What is an Autumn working-bee like?

Sunday 23 March saw six of us working against woody weeds in the SW sections of the reserve as accessed from Rechner Place, Flynn.

Anne went off up the Lily Track on a solo mission against weeds such as Chinese Pistachio and any Privet, Cotoneaster that were visible. It’s called the Lily track because, about half way up, there are a few clumps of Blue Grass Lily (Caesia calliantha) which is a reasonably rare species. It has put Mt Rogers on the map in a way, because the ACT has called for data on the plants’ presence in reserves.

As we assembled the gear and put on gaiters we heard of a major consequence of plastic bag rubbish. A cow, with calf-at-foot, on a property in Hall’s hinterland had recently sickened to skin and bones. The vet realised it had swallowed something which was blocking its gut. Should the animal just be left to die or could something be done? The bag was removed but it was almost a week before the valuable cow began to look as though it would recover.

Whilst we wouldn’t have exactly that problem on Mt Rogers the case is a reminder 1) that plastic rubbish is a major disaster also for marine animals which ingest bags and the disintegrated pieces, in some cases mistaking the bags for jellyfish, their normal food; and 2) that Mt Rogers remains clear of rubbish because the quiet-achievers pick up foreign material on their daily walks. 

Do you see neighbours who put plastic bags full of recyclables into their yellow-lidded recycling bin? It’s my understanding that no soft plastic should be in these bins. Any recyclables contained in plastic bags end up as rubbish because it’s too risky for the sorters to open bags up to see what’s inside.

Aisha, Flemming, Ivan and I set off up the ‘mountain bike’ track constructed some 3 years ago north of Schwarz Place. We spotted the Bursaria, Dianella and Box-leaf wattle (Acacia buxifolia) planted at the end of the drought and the Barbed-wire grass (Cymbopogon refractus; e.g. photos below - zoom in to get more detail) I planted before that. All seem to be doing well amongst the rocks and (sometimes) rough grass there. 

We checked out the Broom patch, finding 5–6 established young plants to pull or cut & daub. Their seeds have come from gardens on the edge of the reserve, possibly brought over by ants. From there we moved east through the bush and found occasional Serrated Tussock (ST) tussocks. Aisha is no stranger to these invasive grasses having been part of a family and then a Guides group which worked on tussocks near the Benchmark tree. Aisha and family returned at the end of 2013 from a three-year posting in London. She was very involved in a landcaring group there, where their leader would summon them to the next working-bee with wonderfully poetic reminder-notices.

ST is easily confused with the local, native grasses except that the latter usually have a few flower-heads remaining at this time of the year. ST flowers are beautiful, pendulous tresses but they aren’t easily seen so it’s easy for the light-weight seeds to blow away or be carried by passing animals even before we notice them. Much of the grazing-land on the Monaro is ST-infested and the grass is rarely palatable to stock.

Ivan has a particularly keen eye for the weed African Lovegrass (ALG) and he spotted several isolated tussocks of this invader around today’s parking spot at the southern end of the gully. If you’re not sure what it looks like, the Wickens Place carpark spaces are surrounded by this weed-grass. It’s been stimulated into new flowering by the useful rain we had some weeks ago (the photo below shows the delicate flower heads). Let’s hope TAMS mows there soon and the seed-heads dry-out before shedding the seeds for us to walk into the reserve. Steve D has made a concerted effort at spraying ALG around the track and deeper into the reserve this last week. Another quiet achiever, like Anne, who works away in the reserve when timing suits them. For others the official times suit most of the time.

Flemming has perfected the art of being ready with the brush-tipped wand when loppers or saws have cut off privet, cotoneaster, hawthorn and broom stems. Timing is critical as the glyphosate must be applied within 5 seconds of the cutting … not always easy when working under a decaying wattle or larger shrubs.

We moved east towards the view over Belconnen and the Bainton Crescent cactus garden, seeking out Verbascum (also called Mullein) plants. A tall spike of attractive yellow flowers grows from a rosette of very soft felty leaves. By now, though, we could see the resulting thousands of seeds and carefully cut the heads off into the bags we’d brought for seeding flower heads.

At one point Aisha chanced on a brownish Bearded Dragon lizard. It remained in freeze-mode for several minutes and we wondered whether there’s a conflict between being scared of us as huge threats and wanting to run away or doing what it’s learnt and staying immobile in the hope of being invisible. Apparently there are about sixty species of Dragon lizard in Australia, and they have adapted to many different habitats. Six species occur in the ACT, with the Botanic Gardens being an accessible hotspot for seeing the Gippsland Water Dragon.

