Issue No. 117 Spring 2018 Executive 2017/18 President Pat McPherson (03)5152 2614 patricia.mcpherson@bigpond.com Vice President Jen Wilkinson 040 854 5648 wilkinson@eastvic.net Secretary (under the Act) Pat McPherson (03)5152 2614 Treasurer Margaret Regan (03)5156 2541 Ordinary members and Coordinators Botanic Group James Turner (03)5155 1258 jturner.kw@gmail.com Bushwalking Group Noel Williamson (03)5152 1737 nwilliamson_7@hotmail.com Junior Field Naturalists Group Vicki Fraser 0417 586 856 vickifraser@netspace.net.au Newsletter Editor Pauline Stewart (03)5152 1606 happycats@eastvic.net Website Administrator Jen Wilkinson 040 854 5648 Billy Goat Bend Mitchell River National Park. Photo by the late Fran Bright CONTENTS Programme October to December 2018 3 President s Report 4 Marine Creatures 5 Glenaladale & Mitchell River National Park 6-8 Sarsfield 9-11 Bushwalk - Hospital Creek 12-13 Grey-headed Flying Foxes 14-15
The Clematis Page 2 CORRESPONDENCE TO: The Secretary, P.O. Box 563, Bairnsdale 3875 www.bairnsdalefieldnaturalists.com.au The Clematis is printed and supported by the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning MEETINGS General meetings take place at: The Noweyung Centre, 84 Goold Street, Bairnsdale as per program at 7.30pm sharp Committee meetings take place at: members homes as per program at 4.00pm THE CLEMATIS Responsibility for the accuracy of information and opinions expressed in this newsletter rests with the author of the article. All articles for Summer Clematis must be sent to the Newsletter Editor by 1st December 2018. SUBSCRIPTION FEES 2017/18 Single membership $30 Family membership $45 Mid-year fee (new members only) $15 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE 1. To further the awareness and study of all branches of natural history within the East Gippsland community through field excursions, regular surveys, specialist guest speakers and publications. 2. To observe and strengthen the laws for the preservation and protection of indigenous flora, fauna, habitat and important geological features. 3. To promote the formation and preservation of National and State Parks and Reserves. 4. To collaborate with other groups and agencies with similar environmental interest. LIBRARY INFORMATION - ask a committee member If you would like to borrow a book. Books are generally borrowed for one month - however you can write on the sign-out sheet if you wish to have it longer. Should any library materials need maintenance, please make a committee member aware of same. If you wish to recommend a book, this can be done by writing a short recommendation for the Clematis. This information could be from our library books or from other books that you believe our library could look at purchasing. FIELD TRIPS It is your responsibility to contact the coordinator of each field trip to notify them of intention to participate. The coordinator will notify you if the trip has to be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances. Please take note of safety procedures in your Bairnsdale & District Field Naturalists Club Inc. RISK MANAGEMENT POLICY booklet. This can be downloaded from our web site. RULES TO OBSERVE DURING FIELD TRIPS 1. Excursions are cancelled on days of TOTAL FIRE BAN. 2. Participants to keep a visual on the car in front and behind. 3. When making a turn, give signal, and stay at intersection until following car has also turned. 4. If separated from other cars, stop, and stay with your car. Other members will return to find you. 5. The Car Pooling Cost Calculator is used to assist drivers and car pool passengers to share fuel costs. DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY FOR BUSH WALKS Walks vary in distance from 8 to 14 km. Easy: Flat, good firm track. Moderately easy: Mostly flat, track in good to fair condition. Moderate: May be undulating, track in good to fair condition. Moderately Difficult: May be some steep sections, track may be rough in places. Difficult: May have long steep sections, track may be non- existent at times. Contact the leader of the walk for a rating if it s not included in the program. CONTACTS for Field Trips James Turner: 5155 1258 m. 0427 290838 Noel Williamson 5152 1737 Vicki Fraser: m. 0417 586856 Kath Tisdale: 5134 1674
Page 3 Issue 117 PROGRAMME October 2018 to January 2019 Date Activity Time Meeting Place Destination Subject/Rated Leader/Speaker OCTOBER Sun 7th Junior Group 9.00am 9.45am All Abilities Park Apex Park Lakes Ent. Jemmy s Point Lakes Entrance Rainforest rehabilitation Vicki Fraser Tom Crook Thurs 11 th Comm. meeting 4.00pm Pat Mcpherson s home Frid 19 th Annual General Meeting 7.30pm Noweyung Centre Book Launch of revised Orchid Book Sun 21st Excursion 8.30am Bridge Club South Gippsland Kath Tisdale Sun 28 th Bushwalk 9.00am Bridge Club German Gully Noel Williamson NOVEMBER Sun 4 th Junior Group TBA TBA Lakes Entrance Marine Mammal Foundation Thurs 8 th Planning meeting & Comm. meeting 4.00pm Pauline Stewart s home Vicki Fraser Frid 16 th General meeting 7.30pm Noweyung Centre TBA Sun 18 th Excursion 9.00am 9.30am Bridge Club Red Knob, Buchan turnoff Timbarra area James Turner Sun 25 th Bushwalk 9.00am Bridge Club Mystery Lake area Moderate Noel Williamson Sun 25th Junior Group TBA TBA Hospital Creek Limestone Quarry DECEMBER Fossil Dig Vicki Fraser Sun 2 nd Junior Excursion TBA TBA TBA Vicki Fraser Thurs 13 th Comm. Meeting 4.00pm Margaret Regan s home Frid 14th Xmas Breakup 7.30pm Noweyung Centre Members to bring supper Sun 30 th Bushwalk TBA TBA TBA Noel Williamson Early December Campout: Dates to be decided - Horse Yard Flat, Upper Moroka. 4WD & Camping Only. JANUARY 2019 Excursion -Date to be announced - Timbarra Plains & Blue Shirt Creek James Turner Bushwalk -Date and destination to be announced. Noel Williamson
