June 5, 2010

Forest Fungi

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Forest Fungi | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
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The rain this year has bought out an amazing range of fungi in our forest.  We have also been lucky to have a visiting fungi expert, photographer and author, Duane Sept, visiting from Canada.

Duane’s visit prompted this month’s article for the Southside Community News – Forest Fungi – not just what you see.

Using categories developed in discussion with Duane, I have now added a Fungi category into the MEG publication Flora & Fauna of Mt Gravatt Reserve – Sue Jones & Michael Fox.

See some of the special forest fungi found in Mt Gravatt Reserve:

 

June 5, 2010

Gilled Fungi

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Forest Fungi, Gilled Fungi | Tags: , , , , , , , |
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I have grouped our Gilled Fungi into Mushroom style, Bracket and Funnel shapes and Simple Gills.

Mushroom style:

Russula persanguinea

A beautiful red and white topped mushroom style fungi.

Common in eucalypt forests this one was found in Gertrude Petty Place.

Click on images to enlarge

This orange mushroom style fungi was found in Fox Gully. Note the distinct gills on the underside.

Bracket and Funnel Shaped:

A beautiful bracket shaped white fungi growing on a log in Fox Gully.

These unusual funnel shaped gilled fungi were found in Fox Gully Zone 17 our latest restoration site.

Simple Gills:

M ycena sp – Simple gilled fungi – note the tall thin stems.

Tiny bright red simple gilled fungi make the surrounding leaves look like giants.

These purple simple gilled fungi were growing up through a Craypot Stinkhorn fungi. The stems on these fungi were not much thicker than a pin.




 

 

 

 

May 8, 2010

Explore our new Federation Track

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Mt Gravatt Outlook Development | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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Our BCC Habitat Brisbane team have been active upgrading the Federation Track which goes from Gertrude Petty Place via Federation Lookout onwards to the Summit.

You can also join from easement at 55 Granby Street.

The Track traverses some of the most beautiful  parts of the mountain passing spectacular Scribbly Gums Eucalyptus racemosa: koala food trees.

The characteristic scribble on the bark is created by lava of the Scribbly Gum moth. The moth lays its eggs in the bark. The lava hatches out, mines the bark in a zigzag pattern then emerges to form a grey ridged cocoon under bark at the base of the tree or in leaf litter. “A Guide to Australian Moths” Zborowski & Edwards.

The track crosses gullies populated with Coin-spot Treeferns Cyathea cooperi.

From the Granby Street sign the track climbs through the seam of quartz that bisects the mountain.

Not as pretty as the fern filled gully this part of the track presents excellent opportunities for some creative Ansel Adams style black & white photography: like this gnarled log surrounded by quartz.

Continue on to the Summit for a superb coffee at Echidna Magic.

Hope to meet you on the track soon.

Mike

 

 

March 16, 2010

How much outlook do you want at a lookout?

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Our Mt Gravatt Outlook has featured on ABC Breakfast with Spencer Howson this morning.

Please have a listen and post your thoughts on this issue.

My comment on the MEG “the environmentalists” Outlook on this issue is below:

Mt Gravatt Environment Group (MEG) is working with BCC Habitat Brisbane, First Contact, Mt Gravatt District Historical Society, Cr Krista Adams and other local stakeholders to plan the restoration of Mt Gravatt Outlook to maximise the experience for visitors.

The focus for MEG is engaging visitors, both local and tourists, with a powerful environmental, cultural/historical experience through development of the distant city and river vistas while experincing the colours and scents of our local wildflowers, calls of King Parrots, the flash of colour as Imperial Hairstreaks cluster in the Acacias and the buzz of discovering a Koala asleep in a Tallowwood.

Our research of local plants and wildlife – Flora & Fauna of Mt Gravatt Reserve by Sue Jones & Michael Fox, combined with our bush restoration experience allows us to see huge potential in thoughtful development of the Scenic Outlook.

For detailed information on our environmental view of maximising the community and tourist experience of Mt Gravatt Outlook go to our blog post –

https://megoutlook.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/restoring-unique-scenic-outlook/

Michael Fox
Fox Gully Bushcare – http://www.foxgully.wordpress.com
Mt Gravatt Environment Group – http://www.megoutlook.wordpress.com

Posted by: Michael Fox | 17 March 2010 at 09:07 AM

 

March 8, 2010

Clean Up Australia on Mt Gravatt

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under MEG Activities, Mt Gravatt Outlook Development | Tags: , , , , |
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MEG Clean Up Australia on Mt Gravatt results:

  • 23 volunteers
  • 12 large bags of rubbish removed
  • 12 large bags of recyclables removed
  • sundry large items removed – car tyres, metal pipes and wooden posts

Sue Jones, MEG Secretary, is very pleased with this result, the community volunteer support and the support of the Echidna Magic team who opened the Kiosk for the Clean Up.