By this time Chris had joined us after their walk and breakfast. He’d speeded up the journey by using his electric bike. He’s been busy during the week too by fixing up a nest-box again as the second branch of its host tree fell over. Both Chris and Aisha had tales to tell from England about using rose-hips like itchy-bombs by putting them down classmates’ backs during boring lessons or in the playground.

During the 2.5 hours’ work we probably came across 30 Briar roses. Their hips are bright red now to attract birds to eat and disperse them. On several occasions we came on quite a few plants together, usually under a tree’s branch where the bird had perched. The rose-hips are very rich in Vitamin C and make jelly, syrup and jams. Rose-hip tea can be made by simmering 7–10 hips in water for 5 minutes but for the preserves you need to take on the painstaking-task of removing the seeds and irritating hairs inside the hips. I seem to remember they are pectin-rich … ideal for jam-setting. We found one bush with a single pale pink flower. A simple reminder of how much breeding has gone into our garden roses.

Our finale turned out to be two large Cotoneasters, fortunately with minimal numbers of berries. Whilst the others toiled with these I cut off the branches of an ivy with unusual leaf-shape which had completely covered and grown through a rotting trunk.

The ivy was very popular with honey-bees and when I looked there were masses of buds and enough small yellow flowers to attract the pollinators. There was also a discernable sweet perfume pervading the scene, perhaps to attract flies as well as the bees. We don’t think of ivy as having berries but the flowers are obviously successful in bringing in pollinators and the birds take any resulting berries.

In the course of our wander and weed walk at least two flocks of small birds came through, foraging amongst and calling from the trees above us. Towards the end a group of magpies had realised that we’d disturbed the soil and were taking advantage of any exposed invertebrates and the minimal-digging situation.

We also noted several wildflower species persisting amongst the sometimes-rank introduced grasses. Bluebells (Wahlenbergia sp.) and New Holland daisies (Vittadina sp.) preferred the barer soil where kangaroos habitually bask or rest during the day. Yellow Rush Lily (Tricoryne elatior) also awaited stronger sunlight. We wondered if Anne, working separately still, came across native St John’s Wort (Hypercarium graminium) in flower, even though Mt Rogers isn’t its usual dry-eucalypt habitat. Some were flowering on The Pinnacle last Friday. We came across Slender Tick Trefoil (Desmodium varians), an inconspicuous plant with creamy-pink flowers. Its seeds readily stick to laces, socks, sneaker-fabrics and fur … a nifty way of dispersing. Its relative Vanilla Glycine (Glycine tabacina) didn’t have its purple flowers here but they turn up as real survivors around the region, sometimes right on the edge of kerbs. Australian Bindweed (Convolvulus erubescens Sims) trailed between the grasses and we did see one plant with its sun-seeking pink flowers open.

Amongst the boulders Urn Heath (Melichrus urceolatus) was showing the pale yellow or creamy yellow flowers that will persist through winter and feed nectar-seeking animals when food is scarce.

The eastern edge of our wander was where Chris photographed a brown snake and I’d seen one, perhaps the same animal last year as I approached the Urn Heath’s boulder-refuge.

When we were back at the car Anne emerged from her 2.5 hours to report concerns about the Tree of Heaven infestation. We’ll have to look into obtaining official help with this.

With these sightings, and the stories and experiences we exchange, working-bees aren’t all work! There’s variety of action, and problem-solving skills are always needed. We don’t just share anecdotes, we learn from each other whilst working together … one way the Mt Rogers community shows its concern for the bush we share with countless other species.

Rosemary,  23.03.14.

Convenor Mt Rogers Landcare Group. 

MUSINGS FROM A SHORT WALK ON MT ROGERS, 09.03.14

Brochures

The time has come to re-do the Mt Rogers brochure. It will probably be a triple-fold this time with a similar text but fewer photos. Maybe the map will change also. We have had the offer of a great landscape photo looking towards Belconnen. There are other photos we can use from the blog www.mtrogerslandcare.blogspot.com  Shall we include the frogmouths as they brought us all together into a caring and observant community?

