Listen to my interview with Kelly Higgins-Devine: 612ABC Drive.
See our own local Glow-in-the-dark Mushrooms.
Bushcare
Archived Posts from this Category
April 1, 2011
Kelly explores glowing mushrooms on Mt Gravatt
Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Bushcare, Forest Fungi, Gilled Fungi | Tags: 612ABC Drive, Bushcare, Butterfly, Echidna, Firefly Gully, Kelly Higgins-Devine, Mimosa Creek, Mt Gravatt Environment Group, Roly Chapman Reserve, species diversity, Wildlive corridor |[2] Comments
March 28, 2011
Mimosa Creek Precinct Landscape Plan – ver 1.6
Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Bushcare, Bushwalks, Mimosa Creek Precinct, Mt Gravatt Environment Group | Tags: Bicycle path, Bushcare, Clairvaux MacKillop College, community, Environment, Fox Gully Bushcare, Google Earth, Hibiscus Sports Complex, MEG, Mimosa Creek Precinct, Mt Gravatt Environment Group, Roly Chapman Reserve, Toohey Forest, Translink Park&Ride, Walking, Wildlive corridor |[9] Comments
Mimosa Creek is beautiful crystal clear stream rising in Toohey Forest before it flows under the Pacific Motorway reappearing beside Klumpp Road, meandering through Roly Chapman Reserve where, if you are quiet, you will often see turtles.
Mimosa Creek Precinct is the reach between the Pacific Motorway and Clairvaux MacKillop College, also including three potential wildlife corridors connecting with Mt Gravatt Reserve.
In developing the Mimosa Creek Precinct Landscape Plan, Mt Gravatt Environment Group aims to provide a community focused approach to environmental restoration of this important habitat with a variety of owners including BCC, Main Roads Dept, Translink, Hibiscus Sport Centre (local & state government), community organisations, schools and private owners. The term Landscape Plan comes from the excellent Birds in Backyards – Best Practice Guidelines, and is used to encompass this complex ownership mix.
Download the plan here: Mimosa Creek Precinct Landscape Plan – ver 1.6 (web) It does not take long to read: it is mostly Google Earth pictures. Appendix PDF files: Roly Chapman Bushcare Plan – ver 1.5 Fox Gully Bushcare Plan 2011 – ver 3.6 Mt Gravatt Strategic Plan – ver1.0
The environment is the key focus of this Plan, however, building and maintaining long-term financial and community commitment requires identification of business opportunities and community benefits derived from habitat restoration.
We have already identified a number of direct community benefits from implementation of the Landscape Plan. Identifying business opportunities that directly contribute to restoration of Mimosa Creek Precinct, is not as obvious. However, to quote Peter Drucker:
“Every single social and global issue of our day is a business opportunity in disguise.”
BizEd july/august 2008
Read the Fox Gully blog post Business Goes Bush in Mt Gravatt.
What community and business opportunities can you identify?
February 28, 2011
MEG blossoms in Southside Community News
Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Bushcare, MEG Activities | Tags: BOIC, Bushcare, Butterfly, Butterfly Encounters, Environment, Graphium eurypylus, Joseph Coat Moth, Leafwing, MEG, Mt Gravatt, Southside Community News |Leave a Comment
The visit by BOIC (Butterflies & Other Invertebrates Club) reported in our local Southside Community News. 
Correction and apology: BOIC President’s name was incorrect. My mistake: I provided the wrong name to the journalist.
Ross Kendall of Butterfly Encounters is currently BOIC President.
February 10, 2011
Mottled Cup Moth building chrysalis
Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Bushcare, MEG Activities, Wildlife of Mt Gravatt Reserve | Tags: Bushcare, caterpillar, chrysalis, eucalypt, Mottled Cup moth Doratifera vulnerans, Pink yellow spikey, Sting spine, wildlife |Leave a Comment
Another amazing critter in our bushland: Mottled Cup Moth caterpillar Doratifera vulnerans.
I have seen capsules on trees and wondered 
what they are. They look just like a gum nuts in the wrong place on the tree. 
Yesterday I was asked to identify two caterpillars from a local bushcare site. My bushcare colleague had a painful encounter with the stinging spines on these otherwise pretty caterpillars so I put on disposable gloves before I opened the container to photograph these strange creatures.
Butterfly expert Helen Schwenchke put me on the right track when she suggested looking up Cup Moths on the Australian caterpillar identification site. These intriguing pink yellow spiky critters are caterpillars of the Mottled Cup Moth Doratifera vulnerans.
Back to the caterpillars for a real surprise. One had carefully stripped a piece of the eucalypt branch and started spinning silky threads: it was building it chrysalis while I watched!
This process took about 70 minutes with the caterpillar curled tight and completely covered in silk thread.
By morning the chrysalis had hardened, shrunk to less than half the size and created this capsule that looks just like the gum nuts of the eucalypt trees the caterpillars feed on. See the picture at the top: the chrysalis is the one on the right.
Do you want to help clean up the home of these unique creatures? Register for Summit Cleanup on Sunday 6th March.
January 29, 2011
Gertrude Petty Place Team
Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Bushcare, Gertrude Petty Place, MEG Activities | Tags: Bushcare, Gertrude Petty Place, Ivy-leaf Violet, MEG, Mt Gravatt, Native violet, Picnic, Viola banksii |Leave a Comment
Two large pile of weeds have been 
removed so it is time for a cuppa with the Geutrude Petty Bushcare team. Around the table today are Judy, Ian, Sarah, Nancy, Brett, Morag, Susan and Mannix.
It is always interesting to sit down with the team at Geutrude Petty. The range of experience around the table is extraordianary. Today the group included a retired business owner, an expert in breeding frogs, an envrionmental restoration professional, Meals on Wheels volunteers and a person who hiked into the Stinson wreck to clean up and carry out rubbish: a 35 kilometre treck climbng 1040 metres.
Gertrude Petty restoration is creating an amazing picnic opportunity you normally only find in a national park outside the city. Our Australian wildflowers are often small and easily overlooked. Visit Gertrude Petty virtually any time of the year and you will find amazing flowers. The Native or Ivy-leaf Violet Viola banksii are flowering at the moment.
The Gertrude Petty team meets 8am to 10am last Saturday of each month and 3pm to 5pm every Wednesday. For details/contacts see 2011 MEG Calendar.
Mount Gravatt Environment Group 