The Clematis Page 4 PRESIDENT S REPORT What a winter it has been after Shakespeare, we Field Nats could call it one of discontent because of the drought and its effect on East Gippsland and because of the shocking death of our dear friend and member Fran Bright. First, Fran was a very gifted field naturalist who came to us with a very well-established knowledge and appreciation of indigenous flora when she moved to East Gippsland. I personally think of her as a woman for all EVCs Ecological Vegetation Classes because she spoke often and knowingly about the plants of the arid regions where she lived at Woomera and of the rain forest plants where she lived in Queensland before she moved here in 2003. The Field Nats. came across Fran on one of our excursions to Marlo Aerodrome where she was doing exactly what we had come for checking out the Tongue and Bonnet orchids and photographing them. Having met us, Fran joined the Club and was a regular and enthusiastic participant in every facet of the life of the Club including the Committee, until her untimely death. Fran was a gifted photographer and many of her photos have graced our Clematis newsletters and our Field Guide to Orchids of East Gippsland. In this regard, we have just reviewed this publication and a tribute to Fran has been included in the second edition. Fran also left behind a portfolio of beautiful photos that she was putting together to illustrate our next Field Guide Wild Flowers of East Gippsland which is still a work in progress. Through these two publications Fran s legacy will be with us for a long time to come. Second, the drought. Our illustrious botanical leader James Turner describes it as one of the most serious in our lifetime in East Gippsland. Dieback of shrubs and trees can be seen in the forest most notably in the Saw banksias and patches of Eucalypts have died off in rain shadow forests. Very little vegetation is flowering (apart from a few wattles) and James suggests that this could signify that it is in shut down mode. In addition, grazing of vegetation, mainly by deer, is wide spread, leaving in its wake smashed ferns and shrubs and broken landscapes. Excursion-wise the normally ubiquitous greenhood orchids (the staple find on our forays) are few and far between and fungi were mainly non-existent this year. The longer the drought goes on the worse it will become. Like I said we have had a tough time over winter but let us move forward hopefully into Spring and try a rain dance or two. Pat McPherson President The late Fran Bright Photo by Pauline Stewart
Page 5 Issue 117 AN EXCITING MARINE CREATURE By Margaret Regan Over the last month of May, whilst walking along the boardwalk around Bancroft Bay at Metung, I began noticing deep red round knobbly creatures in the shallow water below the boardwalk. At first, I thought they were sponges, but then realised that they moved, and were on the sand as well as on rocks. My next thought was that they were sea slugs, which are like land slugs, in that they have either lost their shell or it is much reduced. After lots of googling and then ringing around friends, Jonathan Smith identified the animal as a side-gilled sea slug named Pleurobranchus hillii. This creature can be very large. Apparently, one has been seen in Port Phillip Bay reaching 30cm across, and they can grow to 40cm across. The Metung specimens are about half that size. It has been recorded in south eastern Australia from central New South Wales to Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales, and also south western Western Australia. Its mantle (upper surface) is covered in rounded and/ or pointed papillae. The pointed papillae are sometimes quite large. Apparently, most sea slugs have two pairs of tentacles or antennae, one with eyes at the base for sight, and the other pair are sensory. As Pleurobranchus hillii often has pointed structures on the mantle, it is difficult to know which are the tentacles. Are they also retractable as in their relatives, the snails? They have one large feathery gill under the right side of the body through which they breathe. The male and female sexual openings are also underneath on the right side of the body. We have also found large white gelatinous spirals of egg masses, and I have seen several pairs of the sea slug lying together slightly overlapping, perhaps mating. They are hermaphrodites, like snails, and fertilise each other. They each have a tusklike penis. In most species of sea slug, each egg produces a swimming larva with a coiled shell, which is shed when the larva transforms into the adult animal. It seems they feed on ascidians (sea squirts), of which there are some on the rocks and on the piles of the boardwalk at Metung. Sea squirts are sedentary tubular filter feeders and are firmly attached to their substrate. They have two siphons, one to take in sea water containing their food source, minute plankton, and the other to expel the sea water, after they have filtered off the food. There are many species of sea slugs around the world and they are noted for their extraordinary colours and striking forms. Just get on Google!! Above: Hill's side-gilled sea slug Pleurobranchus hillii Right: Egg mass Photos by Don Love
