May 3, 2015

How to identify individual Koalas

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Fox Gully Bushcare, Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve | Tags: , , |
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Koala - 3 May 2015

Koala visitor Fox Gully Bushcare – 3 May 2015

By: Michael Fox

We have regular sightings on Koalas Phascolarctos cinereus in the Reserve and we know they have been breeding for several years. See the 2011 report about Sparky and her joey, they live near an Energex sub-station.

What we have not yet been able to do is identify individuals. While we are getting more sightings reported we don’t know how many different individuals live in the Reserve and what area their territory covers.

Is today’s Koala visitor the same one I videoed in March grazing on fresh Tallowwood Eucalyptus microcorys in Fox Gully Bushcare?

Koala - Fox Gully - 28 Mar 2015 - J Fox

…… Female Koala – snowy white chest ……… 28 Mar 2015

One thing we can do is identify that both individuals are females. The pure white chest fur is typical of female Koalas. Males have dirty chests from rubbing their scent glands on tree bark to mark their territory.

Further research is needed to establish ways to identify individuals by differences in facial features and fur patterns.

 

May 3, 2015

Griffith Mates clear the last weeds

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Bushcare, Fox Gully Bushcare, Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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Griffith Mates (l-r) Laura, Lothar, Vikram, Sienna and Herman

By: Michael Fox

The Griffith Mates team helped us reach an important milestone last week. The final stage of a five year project was reached as the last patch of Fishbone Fern Nephrolepis cordifolia has been cleared at our Fox Gully Bushcare site Zone 13.

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Fishbone jungle - 11 May 2013

Lost in Fishbone jungle

A team from FWR Group started the daunting task of clearing the Fishbone jungle from the gully.

In its natural environment, Fishbone Fern is usually found growing in rocky areas, on rainforest margins, or as an epiphyte on palm trees in the wetter parts of tropical and sub-tropical Australia. (Weeds of Australia)

CVA team Fox Gully - 22 May 2013 2

Conservation Volunteers (CVA) team

In urban areas where Fishbone Fern has been cultivated as a garden plant it has escaped into remaining patches of bushland crowding out indigenous species. Six species of native fern are indigenous to the Fox Gully habitat. Removal of the weed is allowing natural regeneration of indigenous grasses, ferns and vines.

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Removing Fishbone Fern is a time consuming job so the support of a team from Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) was a major boost for the project.

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White-banded Plane -25 Apr 2015

Common or Varied Eggfly Hypolimnas bolina

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It is a particular pleasure to welcome Griffith Mates back as they always have a great interest in our local wildlife. They even insisted on walking through the forest from Mt Gravatt Campus.

So it was good to be able to show this perfect specimen of Common Aeroplane Phaedyma shepherdi butterfly posing on a Spotted Gum Corymbia citriodora.

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Squirrel Glider - 25 Apr 2015

Squirrel Glider Petaurus norfolcensis

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We finished the morning by checking the nest-boxes introducing our visitors to some of our cutest wildlife.

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Magnified Native Cherry

“That is a tiny flower.” Photo: Herman Kai

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And Australia’s smallest flower on Native Cherry Exocarpos cupressiformis. Looking for flowering bushfood trees is difficult when you need to carry a magnifying glass.

 

April 28, 2015

Australia’s smallest flower?

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve | Tags: , , , , |
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Exocarpos cupressiformis - flower - 28 April 2015 - Alan Moore - low res

Native Cherry Exocarpos cupressiformis beside pin head

By: Michael Fox

Want to know about macro-photography learn from Alan Moore at our 2015 Photography Workshop.

Exocarpos cupressiformis - fruit - 25 April 2015 - Alan Moore - low res

Native Cherry fruit

Alan helps with our research of local flora and fauna, however, I think this has been the most challenging assignment yet.

Just finding suitable flowers to photograph on the Native Cherry Exocarpos cupressiformis required the use of a magnifying glass.

