November 4, 2020
By: Michael Fox
I love Bushcare because I am always finding new species to add to Flora and Fauna of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve.
Finding Tree-running Mantid Ciulfina sp. nymph makes three mantids found in the Reserve.
The Three-eyed Leaf-rolling Cricket Xiphogryllacris orthoxipha is the first cricket we have found.
Meet all our fascinating insects at Insects, beetles, bugs and slugs of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve.
November 2, 2020
By: Michael Fox
I am very lucky to live beside Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve so butterflies and birds are common in my garden. However, at the moment gardens all over Brisbane are welcoming butterflies in large numbers. “Why are there so many butterflies in Brisbane?” Jessica Hinchliffe – ABC Radio Brisbane
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The Caper Whites Belenois java kept moving not wanting to be photographed but I did get a couple of photos. But I did find a Splendid Ochre Trapezites symmomus which posed perfectly for a photo. Note the characteristic antenna clubs which help identify species.
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The Cycad Blue Theclinesthes onycha are back for their annual visit. People often worry about the damage to the leaves on their Cycads. However, even being attacked by caterpillars of these cute butterflies every year my Cycad is still thriving.
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I have also had some special birds visiting.
A pair of Australian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubata have been visiting hoping to set up home. However, the Pied Butcherbirds Cracticus nigrogularis and Noisy Miners Manorina melanocephala have been chasing these special visitors away.
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A pair of Pale-heaed Rosellas Platycercus adscitus are also regular visitors. Today they were have a drink at one of the Koala Drinkers.
Invite birds, butterflies and bees to your garden by providing Water, Food and Shelter.
October 27, 2020
By: Michael Fox
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More than 50mm of rain this week has created an opportunity to move to Zone 6 and remove Mickey Mouse Plant Ochna serrulata before the flowers set seeds. Ochna has a deep tap root which is very hard to remove unless the ground is soft.
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I introduced our newest volunteer Rani Lustosa, of Two Dogs Landscaping, to the TreePopper, an ideal tool for attacking woody weeds like Ochna. The TreePopper design means that the weeds are pulled from the ground vertically minimising the risk of breaking off. At the same time there is minimal disturbance of the soil, the wildlife and fungi living in the soil.
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While Rani was having fun with the TreePopper, Regina, Liz and I were clearing Asparagus Fern Asparagus aethiopicus and Fishbone Fern Nephrolepis cordifolia.
October 8, 2020
By: Michael Fox
Yesterday Laurie Deacon, my Co-president and I were honoured to welcome our state Environment Minster Hon. Leeanne Enoch to Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve. Minister Enoch was accompanied by our local MPs Corinne McMillan and Joe Kelly. We were also joined by Wayne Cameron, Bulimba Creek Catchment Co-ordinating Committee (B4C), Rob Janson and Greg Neill representing N4C and Coorparoo Finger Gullies Bushcare, and Greg Wellard, Mackenzie Bushcare.
First stop on our tour is the butterfly speed dating site: look for the butterfly sign near the Summit Track entry. Some butterfly species practice “hilltopping behaviour” where males gather on in locations like the amphitheatre like space with the protection of trees along the edge for safety, all with the objective of attracting a female.
Our visitors were particularly interested in the Koala Phascolarctos cinereus population in the Reserve. One of our Koala Drinker team, Jake Slinger, spotted a Koala watching from the trees right where we were standing.
Our visitors were very impressed with restoration at the 2017 National Tree Day planting site.
I particularly complemented our political representatives on the impact of the Containers for Change initiative which has caused a very positive problem. When I look back at past CleanUp’s for comparison:
The reduction in rubbish meant our 2020 CleanUp not only had our largest team of volunteers but also our largest Weeding Team. A very positive problem!
