#16 Meet Buffy

I’m joining Becky in her February Square Photo Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules of the challenge are simple: most photos must be square and fit the theme word Odd, referencing one of these definitions: different to what is usual or expected, or strange; a number of items, with one left over as a remainder when divided by two; happening or occurring infrequently and irregularly, or occasionally; separated from a usual pair or set and therefore out of place or mismatched. Look for #SquareOdds.

While we didn’t travel as much as usual in 2021, we were fortunate to enjoy several holidays in our home state of Queensland and one short trip over the border in New South Wales. Join me this month in a retrospective look at the very odd year of 2021. 

 Sarina QLD, May 2021

In 1935, 102 cane toads were introduced to Northern Australia by the sugar cane industry in an effort to control cane beetles. This attempt at biological control was a dismal failure, as the beetles live high in the leaves of the sugar cane and the toads live on the ground.

As an imported species with no natural enemies, the toads quickly multiplied and became invasive pests. Today, it’s estimated there are up to 200 million toads across northern Australia. Sadly, they secrete a substance called bufotoxin which is lethal to any native animals coming in contact with it.

With all its negative publicity, it was surprising to find this giant sculpture of “Buffy” the cane toad in the main street of Sarina. The town is the centre of a large cane growing district and Buffy was originally constructed as part of the Sarina Sugar Festival in 1983.

This depiction of a cane toad is quite flattering – the real ones are very ugly.