The Clematis Page 6 GLENALADALE & MITCHELL RIVER NATIONAL PARK - 20 May 2018 By Margaret Regan We headed out west along the Princes Hwy, and then north through Fernbank to the Glenaladale area, where we turned west just before the Fingerboards onto the gravel Limpyers Rd. When first passing through farmland, the road is bordered and overarched with a canopy of eucalypts. We bypassed pine plantations, where we had previously stopped to see fungi. As we are in drought, there were few fungi seen all day. Not many flowering plants were in bloom either. All the country and forest in the Limpyers Rd area east of Boundary No. 34 Track is under the overlay of the proposed Kalbar Resources Fingerboards Mineral Sands Project. The Glenaladale deposit is one of the biggest mineral sands deposits in the world. The heavy mineral ore would be extracted using open cut mining. If the mine is allowed to go ahead, all the vegetation would be removed, the topsoil heaped to one side, and the subsoil mined. The heavy minerals, including zircon, titanium and rare earths, would be separated from the ore, and 96% of the ore would be returned to the open cut. Later the topsoil would be replaced and the mine moved a bit further on. A large amount of water is needed for the mining process, and this would go to settling ponds. In early February 2014, the Glenaladale Mt Ray bushfire, started by a lightning strike, burnt approximately 6,700 hectares, which affected much of the area we visited in the morning. Our first stop in native forest was beneath White Stringybark (Eucalyptus globoidea) with grey brown thick stringybark and small round crowded fruits; Apple Box (E. bridgesiana) with long narrow leaves and stalked fruits with exserted valves; and Red Box (E. polyanthemos subsp. longior) which has rough bark, long narrow bluish grey adult leaves to 15cm and usually 7 stalked fruits with enclosed valves. Polyanthemos is Greek for many flowers. A larger shrub was Sunshine Wattle (Acacia terminalis) which has bipinnate foliage and round flowerheads in racemes. The only other plant flowering was the bright red and prickly prostrate shrub Cranberry Heath (Astroloma humifusum). Other ground layer plants were Spiny-headed Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia) with long strappy leaves; Thatch Saw-sedge (Gahnia radula) which has a blackish inflorescence; the rare Tufted Hedgehog Grass (Echinopogon caespitosus) with a dense spike-like panicle where the seeds are formed; and Forest Nightshade (Solanum prinophyllum) whose leaves and stems bear fearsome spines. Another rare (in Victoria) small shrub was Sandfly Zieria (Zieria smithii) which when blooming has white 4-petalled flowers with 4 stamens. Its leaves are trifoliate (3 leaflets) and a brighter deeper green than surrounding foliage. It is in the citrus family Rutaceae, so the stems and leaves have raised oil glands. It appears the common name arose from its use as an insect repellent. When the leaves are crushed, they secrete a bitter aromatic oil high in safrole. Two fungi found were both brackets on the trunks of living trees. One, high up, was White Punk (Laetiporus portentosus) which causes white heart-rot, and the other much smaller and lower down one was velvet brown above, and cream pored below. On the way to our next stop down the road, a Black Wallaby was disturbed and hopped away. In some areas, because of the 2014 fires, the regrowth of Black Wattle (Acacia mearnsii) was very dense. At the stop we saw our first (and only) orchid flowering. We found two Large Mosquito-orchid (Acianthus exsertus) whose heart-shaped flat leaf is green above and purple below, and they were only just starting to bloom. Red and green Common Correa (Correa reflexa) was also in flower. There was sign of Emu with a large round scat. A little further along Limpyers Rd, there were lots of Sunshine Wattles in flower. We were now amongst Saw Banksia (Banksia serrata), which has serrated leaves and incredibly knobbly bark. Small shrubs were the pea Showy Bossiaea (Bossiaea cinerea) with heart-shaped pointed leaves, but not showing its yellow and red blooms; and white Prickly Broom-heath (Monotoca scoparia) also with pointed leaves and just a few tubular flowers. A pretty fine bright green sedge was a rapier-sedge (Lepidosperma sp.). A tiny subshrub was Pomax (Pomax umbellata) with opposite ovate leaves and several terminal inflorescence stalks, each bearing a calyx-cup with 2-4 flowers. The ripe brown empty calyx-cups remain on the plant for some time. We saw the upright single leaves of Large Duck-orchid (Caleana major), and the two opposite flat leaves of Autumn Wasp-orchid (Chiloglottis reflexa). We adjourned to the picnic area above the Den of Nargun walk by the Mitchell River for lunch. Two lucky Field Nats disturbed a juvenile Common Brown Snake which rapidly escaped under a rock. This juvenile Common Brown Snake looks quite different to an adult. It was brown with a dark blotch on the head, a black band across the neck and prominent dark bands along the rest of the body. The Common Brown Snake is probably eastern Australia s most frequently seen large dangerously venomous snake. Land clearing and agriculture have been beneficial to its existence. After lunch we drove along a rather bumpy gravel road to Billy Goat Bend. A lookout here provides a spectacular view into the Amphitheatre of the Mitchell River Gorge with cliffs along the edge. The Mitchell River is the only major wild river left in Victoria; all the others have been dammed and changed. The cliffs and gorges are formed from 350 million years old layers of sandstone and mudstone, and appear to be formed of separate blocks. There was a scree of fallen rocks below one cliff and below that along the river was a patch of Gorges Dry Rainforest. The inaccessibility of this site means the flora isn t well known, but Lillypilly (Acmena smithii) is known to be there. The river in this area is rocky with rapids much enjoyed by canoeists. With the lack of water, they might be daunted by the amount of portaging needed to get from one part of the river to the next, over the exposed rocks.