September 13, 2020
By: Michael Fox
Sitting in the sun having breakfast I look up to see two Laughing Kookaburras preparing a new home in a termite nest high in a tree. We currently have twenty one nest boxes within Fox Gully Bushcare already providing breeding habitat for Squirrel Gliders Petaurus norfolcensis, Rainbow Lorrikets Trichoglossus haematodus, Pale-headed Rosellas Platycercus eximius and Brushtail Possums Trichosurus vulpecula.
The artificial nest boxes are intended to support wildlife while natural nest hollows develop in the forest. Our Kookaburras have been using an owl nest box for breeding, so it is exciting to see the termite nest is now large enough for our Kookas to create make their own home.
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Look for a family of Variegated Fairy Wrens Malurus lamberti playing in the scrubby habitat alongside Acacia Way. Small forest birds like the safety of tangled habitat like this where they can nest and escape from Kookaburras and other large predator birds like Pied Currawongs Strepera graculina and Kookaburras.
You can provide habitat for these special birds in your backyard by building a Habitat Tripod.
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Perhaps you can grow the beautiful Headache Vine Clematis glycinoides that is currently flowering along Acacia Way.
“It is a useful climber that could be used to cover the framework of a fernery. The growth is very dense and provides safe nesting sites for small native birds.” Australian Plants Society NSW
A useful vine, as it is happy growing in shaded areas and the crushed leaves help manage headaches.
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We also found a different solitary native bee species visiting flowers of Blueberry Lily Dianella longifolia. Lipotriches sp. do not form colonies, the individual females make nests in the ground. Native plant species like Dianella require Buzz Polination (sonicating) which shakes the pollen out of the flowers.
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Native Indigo Indigofera australis is also starting to flower along Acacia Way. Native Indigo is caterpillar food plant for Long-tailed Pea-blue Lampides boeticus and Common Grass-blue Zizina labradus butterflies.
Native Indigo can also be used for natural dying of cloth.
July 26, 2020
By: Sheamus O’Connor
Rainy not cold … perfect for Bushcare
We had a lot of fun yesterday in the puddles, luckily it was not too cold as we got soaked!
Logs protect planting
Garden beds have been extended to cover areas where fast spreading invasive weed has been Dyschoriste depressa poisoned. Our energiser rain loving team planted and mulched the expanded garden area.
A pedestrian goat track and a mountain bike track between road and Federation Track were closed to allow regeneration and re-mulched earlier plantings.
May 31, 2020
Square-tailed Kite (pair)
By: Michael Fox
A pair of Square-tailed Kite Lophoictinia isura seem to be making our Reserve their home. Pieter Demmers sighted the pair at a possible nest site at the top of the Goodenia Track near Mt Gravatt Campus. Stacey McLean kindly provided the correct identification.
Friday, I actually watched one of these impressive birds circling over our National Tree Day plantings. I’m hoping this is a sign of habitat health, as large raptors are unlikely to take up residence in the Reserve if there is not plenty of food.
Eupanacra splendens Hawk Moth
This been a great season for butterflies and moths with thousands of sightings of Hummingbird like creatures hovering in front of flowers. Hawk Moths long tongues allow them to hover in front of flowers while drinking the nectar.
We love butterflies in our gardens tend to ignore moths. However, moths vastly outnumber butterflies with 11,000 species compared to about 400 species of butterflies.
Eupanacra splendens caterpillar
On Gardening Australia, Professor Ken Walker, senior curator of entomology at Museums Victoria, explained the importance moths in our gardens. Moths work hard under cover of darkness providing valuable pollination services. Moths are also valuable food for birds visiting our gardens as well as lizards and other animals.
Butterfly and moth caterpillars feed on our garden plants, like this Eupanacra splendens caterpillar on my Peace Lily Spathiphyllum sp. However, they rarely do a much damage and we end up beautiful butterflies and interesting and valuable moth pollinators.
Banded Pupa Parasite Wasp
Professor Walker also refers to beneficial garden insects which includes some some of the ichneumon parasitic wasps found in Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve. The ichneumon wasps have no sting and perform valuable pest control activities.
