Brightly-coloured life

Our recent bushwalk gave us opportunities to see some absolutely stunning wildflowers.  Two plants I want to share with you are the Western Australian Christmas Tree, and the Morrison Featherflower.  I chose these two because they have identical flower colour, and if you're driving around Ellenbrook you might see these brilliant yellow-orange blossoms.  They are an iconic colour in our bushland at this time of year.

The WA Christmas Tree (Nuytsia floribunda) is the world's largest mistletoe.  How apt that it flowers around December!  Here are a couple of photos.

You will see in the above photos that the leaves are quite dark green.  Often the trunks have been burnt, making these trees very distinctive in Perth bushland - black trunks, dark green leaves, bright orange-yellow flowers.


Morrison Featherflower (Verticordia nitens) is a shrub with an unusual umbrella-shaped growth on a long stalk.  The flowers tend to form a cap.  Some people mistakenly think that this plant is a "baby Christmas Tree".  The petals have soft feathery margins, hence the common name of featherflower.  Here are some photos, below.

 

When you're travelling around, keep an eye out for these spectacular plants.  Try taking some photos of them.  You could even try growing them - Morrison Featherflower is great in the garden, and I have half a dozen plants growing along the path to my front door to welcome guests.

Our next bushwalk - 6th December

The Ellenbrook Bushland Group, in association with the City of Swan, is going for a bushwalk, and you're invited to come with us.

We will meet at The Grapevine - 1 Brookmount Drive, Charlotte's Vineyard at 8am on Sunday 6/12/09.   The aim is to introduce Ellenbrook residents to the wonders of our beautiful bushland - the trees, birds, wildflowers, lizards and insects.  The walk will be guided by experts on our indigenous fauna and flora, and is designed for people who are new to bushwalking.

If you would like to join us, please RSVP by clicking on "comments" below, and leaving your first name in the comment box.

You will need to wear sturdy shoes or boots, long-sleeved shirt and long pants, and a broad-brimmed hat.  The UV index will probably be 12 (Extreme), so you might like to wear sunscreen as well.  Please bring your water bottle - there are no drinking fountains in the bush!  And bring a camera if you're into photography.  (Please don't bring pets.)

Yes, we have echidnas...

Someone asked me yesterday about echidnas.  Do we have echidnas in Ellenbrook?  Yes, we certainly do, but you won't see them wandering around in broad daylight in your street, because they tend to be nocturnal.  And they prefer to stay in bushland, where there are tasty insects to eat, and shady places to sleep.  So, unless you have local plants and logs and termite mounds in your backyard, you probably won't ever find an echidna there.

Echidnas are heavy-set animals with thick spiky fur and long sharp quills.  They have sharp claws for digging into dirt and old timber, and a long "beak" and tongue for eating termites and ants.  They are monotremes - a special kind of mammal that lays eggs but suckles its young with milk.  Their eyes are small, and it seems that they rely a lot on their sense of smell.  Have a look at this link for more information and photos.

My bushwalking friends and I often see evidence of echidnas in bushland.  We see termite mounds with large holes scratched in them, and cylindrical "scats" (poo) that look like clay mixed with dead insects.  Sometimes we find rotting logs that have been ripped open, and distinctive tracks across patches of sand.  Look at this photo - an echidna had moved a small log to dig into the termite nest under it.  There are echidna footprints in the remains of the termite nest.

We know the echidnas are around, but they are difficult to find.

When you drive on roads near bushland at night, please slow down and keep an eye out for animals.  Echidnas, bandicoots, wallabies and other native animals have no idea about road safety.

world's biggest dugite and the Japanese hen

Ellenbrook is having a spell of cooler weather (11 to 24 degrees Celsius) and it’s a perfect time to go bushwalking.  So yesterday I headed off for a long stroll amongst the banksias and paperbarks.

At about 4pm I was carefully picking my way through an ephemeral wetland.  These kinds of wetlands have huge paperbark trees (typically Melaleuca preissiana) and a thick patchy understorey of shrubs and sedges.  Ephemeral wetlands in this part of Australia have water lying on the surface after rain in winter, and are dry most of the remainder of the year.  But the shrubs and trees are great places to see animals.  It’s slow going through this kind of country. 