Page 7 Issue 117 A tree on the dry tops of the cliffs was Red Ironbark (Eucalyptus tricarpa) with very dark deeply furrowed bark and greyish green leaves. Also above the cliffs was the endangered Billygoat Daisy-bush (Olearia curticoma) which is endemic to dry forest on rocky ground above the Mitchell River near Glenaladale, so it only occurs at this site. It is a shrub to 3.5m with dense narrow sticky leaves, and flowers with 10-16 white ray florets and twice as many yellow disc florets. Another rare plant was Sticky Bertya (Bertya cunninghamii subsp. pubiramula), a shrub with narrow leaves with recurved margins. The male and female flowers are produced on different plants (the plants are dioecious two homes). The male flowers have many stamens fused together to form a column; while the female flowers have a single ovary with three styles. Common Correa here had green and cream flowers. Near the car park, there was a small narrow burrow opening beneath the root of a tree. Spread out on the ground before it, was what looked like hundreds of black regular 5mm long?? scats. (Couldn t match them in my scat book). An enjoyable day, thank you James, despite the drought and few flowers. Sticky Bertya (Bertya cunninghamii subsp. pubiramula) Photo by James Turner Sunshine Wattle (Acacia terminalis) Photo by James Turner
The Clematis Page 8 Plants: Gahnia radula Thatch Saw-sedge Acacia mearnsii Black Wattle Lepidosperma sp. a rapier-sedge A. terminalis Sunshine Wattle Lomandra longifolia Spiny-headed Mat-rush Acianthus exsertus Large Mosquito-orchid Monotoca scoparia Prickly Broom-heath Acmena smithii Lillypilly Olearia curticoma Billygoat Daisy-bush Astroloma humifusum Cranberry Heath Pomax umbellata Pomax Banksia serrata Saw Banksia Solanum prinophyllum Forest Nightshade Bertya cunninghamii Sticky Bertya Zieria smithii Sandfly Zieria subsp. pubiramula Bossiaea cinerea Showy Bossiaea Caleana major Large Duck-orchid Fungus: Chiloglottis reflexa Autumn Wasp-orchid Laetiporus portentosus White Punk Correa reflexa Common Correa Echinopogon caespitosus Tufted Hedgehog Grass Mammal: Eucalyptus bridgesiana Apple Box Black Wallaby E. globoidea White Stringybark E. polyanthemos subsp. Red Box Reptile: longior E. tricarpa Red Ironbark Common Brown Snake Billygoat Daisy-bush (Olearia curticoma) Photo by James Turner Large Duck-orchid (Caleana major) Photo by the late Fran Bright
Page 9 Issue 117 SARSFIELD - 22 July 2018 By Margaret Regan We met at the junction of Eleven Mile Road and the Great Alpine Road, Sarsfield. Turning onto Eleven Mile Road, our first stop was on a small side track just past a number of bee hives we closed our windows when passing, although there wasn t too much activity, as the day was very cold. We wondered where the bees were feeding, as we couldn t see any eucalypts in bloom, although they were very tall. With it being the middle of winter and in the middle of a drought, there was very little flowering at all. Sunshine Wattle (Acacia terminalis), a shrub with bipinnate foliage and round flower heads in racemes; and Drooping Mistletoe (Amyema pendulum) which has hanging red flowers in groups of 3 on a common stalk, were two of the few! Overhead trees were White Stringybark (Eucalyptus globoidea) which has very thick fibrous bark and small globular fruits; Red Box (E. polyanthemos) with a greyish crown of ovate leaves, and mainly growing on poor stony slopes and ridges; and some Saw Banksia (Banksia serrata) whose leaves are thick with serrated edges. The only orchid in flower was a solitary bloom of Nodding Greenhood (Pterostylis nutans). There was Small Gnat-orchid (Cyrtostylis reniformis) in bud; the flat heart-shaped leaves of Small Mosquito-orchid (Acianthus pusillus) which are green above and purple below; and the two ovate opposite flat leaves of Autumn Wasp-orchid (Chiloglottis reflexa). Fungi were also scarce, but we found gilled Green Skinhead (Dermocybe austrovenuta) which has a yellow-green cap, yellow gills and a cream stalk without an annulus; and a chestnut brown capped gilled fruiting body (c.5cm) with pale gills and stalk, also without an annulus. [The annulus is a ring around the stalk, the remains of the veil that covered the gills when the fruiting body was immature.] Birds heard or seen were Laughing Kookaburra, Spotted Pardalote, King Parrot and Grey Shrike-thrush. An insect found on a twig turned out to be a Cottony Cushion Scale (Icerya purchasi) which is native to Australia. The creature seemed to be brown at the front with a grooved white body. Turns out the insect itself is quite small and brown, and most of the body is covered by a white grooved egg sac produced by extrusion. The