature Reserve near Port Macquarie in NSW.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service said growing conditions had been favourable for the Christmas bells, Blandfordia grandiflora, in the wake of drought, bushfires and then consecutive years with high rainfall.
A real Tasmanian devil found under the couch in a Hobart home, after being mistaken for their new puppy's Tassie Devil plush toy.
About 10pm on Wednesday Kirsten Lynch heard her four-month-old golden retriever puppy give "a very strange bark". She ran downstairs and went to pick up the puppy's Tasmanian devil-shaped stuffed toy, when the plush "toy" started running.
After a few minutes of hide and seek, the devil took off for the bush outside. The family lives next to bushland in suburban Hobart and have been leaving a door open for a puppy that's being toilet trained.
Taiwanese student collects the first Australian coin of 2023 as Royal Australian Mint unveils its Creatures of the Deep collection.
The first 200 people to visit the mint on Sunday morning were entered into a ballot for the first 100 coins. Mina Hsu, who studies at the Australian National University, was the first to be selected.
"Very excited and super surprised because I just found out about this event yesterday," she said.
Scientists and wildlife carers are urging drivers to watch for wombats on the Nullarbor Plain this summer as populations boom since the drought's broken.
A recent University of Adelaide survey found southern hairy-nosed wombat numbers were sky-high, with up to 200 animals per square kilometre in some parts of the desert.
Drivers are urged to keep their eyes peeled on the road to avoid hitting wombats this summer — which can cause more vehicle damage than most people expected. Not only are there wombats, there are thousands of kangaroos.
RE: contamination of Spinach ?
Does anyone know of more information about what the contaminant actually is?
I read that the contaminant is a "green leafy weed" and testing is under way to identify which weed is causing the issue.
Why are we not getting more detail and pictures of the contaminant ??