Sue is optimistic that with the new gates closing the Outlook at night visitors are taking more care of the reserve. “The mountain is entering an exciting new phase. Let’s hope our aspirations for the place eventuate!”

When did you last visit the beautiful Mt Gravatt Outlook?

Mike Fox

 

March 8, 2010

Echidna Magic opens for Clean Up Australia

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Bush Tucker, Mt Gravatt Outlook Development | Tags: , , , , , , , |
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Echidna Magic Kiosk opended for MEG’s Clean Up Australia on Sunday … thank you to the First Contact team.

Trish Williams was obviously very proud as she told the planned opening times for Echidna Magic:

Kiosk

  • opens today – Monday 8th
  • opening times – 9am to 7pm Monday to Sunday

Restaurant

  • planned opening Monday 15th
  • opening times – 9am to 9pm Monday to Sunday

Personally I’m planning Sunday breakfast on the deck. Good food, strong coffee and a view to die for.

Congratulations and best wishes to Trish and her team.

We in MEG look forward to building a strong partnership: sharing our environmental knowledge and experiencing indigenous culture and history, as we recreate Mt Gravatt as one of Brisbane’s iconic community and tourist attractions.

Mike Fox

 

March 1, 2010

Orange Spider Wasp hunting

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Wildlife of Mt Gravatt Reserve | Tags: , , , , , , , |
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Female Orange Spider Wasp – Priocnemis bicolor, with a Huntsman spider which it has just paralysed.

The male dies shortly after mating and the female prepares a nest in the ground to be stocked with food for the larva when the egg hatch.

The wasp had to drag its prey over one metre to the newly dug nest.  The debris is still beside hole.

The spider is dragged down into the nest.

Finally the dirt is put back into the nest and the tamped down. Note the debris is now cleared from around the hole.

Thanks to Sue Jones for this amazing sequence of photos.

Click on photo to see larger image.

Who or what is digging in your backyard?

It may suprise you.

Mike

 

February 27, 2010

New butterflies at Gertrude Petty Place

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Gertrude Petty Place, Wildlife of Mt Gravatt Reserve | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Geutrude Petty Place Buscare site is alive with butterflies at the moment.  The work Sue and the team have done removing weeds and planting native grasses and shrubs is really paying off with the rain we have been getting this summer. With the weeds removed natural regeneration means a large number of different native grasses and sedges have returned a critical success factor for bringing back the butterflies.

I photographed two new butterflies this morning which have not previously been recorded on Mt Gravatt.

A Spotted Sedge-skipper – Hesperilla ornata posed on some native Barbed Wire grass. Saw Sedge which is indigenous to the Reserve, is the laval food plant for the Spotted Sedge-skipper. With natural regeneration bringing back the native sedges we can expect to see more of these beautiful butterflies on Mt Gravatt in the future. This is particularly important because these butterflies are classed as “uncommon” in Braby’s Butterflies of Australia.

I also found this male White-banded Plane – Phaedyma shepherdi.

At 55mm these are quite a large butterfly for Brisbane. The patterns on the wings identify this specimen as a male.

I also found Splendid Ochre – Trapezites symmomus and Small Dusky-blue – Candalides erinus butterflies.

Mike

 

February 26, 2010

The Mountain Needs YOU!

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under MEG Activities | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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Join us for Clean Up Australia Day at the Summit of Mt Gravatt – Saturday 7th March – anytime between 8am and 10am – sign out with the MEG Team here –  www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/Mt+Gravatt+Summit

Mt Gravatt Environment Group is working with BCC Habitat Brisbane and the Echidna Magic Kiosk to plan the development and restoration of one of Brisbane’s iconic outlooks.

Clean Up Australia Day is a great opportunity to visit this amazing location where just ten minutes from the CBD you may see a Koala snoozing in a tree or simply be surrounded by the magic of bird song as you work beside some amazing individuals, pinic with the family or share the Echidna Magic with a coffee on the deck with Brisbane’s greatest outlook.

Do you want a CD copy of Flora & Fauna of Mt Gravatt Reserve?

Sign up today so I know how many copies to bring – www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/Mt+Gravatt+Summit

Michael J Fox

 

February 14, 2010

Bush Tucker on Mt Gravatt

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Bush Tucker, Gertrude Petty Place | Tags: , , , , , , |
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I added a special bush tucker plant to our Flora & Fauna of Mt Gravatt Reserve today – Austromyrtus dulcis Midgen, Midyim Berry.

I am honoured to be given these bush tucker berries by my MEG collegue Sue. We have French visitors coming for dinner and we are planning an Aussie food experience: Kangaroo steak on the barbie followed by Pavlova topped with Midyim Berries.

Midyim Berries are growing in our Gertrude Petty Place Bushcare site. If you want to grow these in your own backyard the B4C Nursery has plants available.

Do you have any other bushtucker ideas we can use with our French foodies?

Mike

 

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