 

I noticed a big shiny long dark animal lying on top of some low shrubs, sunning itself.  I was about to put my foot down about 1m in front of its head.  Then I found myself retracing a few slow steps.  I’d taken it all in, processed, reacted, and finally my brain said, “Stop, look at the snake!”  It was beautiful; glossy and in good health.  The head was slightly larger than my thumb, raised off the ground and turned slightly to look at this large beast blundering through its home territory (me).  The body was about 2cm thick in the middle.  The colouring was a uniform dark brown to black on the top and graduated to a lighter reddish orange-brown on the sides, with no markings.  The head was a lighter reddish brown with a distinct “venomous snake” shape.  I couldn’t see the whole length because the rear end was hooked in through the understorey, but what I could see was about 1.5m of Dugite (Pseudonaja affinis).  I walked quietly past without the snake even flicking its tongue.  When I was safely past, I had an urgent need to have another look at it, just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming!  This was the FIRST time I’ve seen a snake during my bushwalks around Ellenbrook (in hundreds of hours over three years of exploring).  So I crept back, and the snake just lay there placidly, unperturbed.  What a beauty!  I continued on my walk.

After a few hours of wandering, the sun was setting and it was time to go home.  As I walked back through banksia woodland on ancient dunes, I saw a tiny cartoon-ish face peering at me out of the sand.  I stooped to look closer.  Children’s plastic toy?  Piece of rubbish?  I took hold of it, and it was firmly embedded, so I dug it out.  It was a little pottery chicken, intact except for a couple of chips; white with black scallops and orange wattles.  A faded label said “Handcrafted Otagiri JAPAN”.  Possibly a salt shaker, judging by the two small holes.  How did this thing come to be in bushland?  It’s probably the weirdest “lost” item I’ve found yet.

the birdwatcher's ear

I love to witness the daily phenomenon called the "dawn chorus".  Strangely, it's not really just at dawn, and it's not a chorus.  "Pre-dawn multi-species polyphony" might be a better description!

About an hour before the sun comes up, the birds start waking up and starting their day; preening, looking around for breakfast, and calling to establish territories and locate the members of their family.  I guess it's the equivalent of people wandering around the house, putting coffee on, preparing some muesli and yoghurt, and saying good morning to each other.

This morning the sun rose at 5:22am, but the birds had been up and calling since at least 4:45am.  I was wandering around on the edge of a Bush Forever Site around 5am.  It was too dark to see the birds, so I had to rely on identifying their calls.

Here are some of the birds I heard in the "dawn chorus", and a rough description of the sounds they make:

• Western Wattlebirds - rolling chuckles
  
• New Holland Honeyeaters - chirpy tweety noises; contact calls to other family members
  
• Brown Honeyeaters - soft clicks, hoarse rasps and a sweet ringing song
  
• Australian Ringnecks ("Twenty-eights") - "da-da ding ding ding" like a doorbell
  
• Red-capped Parrot - high-pitched whistly squeaks
• Rufous Whistler - ringing "eeee- chong" and ringing song
• Splendid Fairy-wrens - high-pitched descending metallic reel "twisty twisty twisty twisty"
  
• Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike - rusty weedly creaks
  
• Laughing Kookaburra (note that this bird is not native to WA) - maniacal cackling

Birds seem to me to be louder when it's rainy or overcast, but maybe it's because sound travels further in wet air than in dry air.  (Alternately, it could be that the birds notice the change in the acoustics of their surroundings, and sing louder - much like people do when they discover the acoustics of the bathroom!)

kangaroo talk

Another long walk in the bush this week has given me some surprising new experiences about wildlife.  I was lucky enough to see two of our largest indigenous animals, the Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) and Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), doing stuff that these animals generally do. This is quite amazing, considering that I was only a stone's throw from suburbia.


The emu was walking along a footpath, looking wistfully through a fence at a small bushland reserve on the other side.  I could almost hear the little cogs turning, as it tried to work out how to get into the bushland.  The emu went up and down the fenceline, at a casual pace, paused for some photos taken by a smiling woman and her astonished children on a stroll, then wandered further north.  As there is lots of nice bushland further north, I feel I don't have to worry too much about the welfare of this magnificent big bird.  I followed its example and headed north.