Smaller than a pin head this surely has to be Australia’s smallest flower. Now the challenge is the find how these tiny flowers are pollinated so they create tasty bushfood  fruit.

 

April 14, 2015

Brids bright and noisy, flowers inconspicuous

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve, Photography | Tags: , , |
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Exocarpos cupressiformis - close - 22 Nov 2014

Bushfood – Native Cherry Exocarpos cupressiformis

By: Michael Fox

Australia is famous for its loud brightly coloured parrots … read Tim Low’s “Where song began” or visit any park when the eucalyptus are flowering.

Our flowers however, with some notable exceptions, have a reputation for being understated or inconspicuous.

Native Cherry Exocarpos cupressiformis is an excellent example of inconspicuous. The orange or red fruit are quite noticeable but the flowers are the tiny buds smaller than the stems they grow on.

Native Cherry - flower - 13 Apr 2015

Tiny flower of Native Cherry

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The flowers are so tiny I had to use an olloclip macro attachment on my iPhone 6 to get close.

 

 

April 12, 2015

Walking Mt Gravatt – Garden City Library

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Walking Mt Gravatt – Garden City Library

Promo“I’m in the bush, why can I hear an ambulance siren?” When I’m walking in Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve I feel like I am in a national park far away from the houses and traffic of the city. Then I catch a glimpse of buildings through the trees or hear a truck of ambulance reminding me where I am.

Join me for a virtual exploration of this unique diverse habitat with breeding Koalas, Echidnas, butterflies, native bees and amazing orchids. Michael Fox

  Sunday 14 June 10:30-11:30am

 

April 7, 2015

Griffith Mates and Scorpion-tailed Spider

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Bushwalks, Fox Gully Bushcare, Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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Griffith Mates team - Fox Gully - 21 Mar 2015

Hard workers (l-r) Sienna, Lara, Indya, Dan, Alex, Shiori, Abraham

By: Michael Fox

The Griffith Mates team joined Fox Gully Bushcare again in March. It is always fascinating to have team around. I listened to two students, one from Norway and one from China, who have never met before, having an in-depth discussion of the Chinese economy while pulling weeds in the Australian bush.

Scorpion-tailed Spider - 21 Mar 2015

Scorpion-tailed Spiders Arachnura higginsi

The students are always interested in the wildlife as well. It can be checking Squirrel Gliders in the nest boxes or like this time finding an interesting spider or beetle.

Snail-eating Carabid - 21 Mar 2015

Snail-eating Carabid Pamborus alternans

Scorpion-tailed Spiders Arachnura higginsi are a curious Orbweaver spider. Female Scorpion-tailed spiders develop a long tail that can be arched over the head must like a scorpion’s attack position. This female Scorpion-tailed Spider is the first I have found in the Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve and a new addition to our Flora & Fauna list.

The team also discovered a Snail-eating Carabid Pamborus alternans which has not been recorded before in the reserve. These beetles live under logs and feed on snails and earthworms.

A great team effort … two new species found and fourteen bags of Fishbone Fern Nephrolepis cordifolia roots removed from site. We concentrate on removing the roots because the leaves have very few fertile leaves to spread spores.This invasive environmental weed is typically spread by dumping of garden waste in bushland. The industry website Grow Me Instead lists alternative garden plants all of which are indigenous to Fox Gully  – Gristle Fern Blechnum cartilagineum, Rasp Fern Doodia aspera and Rough Maidenhair Fern Adiantum hispidulum.

 

March 25, 2015

Best bike ride/walk in Brisbane?

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Bushcare, Bushwalks, Mimosa Creek Precinct, Roly Chapman Reserve Bushcare | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Willow Bottlebrush -Flower - 20 Mar 2015

Willow Bottlebrush Callistemon salignus

By: Michael Fox

If you want a gentle walk or ride though the bush, Roly Chapman Bushland Reserve is worth a visit and the new cycle path crossing Mimosa Creek expands community access to this special place.