egg sac encases about a thousand red eggs. [This explains why here they are called cochineal beetles, as red matter is extruded when they are squashed.] The egg sac can be two to three times as long as the body of the insect. These female (hermaphrodite??) cottony cushion scales are not actually fertilising themselves; they have been infected at birth with left-over sperm from their fathers!!! The scale really likes Sweet Pittosporum and citrus. It also produces honeydew, which encourages sooty mould. The scale insect taps into the sugar-carrying system of the plant. To suck up the amount of protein they need, they take in excess sugar, which is then excreted as honeydew. Natural enemies are ladybirds and lacewings. It has spread around the world and has been a major pest in citrus groves in southern California. A little further on Eleven Mile Road, just before Stoney Creek Track, we found nothing new, but saw a Grey Butcherbird. Then we were off to a favourite spot Fairy Dell. Until we were right into the wettest part of the rainforest, the vegetation looked awful. Of course, there was drought and deer damage, maybe frost damage, maybe wind damage, or all four. Many plants were dead or brown, especially the ferns. We first took the lower track up through the damper environment close to the waterless creek. Ground ferns were Gristle-fern (Blechnum cartilagineum) which is named for its harsh dark pinnate fronds, and the fertile and barren fronds are similar; and Common ground-fern or Rainbow fern (Calochleana dubia) which has much divided triangular yellow-green fronds. Some extremely tall tree-ferns were Rough tree-fern (Cyathea australis). It is one of our tallest and most common tree-ferns. They apparently produce a new ring of fronds every year, so it was thought some could be over 200 years old. The stipe (stalk of the frond) is brown and covered with rough scales. A vigorous twining climber was Milk-vine (Marsdenia rostrata) which has small fragrant cream blooms when flowering, and woody fruits. A broken stem exuded a milky sap which is apparently irritating to the skin. As there had been some rain, in sheltered areas the mosses, liverworts and lichens were beautifully hydrated. Two mosses were Pipe-cleaners (Ptychomnion aciculare) whose shoots are yellow-green to bright green and in clumps; and probably Dawsonia polytrichoides with old flattened brown capsules with long white hair-like processes around the opening through which the spores had been released. As we climbed into the rainforest, we were below the cover of Lilly-pilly (Syzygium smithii), a dense dark green tree to 30m with opposite glossy leaves and pink or lilac berries. Now there were epiphytic ferns on the tree-ferns, both Rough and Soft tree-fern (Dicksonia antarctica). Soft tree-fern has a thicker trunk than that of the Rough tree-fern, and the stipes are covered with coarse hairs. There was the tiny delicate Common filmy-fern (Hymenophyllum cupressiforme). Filmy ferns fronds are rarely more than one cell thick and they can absorb water over most of their leaf surface. Other larger, more robust epiphytic ferns were Fragrant fern (Microsorium scandens) with a wiry rhizome and a dark green undivided or pinnately lobed lamina; and small Rock felt-fern (Pyrrosia rupestris) which has a scaly creeping rhizome and two kinds of fronds. Both fronds have star-shaped hairs on their lower surfaces. The barren frond is round and the fertile frond is long and narrow. New ground ferns were Strap water-fern (Blechnum patersonii) whose fronds are dark green and simple or once divided; and Mother shield-fern (Polystichum proliferum) where buds may form at the tips of the dark green 2-pinnate fronds. A new plant can be formed from these buds. Two other ground ferns were soft Austral lady-fern (Diplazium australe) with triangular 2- to 3-pinnate fronds; and the large blue-green Bat s wing (Histiopteris incisa). A small tree was Yellow-wood (Acronychia oblongifolia). It has oblong leaves with long stalks, 4-petalled small white flowers and later whitish berries. A sedge was Black-fruit Sword-sedge (Gahnia melanocarpa). A new climber was Twining Silkpod (Parsonsia brownii). This is quite similar to Milk-vine, in that it has milky sap, but the leaves are narrower, the flowers are yellow and the fruit is a long capsule filled with silky-plumed seeds. [Some of the Field Nats were very entertained by a small boy, who, when coming upon them under the dim light beneath the rainforest trees, thought they were fairies!!] Near the top of the track, we found a few specimens of a rarer tree-fern, Prickly tree-fern (Cyathea leichhardtiana). It has a