Foxes

I offered brochures to someone this morning and he said “What’s being done about the foxes?” He pointed to the den area. I should have mentioned that the Parks and Conservation Service’s Vertebrate Pests Officer receives sightings details from us and others occasionally. But it’s not their policy to lay baits for foxes in areas near the suburbs. Perhaps Mt Rogers’ foxes keep the rabbit numbers down? Has anyone seen Quail or Speckled Warblers recently. Both species nest on the ground and one would expect them to be easily caught by foxes. Fox scats seem to suggest they eat a large number of beetles.

Families

Several families were out and about walking and exploring the wilder parts this morning. Let’s hope they found plenty to watch, see and remember from their walks. When Mary & I stopped for a chat near where several Magpies were foraging we had the impression they were keeping an ear out for the rustle of a plastic bag. We moved to households’ feeding of native birds and then to families bringing bread down to Lake Ginninderra’s waterbirds. Such feeding may be therapeutic for the families and the closest some people come to nature but how does this human indulgence affect the birds? Should places for these interactions remain? Is it o.k. if the number of birds affected means others elsewhere are safe from interference? Or will the fed birds pass on diseases to truly wild birds when outsiders come in for occasional visits?

Bird food

In our gardens the ornithologists and the RSPCA recommend providing shallow, well-maintained bird-baths but raise several points against feeding wild birds. Someone dumped garden rubbish on the edge of Wickens Place in spring. Galahs, Rosellas, Cockatoos and even Superb Parrots enjoyed the included aviary-seed waste for several weeks. On Monday we noticed a crop of corn and sunflower seedlings had grown up from the twice-uneaten seed.

There are some eucalypts and wattles in flower, providing nectar for birds and bees. As well, mixed flocks of small birds (Mixed Feeding Flocks or MFF) have re-formed after the species’ respective breeding and are now seeking insects, larvae and seeds from grasses, shrubs and trees. Ravens are scavenging and, in our yard, Currawongs collect any casualties from mowing or invertebrates drawn to the surface after rain. I’m not sure what they were seeking but I heard Superb Parrots from the Gully as I began my walk at about 9.30. Quite a large flock has regularly been seen around the Australian Institute of Sport through summer.

Greenery

Barely 48 hours after the first summer-drought-breaking rains fell, germination began. Wild oats pushed their way through the debris of last season’s crop. Tiny seedlings on the ground show other grasses, clovers, chickweed and fleabane. Capeweed is dense in some places with bare soil hosting Pigweed Portulaca oleracea which is succulent enough to withstand heat. One bare patch not far below the second summit had mass-germination of Goosefoot or Crumbweed Dysphania pumilio (formerly Chenopodium pumilio). It’s a native species but there are several non-native members of this family including Fat Hen. The Crumbweed seeds are chunky but small and I imagine Crested Pigeons would eat them. We’ll be on the lookout for Patersons Curse seedlings in the reserve as we dug out hundreds from the broad gully north of the main car-park on Monday 3^rd. Kirsty, Lorraine and Flemming worked then and have memories of the other sites similarly weeded in the past.

Reptiles

Reports of a near-fatal snake bite a couple of weeks ago were very alarming. The dog recovered but the resulting precautionary advice is for dogs bitten on Mt Rogers to receive both Brown snake and Tiger snake anti-venin.

The Pet Ambulance can be called from Holt for transport 0448 789 039 but they’re unable to give anti-venin.

Ric Longmore gave a presentation on local snakes to the Field Naturalists on Thursday 6^th emphasising that much of the ACT’s bush is Eastern Brown Snake habitat. Mt Rogers is ideal. They seek small mammals, nestling birds, skinks, frogs and other snakes. They may pass through backyards on the urban edge. Colour variation is common amongst the browns, and banded markings may be present particularly on juveniles. Red-bellied Black Snakes can be expected close to waterways, such as Ginninderra Creek and farm dams.

Flowers

Have you noticed that Bluebells are having a late flowering on nature strips around Belconnen. They have grown as quickly as the weeds have, especially in places where mowers don’t reach them. We’ve also found native St Johns Wort, Desmodium, Glycine and several tussocks of Barbed Wire Grass in flower this week on Mt Rogers. They show the tenacity and persistence of real Australians in taking advantage of the recent rain and still-warm days. The pale yellow flowers of Hickory Wattle Acacia implexa are right on cue for their ‘late summer’ season.

