Mt Rogers, Spring-Summer 2013

A draft for this newsletter began a few weeks after the excitement of the Scarlet Honeyeaters’ visit to Almond-blossom on the Flynn edge of Mt Rogers. There have been sightings of single male ‘Scarlets’ southside and in the Botanic Gardens (ANBG) since then. What a shame the birds weren’t banded so we could identify individuals. Bands on birds’ legs aren’t easy to see however, and we know how small and fast-moving these delightful birds are.

Since then there’s been the whirl of meeting hundreds of Floriade visitors as Ann and I joined many other landcarers in volunteering time to explain the invasive plants problems we all face. The Bush Friendly Garden (BFG) shows the region’s invasive species and suggests replacement plants for Canberra’s harsh conditions. The photos here show (top) a small part of the 'good' plants section of the BFG, and (below) a view of the whole BFG (the central area often is filled with visitors), including one of the information folders at the entrance.

The BFG’s visitors were diverse, ranging from some not realising that native plants had flowers and some not realising how colourful native plants’ flowers are, through to others who engagingly shared their landcaring experiences from all over Australia and the globe. As volunteer explainers we soon come to realise that for many city-dwellers Floriade is the closest they come to nature. As volunteers working in local reserves with the ACT Parks and Conservation Service personnel and Catchment Group colleagues we can help the time-poor to appreciate the inter-connectedness of nature and the effects of humans’ expectations on other species.

The latest version of Are Your Garden Plants Going Bush? has a reference to sleeper weeds’ changing habits and their insidious spread into reserves and along neighbouring nature strips. Most of the weed species were useful through their original functions as screen plants, greenery, hardy shade plants and ground-covers, but their berries were dispersed into the bush by birds. Olives are food plants: yet, unharvested in suburban gardens, the birds are taking their berries into the bush. Gazanias, Gaura, African and Seaside Daisies, Californian poppies all give cheerful colour and are hardy in Canberra’s hot summers, and yet their seeds blow or float away to colonise other spaces and nature strips. In the bush they will take space, nutrients and water from the native plants. Our message was that cutting the colourful flower-heads off and binning them after flowering will prevent seeds forming and dispersing.

Yesterday the Australian Native Plants Society sale at the ANBG moved 6000 or more native plants into the region in a bit over an hour. The ANBG’s Growing Friends have their sale on November 9^th if you’d like native plants whose parents grow at the Gardens. The Gardens are spectacularly in flower at the moment and are well worth a visit. Have your cameras ready for water dragons near the waterfall and around the ponds. These lizards are quite similar in size to the Eastern Bearded Dragons we see on Mt Rogers.

Superb Parrots, Galahs and Cockatoos are among the bird species seen on the ground in September and October eating the seeds of Chickweed. There have been several reports of Superb Parrots feasting on the green flowers elm trees produced profusely this spring. Sightings of the parrots have tailed-off now with speculation mounting as to where they might be nesting in the ACT.

“Our“ Frogmouths began a nest in their “traditional” tree but seem to have repeated this process at an unknown site elsewhere. Similar false-starts have been recorded at The Pinnacle but those birds are incubating eggs now. When Superb Parrot calls were heard in Flynn in early September there were also calls from Noisy Friarbirds. The pink flowers of Ironbark trees were popular with both species, and the officious Wattlebirds kept themselves busy bullying these less common species away from the eucalypts’ nectar.

With many colourful Eucalypts as street trees around Canberra it’s easy to forget to check whether other eucalypts are flowering. The value of cream and white flowers’ nectar to birds and insects is just as high. Have you noticed the huge numbers of Hoverflies around at the moment? The ubiquitous-for-2013 Capeweed seems to have Hoverflies doing their pollinating whereas Honeybees are scarce. Hoverflies are a cosmopolitan group of flies belonging to the Syrphidae family. The markings and colours are similar to wasps’ and are a protection from predators who avoid interactions. Hoverflies in Australia, as elsewhere, perform invaluable pollination services. They also are a bio-control benefit by pest-controlling aphids and leaf-hoppers. There’s a website The World of Syrphidae and a Wikipedia Hoverfly article if you wish to investigate further.