The Clematis Page 10 small crown of very dark green fronds. The stipes (stalks) of the fronds are covered with very nasty sharp spines. We took the higher track on the way back to the car park, and this passes through much drier forest. We did however see some small tree species more common in wetter areas Hazel Pomaderris (Pomaderris aspera) with large ovate leaves with impressed veins and starshaped hairs below; Blue Oliveberry (Eleaocarpus reticulatus) which has finely serrate-edged leaves, gorgeous hanging pale pink flowers and later blue berries; and the ever-present weed Sweet Pittosporum (Pittosporum undulatum). Birds were Eastern Yellow Robin and Superb Lyrebird (doing other bird imitations). Just before the car park we dropped down into the dry creek and ventured upstream to see a couple of plants of Austral king-fern (Todea barbara). This large primitive ground fern has a thick black trunk and may have several crowns of fronds. The bipinnate shiny fronds can be up to 2m long. There were a few tiny plants of pale green Common maidenhair (Adiantum aethiopicum) clinging to the banks of the creek. Another ground fern was Fishbone water-fern (Blechnum nudum) which can have a short trunk and the stalk of the frond is black. The frond lamina is once divided with the longest pinnae in the middle of the frond. A shrub was Mutton-wood (Rapanea howittiana) which, although not related, looks very similar to Yellow-wood. However the leaves have wavy edges, the flowers are green and 5-petalled, and the succulent fruits are violet. Our last stop on the way back home was on Old Man Hill Road where, although it was very dry, we found four species of greenhood, albeit only five small flowers all up. These were Nodding Greenhood again, Striated Greenhood (Pterostylis striata) which has a single dark green and white striped flower; tiny erect Trim Greenhood (P. concinna) whose single flower has a notched labellum; and Cobra Greenhood (P. grandiflora) whose large single flower has broad flared brown petals which are fused with the dorsal sepal to form the hood. Again Superb Lyrebird was calling. Thank you again to James, and also to Stuart for bird identifications. Rough tree-fern (Cyathea australis) Photo by Pauline Stewart Striated Greenhood (Pterostylis striata) Photo by James Turner
Page 11 Issue 117 Plants: Acacia terminalis Sunshine Wattle Acianthus pusillus Small Mosquito-orchid Acronychia oblongifolia Yellow-wood Adiantum aethiopicum Common maidenhair Amyema pendulum Drooping Mistletoe Banksia serrata Saw Banksia Blechnum cartilagineum Gristle-fern B. nudum Fishbone water-fern B. patersonii Strap water-fern Calochleana dubia Common ground-fern or Rainbow fern Chiloglottis reflexa Autumn Wasp-orchid Cyathea australis Rough tree-fern C. leichhardtiana Prickly tree-fern Cyrtostylis reniformis Small Gnat-orchid Dawsonia polytrichoides Dicksonia antarctica Soft tree-fern Diplazium australe Austral lady-fern Elaeocarpus reticulatus Blue Oliveberry Eucalyptus globoidea White Stringybark E. polyanthemos Red Box Gahnia melanocarpa Black-fruit Saw-sedge Histiopteris incisa Bat s wing Hymenophyllum cupressiforme Common filmy-fern Marsdenia rostrata Milk-vine Microsorium scandens Fragrant fern Parsonsia brownii Twining Silkpod Pittosporum undulatum Sweet Pittosporum Polystichum proliferum Mother shield-fern Pomaderris aspera Hazel Pomaderris Pterostylis concinna Trim Greenhood P. grandiflora Cobra Greenhood P. nutans Nodding Greenhood P. striata Striated Greenhood Ptychomnion aciculare Pipe-cleaners Pyrrosia rupestris Rock felt-fern Rapanea howittiana Mutton-wood Syzygium smithii Lilly-pilly Todea barbara Austral king-fern Fungi: Dermocybe austrovenuta Green Skinhead Birds: King Parrot Grey Shrike-thrush Spotted Pardalote Eastern Yellow Robin Laughing Kookaburra Grey Butcherbird Superb Lyrebird Insect: Icerya purchasi Cottony Cushion Scale Laughing Kookaburra Photo by Ken Russell, Birdlife East Gippsland
The Clematis Page 12 BUSHWALK ALONG HOSPITAL CREEK ROAD - 24 th June 2018 By Audrey van den Berg Four members led by Noel Williamson enjoyed a cool but pleasant day along the Hospital Creek area north of Wairewa. Driving from the Princes Highway the Wairewa Road passes under a beautiful, historic, wooden railway bridge: a relic on the closed railway line from Bairnsdale to Orbost. The sealed road follows the creek through a cleared plain then across Hospital Creek onto gravel which marks the beginning of Mottle Range Road. On the north side of this road the vegetation has been cleared for a good 20 metres and on the south side there are several logging coupes one of which has a regrowth of about 3 years, but the others are more recent. Sweet Wattle (Acacia sauveolens) was in bloom and on the north side was a stand of Saw Banksia (Banksia serrata) with gnarled trunks predominant. Once out of the cars and at the beginning of the Hospital Creek Road bushwalk it was seen that the vegetation had changed to dry sclerophyll forest with the occasional Sunshine Wattle (Acacia terminalis) brightening up the vegetation and bursts of Common Heath (Epacris impressa) cheering us as we walked. The only other flowers noticed were the yellow flowers of the Hop Goodenia (Goodenia ovata) and a yellow cluster on one bush of Pine or Narrow-leaf Geebung (Persoonia linearis). There were several geebungs in this area and many small seedlings close to the road were emerging from the disturbed soil. The vegetation changed yet again according to whether we were on the hilltop or in a valley. We stopped for morning tea and sitting on a log spotted the leaves of a myriad Bird orchid (Chiloglottis) species although not showing any buds or flowers for further identification. Further along the road were rosettes of leaves of a colony of greenhood (Pterostylis) species. A surprise finding on a roadside bank were a couple of plants of the Lacy Wedge-fern (Lindsaea microphylla). In the gullies along the way there were Rough Treeferns (Cyathea australis) Soft Tree-fern (Dicksonia antarctica), Gristle Fern (Blechnum cartilagineum), Scrambling Coral-fern (Gleichenia microphylla), Spreading Fan-fern (Sticherus lobatus) and Austral Bracken (Pteridium esculentum). A lot of non-flowering plants were observed as we walked along. Several clumps of Trigger plant (Stylidium sp.) were noted and several species of the pea family were everywhere. This included Spiny Bossiaea (Bossiaea obcordata) on the dry hill, Slender Bitter Pea (Daviesia leptophylla, Gorse Bitter Pea (Daviesia ulicifolia), Running Postman (Kennedia prostrata), Dusky Coral Pea (Kennedia rubicunda), Twining glycine (Glycine clandestina) and Purple coral-pea (Hardenbergia violacea). This area must surely be a beautiful flowering garden in spring and well worth another visit. Throughout the bush Blue Olive-berry (Eleocarpus reticulatus) was growing and quite a few Cherry Ballart (Exocarpus cupressiformis) with their weeping branches. Bootlace Bush (Pimelia axiflora), Common Cassinia (Cassinia aculeata) with its sticky foliage and Grey everlasting (Helichrysum obcordatum) all of which filled in many spaces while along the track Broad-leafed Geebung (Persoonia levis) was spotted along with Holly-leaf Lomatia (Lomatia ilicifolia). A couple of very prickly bushes had us guessing - was it Prickly Currant-bush (Coprosma quadrifida) or Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa)?? Another prickly bush had tiny heart-shaped leaves so all these bushes need better identification from our experts. One small plant could easily be identified from it strong pepperminty scented, rough leaves - Rough Mint Bush (Prostanthera denticulata), Wonga Wonga Vine (Pandorea pandorana) and other vines could be seen climbing through the trees and bushes. Hospital Creek flows at the bottom of a steep incline with clear water trickling out of a dense growth of Lillypilly (Acmena smithii), Boobialla (Myoporum insulare), Blanket Leaf (Bedfordia arborescens), River Lomatia (Lomatia myricoides) plus ferns and rushes. Birds were mostly silent and invisible, but the kookaburras had a good laugh and there was some occasional twittering in the scrub. Birds either seen or heard along the walk were: White-throated Tree Creeper, Superb Lyrebird, Eastern Spine-bill, Spotted Quail-thrush, Striated Thornbill and Grey Shrike-thrush. There were several fungi species especially tiny yellow toadstools, some slightly larger orange toadstools, brown ones, red ones and a colourful bracket fungus on a fallen log. There was a large white punk high up in a eucalypt and huge fallen one on the ground. After our lunch beside the creek we turned around and headed back to the cars. By the days end, we were surprised to learn that we had almost walked 20km. A wonderful walk. Thanks to Noel and Pauline. Hospital Creek Road Photo by Pauline Stewart