Beautiful banksia woodlands, a big open wetland of sedges and hundreds of other different plants, and some big Melaleucas awaited.  I rested in the shade of a massive Melaleuca preissiana for a few minutes.  Then I headed further north along a sandy track for about 2km, until I reached the northern boundary of the bush reserve.  Kangaroos every few hundred metres, kangaroo scats, kangaroo prints in the sand, signs where kangaroos had nibbled plants.  It was as if I was on the home territory of the large furry macropods.  I was startled when a big male 'roo bounded out about 20m in front of me, and started "vocalizing" (the scientific term) or "making a loud noise that sounded like an angry woman roaring" (my description).  Did I say startled?  I quietly made my way behind a dense shrub and listened to the amazing sounds.  I tried to remember if there were any reports of male Western Greys harassing solo bushwalkers.  Nope.  Eastern Greys, yes, but not Western Greys.  Finally, I'd had enough of the animal blocking my path, so I made what I hoped sounded like a dog noise, and the 'roo bounded away.  Phew.


It's easy to think that kangaroos are silent creatures, but it's just not true.  (Neither are emus, for that matter.)  I have often heard the distress call of joeys when they have wandered too far from the safety of mum's pouch and are feeling threatened by my presence; it sounds like a short choking cough.  Very much like the noise made by a cat trying to rid itself of a hairball!  This is sometimes accompanied by a nervous flick of the joey's little tail.  The mother responds with a soft click, I think, and joey scampers away.  I would love to try recording these sounds, but don't want to carry too much equipment on my adventures.  (I think this would require at least a shot-gun microphone, a pair of headphones and a good digital recorder.....and the camera, as well, of course.)



Sadly, my camera is awaiting repairs, so I have nothing to show from my long walk besides this blog.

the donkey in the (orchid) stable

Since today was a break in the wet weather, I took the opportunity to take photos around Moulton Wetland. One of the first exciting things I found was this orchid (Diuris magnifica), known around Perth as the Pansy Orchid. The orchids in the genus Diuris are commonly called donkey orchids.

Have a look at those gorgeous shades of yellow, brown, green and purple-pink! In this photo, the orchid at the rear is facing away, and you can see how different are the patterns on the back of the petals.

I'm really pleased to see how these orchids have survived in this bush remnant. Last year there was a tiny group of plants. This year, I found many more flowers, and it seems there are more plants than last year. Long may they live in our local nature reserves.

'tis the season for Orchidaceae...

September seems to be "the" season for orchids. Western Australia has over 700 species of orchids. In contrast to orchids found in other areas of the world, the ones in the south-west are all "ground orchids" - they have an underground tuber or root system in the soil, and are ephemeral (i.e. they like to frustrate botanists and photographers by disappearing back into the soil when they have finished their pollination cycle.) Compare this with tropical and sub-tropical orchids, which are found all year round, growing on trees or cliff-faces, as climbers or epiphytes.

All Western Australian orchids are protected by law.

Hunting for orchids can easily become an obsession. They can be difficult to find, because of their "here today, gone tomorrow" lifestyle. On many occasions, I have visited a place where I found a nice photogenic orchid a week earlier, and do you think I can find it again? Sometimes it's because they are tasty and the wildlife can't resist having a bit of a chew... other times because the flowers last for only a few days.

The plants are dormant for most of the year, and leaves generally pop out of the soil in late winter. Even so, they are easily overlooked, and almost impossible to identify to species level, until they are in flower. They have gorgeous flower colours and shapes, but are so small that getting a focus on them is taxing, therefore they are fun to photograph!

Above: a greenhood orchid, from the genus Pterostylis. I think it's Pterostylis sanguinea. It doesn't have a common name in wide usage. "Sanguinea" refers to the blood-red stripes, but having a common name such as "Blood-red Greenhood" would be too weird.

Above: the Purple Enamel orchid (Elythranthera brunonis). This orchid, with its glossy surfaces, is a little shining jewel in the understorey. The back of the petals are white with purple spots, a bit of a "faux fur" pattern. This species has a cousin called the Pink Enamel orchid. (Guess what colour that one is?)

This photo, above, is of a Leek Orchid, in the genus Prasophyllum. This one is probably the Autumn Leek Orchid, Prasophyllum parvifolium.

A beautiful white orchid, above, the white version of the Pink Fairy Orchid (Caladenia latifolia). The more usual colour is a light pastel pink, the colour of a strawberry milkshake, with the little fringed section in the middle white.

