Densey Clyne facts for kids

Densey Clyne (born Dorothy Denise Bell, 4 December 1922 – 21 May 2019) was an amazing Australian naturalist, photographer, writer, and filmmaker. She was especially famous for her detailed studies of spiders and insects. She helped many people learn about the tiny creatures living all around us.

About Densey Clyne's Life

Densey Clyne was born in Risca, Wales, in the United Kingdom. In 1936, her family moved to Australia. During World War II, she served as an officer in the Australian Women's Army Service. She married Peter Clyne in 1950. Densey Clyne lived in Wauchope, New South Wales, Australia, until she passed away in 2019.

Densey Clyne's Amazing Work

Densey Clyne was a true expert in natural history and a strong supporter of protecting nature. She wrote 30 books about nature, especially focusing on insects and spiders. She also wrote scripts for her own TV shows and other documentaries about wildlife. She worked closely with filmmaker Jim Frazier for many years.

Densey Clyne wrote countless articles about the lives and behaviors of invertebrates (animals without backbones). These articles appeared in both science magazines and popular ones. She loved giving talks to schools and other groups about how fun it is to watch insects. She also helped TV shows, including some from the famous BBC Natural History Unit, as an expert on Australian wildlife. She even judged a film festival in Japan! For eight years, she shared her nature knowledge on Channel 9's Burke's Backyard TV show.

Densey Clyne was a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society of London. This is a big honor for someone who studies insects. Because of her important work with spiders, two new spider species were even named after her!

Where Densey Clyne Wrote

Densey Clyne wrote regular articles about nature for many different magazines and newspapers:

• Australian Wildlife Magazine
• The Sydney Morning Herald
• This Australia
• Australian Natural History (also known as Nature Australia)
• The Australian Women's Weekly
• Burke's Backyard Magazine
• Gardens and Outdoor Living

Important Science Discoveries

Densey Clyne made important contributions to science. For example, she was the first to describe in detail how the spider Dinopis subrufa builds its net. She also studied the web of the spider Poecilopachys bispinosa. She even worked with D. Rentz from CSIRO to describe a new type of insect called Anthophiloptera dryas, which she had watched in her own garden for years.

Awards and Recognition

Densey Clyne received many awards for her work:

• Hasselblad Masters Award, 1976 (for photography)
• C. J. Dennis Nat. Hist. Lit. Award, 1982, for her book "Wildlife in the Suburbs"
• C. J. Dennis Nat. Hist. Lit. Award, 1989, for her book "Garden Jungle"
• Roy. Zool. Soc. NSW, Whitley Awards 1982, Best Children's Series, "Nature City"
• Roy. Zool. Soc. NSW, Whitley Awards, Commendation, "Garden Jungle"
• Roy. Zool. Soc. NSW, Whitley Awards 1993, Best Children's Series, "Small Worlds"
• Roy. Zool. Soc. NSW, Whitley Commendation, Best Children's Series, "Small Worlds"
• Wilderness Society's Environmental Award 1996, "Small Worlds"
• TV Society of Australia, Individual Achievement Award 1977, Best Documentary Director
• National Geographic Society, Earthwatch award 1995, for her film "Webs of Intrigue"
• Australian Geographic Society, Award for Excellence 1996
• Australian Geographic Society, Photographer of the Year Award 1999
• Roy. Zool. Soc. NSW Whitley Awards 2010, Best Children's Series for "All About Ants" and "Secret Life of Butterflies"

Books by Densey Clyne

Here are some of the books Densey Clyne wrote or helped write:

• 1969 – A Guide to Australian Spiders. Their Collection and Identification
• 1969 – Australian Frogs
• 1970 – Australian Ground Orchids
• 1972 – Australian Rock and Tree Orchids
• 1973 – Wildflowers of New South Wales
• 1973 – Wildflowers of the Outback
• 1973 – Australian Insect Wonders (with Harry Frauca)
• 1978 – How to Keep Insects as Pets
• 1979 – The Garden Jungle
• 1979 – Rainforest. A Journey into Nature's Richest Garden (with Jim Frazier)
• 1982 – "Night Animals"
• 1982 – "Birds"
• 1982 – "Frogs and Lizards"
• 1984 – Wildlife in the Suburbs
• 1984 – More Wildlife in the Suburbs
• 1984 – Silkworms
• 1985 – Fraser Island/ Sands of Time (with Felicity Baverstock)
• 1987 – The Watchers of Dar (with Nicholas Brash)
• 1988 – Densey Clyne's Wildlife of Australia
• 1990 – How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden
• 1992 – Cicada Sing-Song (Small Worlds series)
• 1993 – Catch Me If You Can!
• 1994 – Flutter By, Butterfly
• 1994 – Growing Roses (with Valerie Swane)
• 1995 – Spotlight on Spiders (Small Worlds series)
• 1995 – It's a Frog's Life! (Small Worlds series)
• 1998 – Plants of Prey (Nature Close-Ups series)
• 1998 – The Best of Wildlife in the Suburbs
• 1999 – Densey Clyne's Wildlife of Australia
• 2001 – Australian Rainforests
• 2007 – Densey Clyne's Wildlife of Australia (new edition)
• 2009 – "The Secret Lives of Caterpillars"
• 2010 – "All About Ants"
• 2011 – "Attracting Butterflies to your Garden"
• 2018 – "My Encounters with Minibeasts"

Films and TV Shows

Densey Clyne worked as a researcher, writer, narrator, or adviser on many film and TV projects, often with cinematographer Jim Frazier.

• 1971 – "The Australian Ark": Densey was asked to film insects in her garden up close for a TV series. This led to her long partnership with Jim Frazier.
• 1975 – "Garden Jungle" and "Aliens Among Us": Two documentaries about insects and spiders in her garden. These were shown in Australia, Britain (BBC), Germany, and the USA.
• Short educational films (around 20 minutes each):
  • 1975 – "Now You See Me Now You Don't"
  • 1975 – "Come Into My Parlour"
  • 1977 – "Every Care But No Responsibility"
  • 1977 – "Blueprint for Survival"
• 1978 – "Butterfly Farming in Papua New Guinea": A short film for the ABC.
• 1979 – "Life on Earth": Densey and Jim helped film parts of this famous BBC series by Sir David Attenborough.
• 1983 – "The Living Planet": They also filmed for this BBC series, traveling to places like Borneo and California.
• 1979 – "Encounter Underground": A BBC/ABC documentary about bulldog ants.
• 1982 – "Lady of the Spiders": A film about Dr. Barbara Main and her studies of trapdoor spiders.
• 1983 – "Thrill of the Chase": A film about Densey Clyne and Jim Frazier themselves.
• 1984 – "Desire of the Moth": A one-hour documentary about moths, written by Densey Clyne and filmed by Jim Frazier for the BBC.
• 1985 – "Frazer Island – The Sands of Time": A TV documentary about the world's largest sand island.
• 1985-6 – "The Nature of Australia": A series about how Australia's animals evolved.
• 1986 – "To Be a Butterfly": A one-hour documentary about tropical butterflies, written and directed by Densey Clyne. It won an award in the USA.
• 1988–9 – "The Trials of Life": They filmed wildlife for another of David Attenborough's award-winning BBC series.
• 1991–2 – "Webs of Intrigue": A one-hour documentary about spiders. This film won many awards, including an Emmy in the USA and a major award at the Japan Wildlife Festival in 1995.
• 1996–7 – "The Amazing World of Minibeasts": A one-hour documentary about insects and other small creatures, written and presented by Densey Clyne.