Rubbish

Last Sunday was Clean Up Australia Day and, as usual, the predominant ‘rubbish’ along Ginninderra Creek was recyclable cans, bottles, fruit-box type drink containers. Give your support to the nationwide Container Deposit scheme through online petitions. Coca Cola is dead against this logical recycling incentive and is making claims about ineffective outcomes. Mt Rogers is kept clean by a silent corps of walkers who voluntarily collect others’ carelessness daily. Sometimes there’s residue from gatherings at the summit. Again, our quiet achievers remove the evidence before much more accumulates.

Beyond local

On 17^th March there’s a Canberra March in March that follows nationwide peaceful demonstrations, on 15^th and 16^th, on behalf of those affected by government measures. Walk from the 300-series bus stop at the Albert Hall to Queen Victoria Terrace behind Old Parliament House for 10 am. And then march to Parliament House to voice your objection to the way the Australian open spaces, reserves, farmland and bush are being exploited to death by big profit-seeking corporations. Details at March in March.

Mt Rogers is small but it’s a vibrant symbol of our connection with the natural world. Imagine how we’d feel if a coalmine wiped it all out or if it were covered with coal seam gas wells. These takeovers and the destruction of groundwater quality are happening to Australian farms and communities throughout the country. We can speak up to support other Australians!

Rosemary,   Mt Rogers Landcare Group   6258 4724

AUTUMN PLUS TEN DEGREES: Mt Rogers, February 2014

On my not-always-regular-walks around Mt Rogers recently I’ve been able to hand out free copies of the newish booklet from the Conservation Council ACT Region, called Living next to nature: Being a good neighbour to the bush next door. There are some useful contacts’ websites listed on the back cover. Funding for the project came from the ACT Government’s Environment Grants and the Village Building Company. When you’re ready please pass your copy on to those who need the information, in the hope that they will come to appreciate ‘the bush’ as much as we do. 

As the weather seems to be autumnal +10 here’s some observations and notes from Mt Rogers based on the booklet’s ‘8 Ways to be a good neighbour to the bush next door’.

                1. Plant a bush garden. Most of us, whether close by or not, have at least some Australian species in our gardens. They help to attract native birds and butterflies though many birds are also adapting to the non-native plants being in our suburbs. Steve & Judy told me of a neighbour’s sighting of a wombat in their yard adjacent to the hill. Lyndon mentioned a similar visitor some years ago. It would be fascinating to think a wombat really is living in our area, as I’d have thought they’d need a larger ‘home-range’ than we can provide. Echidnas are occasionally seen in gardens. We have several small skinks in the compost heap and garden in mid-Flynn. The possibility of forking them makes me nervous about turning the compost.

                2. See nature in new places. Today I found a new effort by a toadstool which had pushed its way up through the gravel. No doubt the fungal spores had, like seeds and grass tussocks, been stimulated by the very welcome rain ten days ago. A green blush of growth rapidly replaced brittle beige grass stalks, but closer examination will show that the green often comes from the first leaves of dicotyledonous plants’ seedlings. Most of the flowering plants are ‘dicots’: that is, when their seeds germinate they push two leaves (rather than one) through the soil-surface first. Oat seedlings’ leaves, in contrast, begin by looking like new grass. They’re having to push through the dry remains of their parent plants. Mt Rogers folk often see new nature as they walk round. Some of the robins which have bred in the higher parts of the ACT may soon be returning to suburbia. We should see Scarlet Robins as part of that movement. Other smaller birds are re-forming into mixed feeding flocks checking out plants and the ground for insects and seed depending on their natural diets. King Parrots brought their young into the area about 3-4 weeks ago.

If there’s another hot day try seeing how Indigenous people care for their land in the National Museum’s On Country exhibition, which is free. However, the Old Masters exhibition at the same venue, an exquisite display of bark paintings mostly from the far north, has an entry fee.

                3. Watch your water. Until mid-February’s downpour the weeks of drought were obvious in nearly everyone’s gardens. After years of being urged to mulch now we were caught out by not realising how dry the soil below had become and how stressed some plants were. We’ve quickly learnt where to water and about the value of a steady trickle onto plants’ root-lines. Some plants responded to heat by allowing leaves to die-back; others shed leaves in an autumn flurry. Even some of the Cootamundra wattles in the thicket have died as others successfully competed for water.

Phil took his shovel and reopened the drainage lines to allow Mt Rogers’ water to soak through to the proscribed drains of the seventies.