This, above, is one of the easiest orchids to identify, and one of the most widespread throughout the south-west of WA. It's the Cowslip Orchid (Caladenia flava). (Yes, I know that the flowers are "upside-down" but that's how they were in the bushland.) There is wide variation in the colouring; some orchids have no red at all, some are very yellow, some very "faded" to off-white. I wonder how many kids in Ellenbrook are familiar with this flower?

This one, above, is a strange looking little creature, isn't it? It's called a Flying Duck Orchid. The scientific name is Paracaleana nigrita. These orchids grow in patches of grey sand on the edges of Melaleuca wetlands. Oh, there's that funny pink background* again.

Last photo, above, is Pheladenia deformis. It has no common name, but I would love to call it the Cool Violet Orchid because it flowers in winter, earlier than most other orchids, and of course because of its colour. The area that I found this orchid is now a construction site. Fortunately, this species has a wide distribution, so I know for sure that wasn't the last one on earth.

One amazing thing about these orchids is that none of them need the European honey bee for pollination. Instead, orchids are pollinated by orchid wasps and other indigenous insects.

Hopefully all these species, and many others, will continue to live in our bushland remnants in Ellenbrook, as well as the nearby Bush Forever sites.

*If you're wondering why there is a hand in the photos, there are two reasons. One is that it's usually a wet windy day when I go orchid hunting, and secondly that the orchids are small and I like to use centred autofocus to get a fix on them... so it helps to have my hand behind them as a wind-guard and close background for the autofocus. Usually I get down on the ground to take photos of orchids. So, it's dirty work on a wet day. It's funny how many people have stopped to help me "look for something" when they see me searching diligently near a roadside! But, thankyou...

It's a wasp! It's a bee! No, it's a HOVERFLY!

Most people hate wasps, tolerate bees, and haven't got a clue what a hoverfly is. But if you have a garden or go bushwalking, I bet you've seen plenty of hoverflies and not realised what they are.

Imagine an insect about the size of a small blowfly, with a skinny body and big eyes. Six legs, two wings, and an abdomen that is striped so that it resembles that of a wasp or honeybee. Imagine that this insect can hover in midair, wings moving so fast that they are almost invisible, and zip around in any direction at great speed. That's a pretty rough description of what a hoverfly looks like.

These wonderful little animals are a benefit in the garden, and in bushland of course, because they visit flowers to feed on pollen and nectar, and are important pollinators. Female hoverflies lay little white eggs near aphids; when the larvae hatch they start to eat the aphids, thrips and any other plant-sucking pests that are nearby. Hoverflies have no sting.

Around Ellenbrook, hoverflies readily visit gardens that have flowering plants such as Pink Rice Flower (Pimelea ferruginea) and Morning Iris (Orthrosanthus laxus). In bushland, we have seen hoverflies on the flowers of Purple Flag (Patersonia occidentalis) and Balga (Xanthorrhoea preissii).

And here are some pictures.


Hoverflies belong to the insect family Syrphidae. They are sometimes called "flower flies". There are about 6000 species world-wide.

kangaroo paws

We know Ellenbrook is about to burst into flower. Anigozanthos are putting out big stalks ready to open into the familiar "kangaroo paw" flowers. Here's one of our local kangaroo paws; Mangles Kangaroo Paw, also known as Red and Green Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesii).

It's the floral emblem of Western Australia. The photo below was taken in an area that had been cleared - the seeds were in the sandy soil and the plants popped up later. In bushland, kangaroo paws are sometimes difficult to find because the kangaroos love to eat them!

We have two other species of kangaroo paw in Ellenbrook. One is quite small, and has yellow and orange flowers. The common name is Catspaw (Anigozanthos humilis). Both the Catspaw and Mangles' Kangaroo Paw have flat strappy leaves. The photo below is a very large flowery specimen of the Catspaw. (Normally they are tiny, especially if the kangaroos have been chewing on the leaves.)

The third species is the Green Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos viridis). The green of the flower is a very unusual chrome-green colour, quite unexpected. The leaves are shaped like long tubes.


Kangaroo Paws are in the family Haemodoraceae, the "blood root" family. Many have red juice in the underground parts of the plant.