The rogue magpie at the Rechner Place playground was active for a while, prompting one family to post warning signs about its swooping. That’s another fine example of Mt Rogers’ behind-the scenes community-spirit. And it probably had an immediate effect compared with the official Canberra Connect 13 22 81 process. Thank you, whoever you are! Perhaps this magpie family also moved its nest as the signs were taken down a week or two later.

I saw a snake swimming across a dam at Strathnairn recently. Some of you may have seen Eastern Brown snakes on Mt Rogers already. I wonder what mechanisms have evolved for mutual co-existence between snakes and kangaroos? How do ‘roos avoid being bitten?

A month ago (20.09.13) Ann, Flemming and Ivan joined me in a working-bee in the “best-patch” behind Woodger Place, Fraser. We were seeking-out isolated African Lovegrass (ALG) tussocks but we also enjoyed seeing how the wildflowers had come back after the Hazard Reduction Burn there in April. My observation would be that there were fewer Hovea flowering there this year but that’s also an observation from other reserves. The Stackhousia or Creamy Candles may have had their bulbs roasted as we’ve come across good stands of these on The Pinnacle.

Four photos below show (top 2) Asperula conferta, Common Woodruff, wide and close up, taken by Rosemary recently (October), and (lower 2) some of the wildflowers we saw on 20.09.13. Tool and specs are included to give scale. The interesting thing that the first photo might show is that the Asperula seems to dominate in this patch, whereas the surrounding vegetation is dominated by Wild Oats and another introduced grass. It could be a rather clayey damp area or a drainage-run...or was until these last hot and windy days. There were Soldier Beetles on most of the oat flowerheads above this patch. Asperula conferta is quite common in specific places and it would be interesting to find out more about its place in the scheme of things.  

Chris and Margaret have made a concerted effort to cut & daub the newest ash seedlings alongside a corner of the blue-metalled track to the tower. On another occasion they pointed out a contractor spraying the ALG that had grown up since a similar effort in 2012. The Ginninderra Catchment Group’s co-ordinators are again collecting GPS data to prepare for spraying Blackberry infestations in the catchment. Please call them on 6278 3309 to notify infestations on public land or land in our local area. I’ve observed one or two Blackberry clusters from bus journeys and there’s another between Kangara Waters and Lake Ginninderra. Whilst the clusters give shelter to small birds such as wrens they are also impenetrable enough to harbour rabbits.

Around the canopies of Eucalypts there may be Jezebel butterflies visiting the flowers of mistletoes amongst the trees’ branches. The butterflies seem like Cabbage Whites at first, but most in this group have red, black and yellow markings. An even luckier sighting would be a male Mistletoe Bird. The birds are also seeking the nutritious nectar of the flowers. The Meadow Argus is a brownish butterfly with patterned scales which include circular ‘spots’. Also around now, seeking out native daisies, are Australian Painted Lady butterflies with almost black tips to patterned wings. There are small, pale-beige moths amongst grasses. Their markings are delicate and pretty if you’re able to be close enough to them with a hand-lens or zoomed camera lens!

The next Mt Rogers Landcare Group working-bees are scheduled for Sunday 27^th October, meeting inland from the Flynn playground at 9 am, and Monday 4^th November meeting at the Wickens Place, Fraser carpark at 9 am.

Further ahead again is an Australia-wide gathering for all who are concerned about Australia’s future. The movement for stronger Climate action is holding rallies and gatherings on Sunday 17^th November. Those who regularly enjoy Mt Rogers are already committed to a healthy future. Please add your voices to show that the majority of Australians want real Climate change action from leaders by attending. Park at University of Canberra and catch a bus to Civic for 11 am in Garema Place.

Rosemary    Mt Rogers Landcare Group. 6258 4724       21.10.13.