Page 13 Issue 117 Plants: Varnish Wattle (Acacia verniciflua) Sweet Wattle (A.suaveolens) Silver Wattle (A. dealbata) Blanket-leaf (Bedfordia arborescens) Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa) Shiny Cassinia (Cassinia longifolia) Blue olive-berry (Elaeocarpus reticulatus) Red Ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon) Mountain Grey Gum (E. cypellocarpa) Hop Goodenia (Goodenia ovata) Purple Coral-pea (Hardenbergia violacea) Austral Indigo (Indigofera australis) Running Postman (Kennedia prostrata) Dusky Coral Pea (Kennedia rubicunda) Running Postman (Kennedia prostrata) Spiny-headed Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia) River Lomatia (Lomatia myricoides) Milk Vine (Marsdenia rostrata) Snowy Daisy-bush (Olearia lirata) Cluster-flower Geebung (Persoonia confertiflora) Prickly Geebung (Persoonia juniperina) Narrow-leaf Geebung (Persoonia linearis) Hazel Pomaderris (Pomaderris aspera) Wonga Vine (Pandorea pandorana) Kanooka (Tristania laurina) Gristle Fern (Blechnum cartilagineum) Fishbone Water-fern (B. nudum) Common Ground Fern (Culcita dubia) Rough Tree-fern (Cyathea australis) Soft Tree-fern (Dicksonia antarctica) Scrambling Coral-fern (Gleichenia microphylla) Lacy Wedge-fern (Lindsaea microphylla) Austral Bracken (Pteridium esculentum) Spreading Fan-fern (Sticherus lobatus) Birds: White-throated Tree Creeper Laughing Kookaburra Superb Lyrebird Eastern Spinebill Spotted Quail-thrush Striated Thornbill Grey Shrike-thrush Hospital Creek - Gail Hume, Noel Williamson, Audrey van den Berg & Pauline Stewart photographer.
The Clematis Page 14 GREY HEADED FLYING FOXES (GHFF) - Bairnsdale By Vicki Fraser, Junior Group coordinator The BDFNC Junior group recently had a fantastic day learning about the Grey Headed Flying Fox (GHFF) Colony in Bairnsdale. Lisa Roberts from Friends of Bats and Habitat started off by talking to the Junior Field Naturalist Group followed by a walk along the banks of the Mitchell River to the GHFF camp-site to see them interacting with each other. We learnt about their importance in the ecosystem, how they interact with each other and the threats to their survival and habitats. Here are some interesting facts we heard on the day. The GHFF mainly feed on nectar and pollen of native plants and occasionally on fruit. The bats have special relationships with certain local native plant species, mainly eucalypts, banksia and melaleuca. These plant species have co-evolved over millions of years with mammal night-time pollinators and their flowers only truly open at night. The GHFF is our only long-distance pollinator that feeds on this energy rich nectar and pollen of native trees and shrubs and distributes the pollen over large distances up to 60kms in one night (much further than bees travel). This keeps the forest healthy by increasing the diversity of the plant genetics by spreading the pollen and seeds over large distances. GHFF are mammals and the females produce one pup per year. They are in labour for 4-5 hours (upside down) and then they catch the baby with their wings when it is born. The mum will carry the baby around for approximately 4-5weeks. The pup is then left in the colony for another couple of months until it is ready to be independent. The pups hang onto the mum s fur with their claws. The smell from the GGFF is not from their faeces or urine, but a scent produced by a gland on the males shoulders, which they rub on themselves and the branches of the trees to attract a female. The GHFF are actually very clean and when they defecate they turn themselves upright to ensure they don t dirty themselves. In summer the GHFF can be seen skimming along the water in the Mitchell River. This is how they drink. They wet their fur and then hang in the trees licking the water off, sometimes the neighbouring GHFF will lick their friends for a free drink. We also heard about the removal of trees along the Mitchell River and the need to ensure the remaining trees are protected. The main threat to the GHFF is loss of habitat through clearing and removal of vegetation. It is currently listed as vulnerable and since 1900 the species has declined by 90%. The GHFF colony is very hierarchical with GHFF coming back to the same branch on the same tree every morning. The females and pups hang on the inside of the group and the young males hang around in little gangs around the outside of the colony. The collective noun for bats is either a colony or a cloud So if you are in Bairnsdale, grab your binoculars and take some time to appreciate the amazing creatures we have residing right here along the banks of the Mitchel River. Think about the benefits they bring to the environment and the interesting relationships they develop within the colony. And if you are there between October December see if you can see a GHFF pup. Junior Group watching and learning about Bairnsdale s Grey-headed Flying Foxes along the Mitchell River. Photos by Vicki Fraser I can see them!!! Leo Groom.
Page 15 Issue 117 Grey-headed Flying Foxes - Mitchell River Bairnsdale.
The Newsletter of the Bairnsdale & District Field Naturalists Club Inc. If undelivered please return to: P.O. Box 563, BAIRNSDALE. Vic. 3875 POSTAGE PAID BAIRNSDALE