Here's another plant in the same family, and if you look closely at the flowers you will see some resemblance to kangaroo paws; strappy leaves, soft fluffy flowers on stalks - Grey Cottonheads (Conostylis candicans).

indigenous trees of Ellenbrook

I thought I'd take a minute to list the many indigenous trees we have in our local bushland. Trees are an important part of the environment. They provide food, shelter, roosting and nesting sites for animals. They recycle nutrients in the soil and air. They act as windbreaks and provide protection for hundreds of smaller plants. The healthiest and most inviting suburbs around Perth seem to be, to me, the ones with the most indigenous trees.

So, here's our list of trees for Ellenbrook:

Eucalypts - we have four; Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata), Marri (Corymbia calophylla), Coastal Blackbutt aka Pricklybark (Eucalyptus todtiana) and Flooded Gum (Eucalyptus rudis). Jarrah and Marri can grow to around 45m high, and live for hundreds of years. (Who said there are no big trees on the Swan Coastal Plain?) Pricklybark prefers dry hilltops, while Flooded Gum can be found growing on the edges of wetlands. This is a Pricklybark.


Paperbarks - we have two that reach a respectable tree size; Stout Paperbark aka Moonah (Melaleuca preissiana) and Swamp Paperbark (Melaleuca rhaphiophylla). Average height is around 10m, but there are some enormous ones in Bush Forever Sites around the place. The largest ones have a girth measured in metres, and are likely to be hundreds of years old. Both species have small white flowers. This is a small Moonah in flower in December (top photo).
The big Moonah (photo under) shows how big they can grow - I estimate that one to be about 15m tall, and about a metre thick at eye level.


Banksia - we have five species that occur naturally; Candlestick Banksia (Banksia attenuata), Firewood Banksia (Banksia menziesii), Holly-leafed Banksia (Banksia ilicifolia), Swamp Banksia (Banksia attenuata) and Bull Banksia (Banksia grandis). The first two of these prefer dry conditions, and the others are usually found in or near wetlands. These five trees have overlapping flowering times throughout the year, so there's always at least one species in flower to keep the Honey Possums well-fed. Here's the Holly-leafed Banksia in its natural habitat, as "teenagers" - the adult trees are larger, more open and branched.


Sheoaks - there are two tree species; Sheoak (Allocasuarina fraseriana) and Swamp Sheoak (Casuarina obesa). Sheoaks have fine whispy branches, and when in flower these appear to be tinged red. The tall whispy tree in the middle of the photo is Swamp Sheoak.

And lastly, we have our famous WA Christmas Tree (Nuytsia floribunda), the world's biggest mistletoe. The distinctive orange flowers appear in December. The soft fleshy leaves feel cool to touch on a hot summer's day. Here's a photo:

Fourteen species altogether! Please comment if I've left any out...

the future of our drinking water

Yesterday (22 July), there was a public forum in Ellenbrook to discuss the future of the "Gnangara Mound", an underground body of water north of the Swan River. More than half of Perth's scheme water is pumped out of this aquifer, and this is where our bore water comes from as well. The aquifer is recharged by rainwater and stormwater soaking down into the ground. Perth's rainfall has been diminishing over the last couple of decades, and there are more people and industries using water, so water levels in the Gnangara Mound are decreasing.

This will affect how much water we will have for drinking and other uses in our homes. It will affect what kinds of fruit and vegetables we might be able to buy locally. It will affect industries, horticulture, maintenance of parks and playing fields, and the appearance of our suburb.

More demand for water, less water available = problems.

What does this mean for bushland? Many areas of banksia woodland are suffering because tree roots cannot reach water in summer, so trees are dying off. Some wetlands are suffering also because they no longer have enough water; paperbark wetlands are drying up when they should be under half a metre of water in winter. Ultimately, it means that our bushland will change to drier vegetation. This will in turn affect the many animals that depend on plants such as Banksia and Melaleuca, including Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo and Honey Possums.

I and a couple of fellow members of the Ellenbrook Bushland Group attended the public forum to share our ideas about the management of this store of water.

You can have your say too. You will need to download and read the Gnangara Sustainability Strategy. Then you can fill out the accompanying public submission form, and email or post it to the address given on the form. The closing date for submissions is 5pm Monday 31 August 2009. All the public comments will be collected and analysed, and the results will be available later this year.

If you live in Ellenbrook, or anywhere in Perth for that matter, and are concerned about the future of our drinking water, you should take part in this public comment process. Maybe you have a brilliant idea that will help solve the Gnangara Mound problems?

the rather confused Banksia

Such fantastic weather this weekend inspired me to go for a long-ish bushwalk. I went out with friends to look for one of Ellenbrook's best kept secrets, maybe not a secret for much longer....

