Imperial Hairstreak butterfly on Early Black Wattle
By: Michael Fox
We welcomed the Griffith Uni Bushcare Team back to Fox Gully on the Saturday before Easter.
Mind you, it took a while to get them onsite as we found some Imperial Hairstreak butterflies, Jalmenus evagoras, beside the track. It is always a pleasure to find someone else who can be totally fascinated by a few of butterflies, caterpillars and ants.
Imperial Hairstreak chrysalis protected by Small Meat Ants
Silt 100mm deep behind mulch filter
Imperial Hairstreak butterfly caterpillars and chrysalis are protected by native Small Meat Ants Iridomyrmex sp. referred to as Kropotkin ants. Read my article in Southside Community News.
The Early Black Wattle Acacia leiocalyx are interesting with their distinctive triangular stems.
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The main project for the day was restoration and improvement of the “mulch filters” that keep silt from the dirt maintenance road flowing into the gully. The filters have proved very effective in reducing erosion and keeping the water in the gully clean.
Mirandha and Sheamus installing mulch filter
The mulch filter is designed to slow the water flow at key runoff points on the track, allowing the silt to settle out. Silt is already 100mm deep behind one filters and starting to support natural regeneration of native grass.
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The original filters were made by simply mounding mulch at the runoff points as an experiment. Now that the effectiveness has been established logs are being installed to make the filters more permanent and allow mulch to be piled higher.
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Bush food snack
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Of course after all the hard work a snack is in order. Mirandha try out the sweet roots of Blady Grass Imperata cylindrica.
Mount Gravatt Environment Group 