Damselfly - 30 Mar 2015

Damselfly (blue) – not identified

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Kate and Liz inspecting new planting

Walking through the Reserve last Friday morning with Liz Pell, restoration project leader and Kate Flink, BCC Habitat Brisbane, was particularly special as I was immersed in a world filled with the scent of honey from the flowering Willow Bottlebrush trees Callistemon salignus and the chattering of dozens of Rainbow Lorikeets Trichoglossus haematodus drunk on the nectar.

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Mimosa Creek in flood – 23 March 2015

Roly Chapman Bushland is very different to Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve because it has permanent water flowing though Mimosa Creek. Walk quietly as you cross Mimosa Creek. It is common to see turtles in the creek, Eastern Water Dragons Pogona barbata sunning on the rocks. Last Friday Dragonflies and Damselflies were also everywhere resting on leaves or skimming over the water.

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Post flood – no damage to planting

The new cycle path  is a credit to the Brisbane City Council Bikeways Project team and the contractors who did the work. The BCC designers minimised the impact on this sensitive habitat. The new track weaves to reduce loss of trees and, at the same time, creating an interesting and pleasant route instead of a straight strip of concrete. Even the installation of cabling for lights minimised impact on trees by using vacuum excavation around the roots.

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The quality of the restoration planting is evidenced by seeing virtually no damage after the flood water over the track in January. None of the new Lomandras were lost and the fibre matting is hardly disturbed.

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Orchard Swallowtail caterpillar - 20 Mar 2015

Orchard Swallowtail caterpillar

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Further along the track only one of the new trees has been lost – we normally consider anything than 80% survival is very good for restoration planting. Orchard Swallowtail Papilio aegeus butterflies are already breeding on the advanced Crow’s Ash Flindersia australis planted.

 

March 23, 2015

Abbeville Community Garden part of Pollinator Link

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Mt Gravatt Environment Group's avatarPollinator Link

Barbara and Krista - 15 Mar 2015 Barbara & Cr Krista Adams

By: Michael Fox

Visiting Abbeville Community Garden and meeting that community was a real pleasure, not to mention the amazing chilli chutney and cheese on offer.

Anissa - 15 Mar 2015 Anissa, garden member, with fresh Basil

Barbara tells me the event was organised to celebrate receiving grant from Brisbane City Council which will enable building the remaining eight garden beds and filling them with soil.

The garden community is an inspiring group ranging from young kids who love the raised beds where they can plant their seeds, young parents and retired people. The people I met certainly reflected the group’s mission on their Facebook:

OUR MISSION: To provide community driven food gardens, where children and community members of all ages can come together to learn, play, share and grow food – FOR LIFE !

Chilli - 22 Mar 2015 Fresh Chilli – makes great chutney

This special group is looking for new members to…

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March 18, 2015

2015 Photography Workshop

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Fox Gully Bushcare, Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve | Tags: , |
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See nature close-up

2015 Photography Workshop
Mt Gravatt Environment Group
Sunday 24 May

Register here

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Shape, texture and colour in bushland – Photo: Alan Moore

 

 

March 16, 2015

New moth identified in Reserve

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve, Wildlife of Mt Gravatt Reserve | Tags: , , , , |
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Erebus Moth - 15 Mar 2015

Erebus Moth Erebus terminitincta

By: Michael Fox

I identified another moth species yesterday in Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve – Erebus Moth Erebus terminitincta. (Identified using Brisbane Insects website)

At 100mm wingspan it is quite a large moth for south east Queensland.

Erebus Moth - close - 15 Mar 2015

Soft hairlike scales around the head

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The eye spots on this moth are spectacular and it seems to have a layered wing creating an interested 3D effect.

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Lilioceris bakewelli - Feb09

Red Narrow-necked Leaf Beetle Lilioceris bakewelli

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Caterpillars of this moth feed on Barbedwire Vine Smilax australis. The only other species I have found that feeds on this tough vine is the Red Narrow-necked Leaf Beetle Lilioceris bakewelli.

 

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