The HYBRID Banksia!!! Check this out!

Why is this a hybrid? Well, it has the thin serrated-edged leaves, and yellow flower colour, of the Candlestick Banksia (Banksia attenuata). But see how the flowers are opening from the bottom of the inflorescence? The shape of the inflorescence is from the Firewood Banksia (Banksia menziesii). (Banksia attenuata has tall skinny inflorescences, like candlesticks.)

For comparison, here are photos of the two potential parents. On the left, Banksia menziesii (pink "acorn-shaped" flower, wide crimped-edge leaves), and Banksia attenuata (yellow cylindrical flower, skinny sawtooth-edged leaves), below.



Perhaps we can blame the European Honey Bee for this genetic mischief!



So, we think it's a Banksia attenuata x menziesii. Cross-pollination probably doesn't happen that often because the trees flower at different times of the year, with only a small overlap in flowering times.

It's been 18 months since we found the tree in the top photo, and today we just had to go back into the bush and see if we could find it again. I was hoping to record the location properly for future research.

Unfortunately, we ran out of time, and didn't find the tree. Better luck next time!

European House Borer Forum - 9th July

Just a reminder - there will be a Forum about the effects of the European House Borer in Ellenbrook on 9th July.

Venue: Ellenbrook Community Resource Centre; above the library in Main Street
Time: 7 pm
Date: Thursday 9th July

The European House Borer is a small beetle. Its larvae (caterpillars) eat untreated pine wood, and have been found in structural timber in some houses in Ellenbrook, as well as nearby pine plantations. It was accidentally brought into WA in untreated wood, and now it has become a pest in several Perth suburbs.

The City of Swan and the Department of Agriculture and Food are presenting this Forum so Ellenbrook residents can find out what is being done about this exotic pest, and how they can help.

Skinny little blokes and big fat women...

Here's a strange little insect that I've only just come across recently, and goes by the name of Bird of Paradise Fly. However, it's not a fly at all. The male has two shiny wings, long antennae like a moth, and long silky hairs projecting from the end of the abdomen. My bushwalking buddy David found this little animal sunning himself on top of a shrub in Bush Forever Site 300 (north of Charlotte's Vineyard). It seemed quite active, and wary of our cameras.

That shiny train does remind me of the extravagant tails and adornment feathers of the Birds of Paradise of New Guinea.

Then we later found this big fat leathery creature clinging to a banksia tree. With its plump hairless body, it looks a bit like an engorged tick, or a wingless cockroach. It is the most unlikely looking insect I've seen for a while. What is it?

You might be surprised to hear that it's the female Bird of Paradise Fly. She's a lot bigger than the male, moves slowly, and doesn't appear to be concerned about paparazzi.

When the adult male and female of a species are really different from each other, scientists call that "sexual dimorphism". I find it amazing that these two are still attracted to each other after all these millenia, enough to continue their species. Bird of Paradise Flies belong to the Margarodidae family, along with mayflies. The genus is called Callipappus. The species in the photos above has the common name "Silver Phoenix". (Click on the link for more information.)

Here's a link to a species in Brisbane with the common name "Violet Phoenix".

Every time I go out in our local bushland, something new pops up!

WA's plant plague

Recently I attended the 2009 Dieback Information Group Conference - what an eye-opener for people living in Perth!

Did you know that Dieback is caused by a microscopic organism called Phytophthora cinnamomi? This rampant and aggressive little beast has caused severe damage to thousands of hectares of bushland in WA. Unfortunately, a lot of bushland had been damaged before Dieback was properly identified. Dieback kills many species of trees and shrubs. Plants that are susceptible include banksias, grasstrees, jarrah, she-oaks and hibbertias. Dieback is commonly spread by movement of infested soil by vehicles, but can also hitch a lift in gravel or mulch.

But it's not just a bushland problem... many exotic plants (including avocado, oak, pines, roses, camellia, azalea, grapes, apricot, peach and macadamia) are also susceptible. That means that orchards, nurseries and private gardens are potentially at risk.