4. Visit your local reserve. We care about Mt Rogers and are horrified to occasionally see others treating the bush and its plants without the respect that ensures a future for all species. Christine and Glen are preparing to trek to Maules Creek near Narrabri in order to support the local communities there as they battle the disdain of the NSW Government and the Whitehaven Coal mine’s invasion of Leard State Forest. There’s been a blockade against the mine for over 580 days bringing novice-campaigners and other people from all over Australia. There’s overwhelming evidence that coal needs to stay in the ground if there is to be any chance of a climate that will give us, and the planet, a future.

5. Plant a tree. Mt Rogers is doing well in regenerating new Eucalypts and Wattles from the ground’s seed-bank. The native plantings we’ve added are, mostly, doing well, flowering and producing their own seeds. Last Sunday saw Angharad, Ann, Pamela and Ivan achieving the first working-bee of 2014 by cutting and daubing woody weeds beside the gully and east beyond the Five-ways ridge. Removing the competition from what’s there is our way of ‘planting trees’. Margaret and Chris took away thousands of Verbascum seeds last week so there will be many fewer Mullein (common name of Verbascum) seedlings. Have you noticed that Privets are having a second-flowering this summer? We took out several whose berries would otherwise have been eaten and spread over the reserve and into gardens by birds. Heavily berried cotoneasters and pyracantha were present also and one shrub-sized tree that seems to be young Robinia. There are more of these invasive species in suburban gardens now than there are on Mt Rogers (apart from the small privets that have germinated in the last 12 months). 

If your neighbours want to earn free native plants the next Weed Swap is on 29 & 30 March at Canberra Sand & Gravel’s Parkwood landscaping yard. That company welcomes garden weeds and prunings for composting and mulching (including Agapanthus seeds which the birds will soon find!), at any time.

6. Reduce the flames. This spring-summer we’ve had more smoke haze than usual. ACT fire-fighters, including our ranger colleagues, have assisted interstate several times already. Garden maintenance, including watering plants thoroughly, plays a part in reducing fire risk as does having clear or guarded gutters. Eventually other areas of Mt Rogers will be subjected to Hazard Reduction Burns as part of the territory’s detailed Fire Management Plan. We have sent in details of ‘sensitive’ areas where unusual species are growing.

7. Join a Parkcare group. In the ACT an historical differentiation exists between Parkcarers who volunteer in Canberra Nature Park and Landcarers who volunteer in nature reserves and urban open space areas elsewhere. We all do the same work, have many links with parkcaring colleagues and often face the same challenges. Mt Rogers is managed by the City Services section of TAMS with support and advice primarily coming from Ginninderra Catchment Group based at Kippax. Mt Rogers Landcare holds working-bees on the 4^th Sunday and 1^st Monday of each month (tho’ December is holiday-time & January is too hot!). Should any families seek involvement for young children the Evatt-based Landcare-for-Littlies meets every weekend for a range of fun and learning activities near Spain Place.

8. Keep your pets contained. Mt Rogers is an off-leash area for dogs but part of the deal is that they are under control. When instincts take over, control can be difficult to achieve and, of course, we have a resident population of kangaroos to trigger dogs’ chasing behaviour when they’re spotted. Recently a dog was bitten by a brown snake. As a result of neighbourly kindness it was taken to a Hall vet. It’s possible that snakes’ movements have altered as a result of the erratic weather so we can no longer expect them to only be in the remoter parts of the reserve. Jarrad operates the PET AMBULANCE SERVICE from Holt. His number is 0448 789 039. He does not administer anti-venin but calling him may bring transport to a vet closer should your dog be bitten or need emergency treatment. As you’d know, domestic cats kill millions of native animals each year. Many of their owners can’t believe that their beloved pet could be part of that destruction process. Containment 24/7 is the suggested answer to this problem for responsible owners as cats learn to move without ringing bells on their collars.

Chris recently sent over two spectacular photos of the approaching storm. They, other photos, and previous newsletters are on the blogsite: www.mtrogerslandcare.blogspot.com

See you on Mt Rogers soon,

Rosemary,  Mt Rogers Landcare Group   6258 4724

Reference 

Living next to nature: Being a good neighbour to the bush next door is available from the Conservation Council, phone (02) 6229 3200, or online at
http://conservationcouncil.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Living-Next-to-Nature-Comp-5-November-2013.pdf.