The female Banded Pupa Parasite Wasp – Gotra sp. has no sting but a long ovipositor used to lay eggs on caterpillars. (Latin ovi = egg, posit = placed)
Tiger Ichneumon Wasp
Tiger Ichneumon Wasp Metopius sp.
Ichneumon wasps are some of the most attractive insects you can see in the Reserve.
Alan Moore photographed this Yellow-banded Ichneumon Wasp Echthromorpha agrestoria
Yellow-banded Ichneumon Wasp Echthromorpha agrestoria
March 10, 2020
By: Michael Fox
Great getting out in the bush after the rain. The Fox Gully Bushcare team worked on weeding the 2018 National Tree Day site.
All the plants are thriving including the weeds. Our main focus was removing Guinea Grass Megathyrsus maximus, Flannel Weed Sida cordifolia and Cobblers Peg Bidens pilosa before seeds set, breaking the weed cycle.
The rain also bought lots of insects and spiders including two species not previously Reported in the Reserve. An Eight-spotted Leaf Beetle and Round Ant Eater spider.
Eight-spotted Leaf Beetle Paropsisterna sexpustulata
Round Ant Eater spider Zenodorus orbiculatus (female) Note name change from Omoedus orbiculatus.
Union-Jack Wolf Spider Tasmanicosa sp. – with egg sac
St Andrew’s Cross Spider Argiope Keyserlingi – underside
Variable Ladybird Beetle Coelophora inaequalis larvae
Transverse Ladybird Beetle Coccinella transversalis
March 8, 2020
Weeding Team in action
By: Michael Fox
Dainty Swallowtail Papilio anactus
The reduction in rubbish to be cleaned up means the largest group joined the Weeding Team this year.
Huge area of Guinea Grass and Creeping Lantana cleared
The weeding team did a great job clearing a huge area of Guinea Grass Panicum maximum, Creeping Lantana Lantana montevidensis and Glycine Neonotonia wightii. Clearing the weeds and removing trip hazards is the first step in site preparation for planting.
Blue Banded Bee visiting Blue Tongue flower
Species for planting will be based on our research for Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve. Blue Tongue or Native Lasiandra Melastoma affine, currently flowering at the Lookout, is very popular with the solitary native bees in the Reserve. Like Blue Banded Bees Amegilla cingulata
Other species observed on the day were Great Carpenter Bees Xylocopa sp., Stingless Native Bees Trigona sp., and caterpillars of Glasswing Acraea andromacha and Imperial Hairstreak Jalmenus evagoras butterflies and Pale Brown Hawk Moth Theretra latreillii.
Guide on Patrol
Meanwhile the Rubbish Teams were busy around the Summit and along the roadway collecting the usual fastfood packages and some strange parts fallen off cars.
Griffith Mates Bushcare Team
Heather with rubbish collection
Thank you to all the community members, the Holland Park Girl Guides and Griffith Mates.
Thank you to Heather Woods for organising the event.
February 9, 2020
By: Michael
Scarlet Honeyeater
Thanks to Pieter Demmers and Rachel Cruttenden we have two bird species and a native gecko added to our Flora and Fauna of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve.
Pieter photographed this beautiful Scarlet Honeyeater Myzomela sanguinolenta At 10 to 11cm this is one of our special small forest birds feeding on nectar, some fruit and insects.
Brown Goshawk
Pieter found a Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus a medium-sized raptors found across Australia in timbered habitats. Brown Goshawks feed on small mammals, birds, reptiles and insects.
Robust Velvet Gecko
Rachel first found one Robust Velvet Gecko Oedura robusta with Pieter following up that sighting to find three geckos. It is nice to find native geckos living in the forest rather than just the noisy Asian House Gecko Hemidactylus frenatus.
Report Koala sightings
Sheamus O'Connor - Young Citizen of the Year 2012
Environmental Protection Award - Brisbane's Spotless Suburbs