Since there's no cure, the best approach is PREVENTION. Many bushland areas now have signage showing infested and non-infested areas. There are hygiene protocols to stop the spread of Dieback, such as not going into infested areas, and cleaning boots and vehicle tyres/chassis after using bush tracks. If you think you've been walking in an area that has Dieback, clean the soles of your boots with metho when you are leaving the area. Then you won't take the disease home to your garden.

I would add - be very wary of bringing home infested soil, gravel, mulch or plants for your garden. Please note that some nurseries or garden suppliers may not be checking their stuff to see if they have Dieback. You might be bringing home a heart-breaking problem.

Sadly, some natural heritage areas of WA have been damaged beyond repair by Dieback. The good news though - not all plants are susceptible. And if we all work together, we can halt the devastation.

If you want to find out more about Dieback, please have a look at the Global Invasive Species Database, and WA's Dieback Working Group website.

Here comes the rain!

The rain gauge has been dry for over a month, and we've had unusually high temperatures (up to 28 ~ 300C) during that time. We've been looking wistfully at the weather charts for Qld, which have shown heavy showers, and even flood warnings. But this week looks like the end of the dry spell for Ellenbrook; the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting showers for the next few days. Hopefully this will be the start of the "winter rains".

The little kangaroo paws known as Catspaws (Anigozanthos humilis), and the local daisies called Golden Longheads (Podotheca gnaphalioides), have started to push their new green shoots out through the dry soil. Most likely it's the lengthening nights that are triggering this. Plus the cooler temperatures at night. I used to think that it was rain that stimulated winter growth in plants, but today I remembered about "photoperiod" and "day length" (which should actually be called "night length"). Soon we will see a flurry of botanical activity in our bushland and gardens, as seeds germinate, new leaves appear, and mature plants start to develop flowers for the coming spring.

Now, here's an interesting thing; "photoperiod" affects animals too. And people. There's evidence that too much artificial light at night is probably harmful to humans, and could affect weight, metabolism and mental health. Perhaps we should go with the flow of shorter days and longer nights in winter; go to bed early, fall asleep to the sound of rain, wake up to a misty sunrise.

Our friend the bush.........

Hello everyone, now that Linda has reached out into cyberspace to spread the message about the ELLENBROOK BUSHLAND GROUP its about time we all got excited about the amazing bushland surrounding Ellenbrook. We are lucky to live within the shadow of a city and still be able to see amazing wildlife at our doorstep. To hear birds sing and see native bushland that erupts into life every spring. To see trees that have been here for over 500 years and species of plants that have changed little from the time of the dinosaurs. This really is a special place.

To fully appreciate this wonderful resource you really need to get out and immerse yourself in it. Try stopping, crouching down and tune in to all your senses. The sites, sounds and smells of the bush are something to behold.

Stay tuned and prepare to be amazed as Linda guides you through all that is to know about the Ellenbrook bushland.

Why do we need the bush....?

I'm usually momentarily stumped* when someone asks me "Why do we need bushland?"

Um....let me see...

1. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, and by some strange quirk of nature, green plants take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. Coincidence? Or, perhaps, co-evolution of symbiotic lifeforms over millennia? (The carbon oxygen cycle is taught in schools, but maybe we need to remind some adults on a daily basis.)


2. Our suburbs are sterile heat islands designed predominantly on grid patterns based on squares and rectangles, and built to tender. Nature reserves are biodiverse refuges with endless variety of forms, colours and shapes, which have come into existence without employing human monetary concepts. Bushland and nature reserves, along with gardens and sympathetic landscaping, help "soften" the hard edge of our built environments.

Psychologists are only just starting to explore how much we rely on nature for our mental health (check out this 104-page literature review by Deakin University). Often the best thing we can do for our sanity is leave our artificial environment for a few minutes, walk into our "mother environment" and look at a leaf, a flower, a bird singing in a tree.

[Excuse me while I go outside for a few minutes before finishing this post!]


3. Bushland ecosystems are incredibly complex structures that provide undervalued "ecosystem services" such as native bees to pollinate our food crops, trees that transpire water vapour to become rain, and birds that do a better job at pest control than any insecticide (without the chemical side-effects). Not to mention all the nutrient recycling!

Ecosystem services are undervalued because most people take them for granted. Yet they are priceless. No-one has calculated the cost of designing technology to replace even one ecosystem service. We might be able to survive for a very short time without ecosystem services, but we can't live without them.


*Stumped, because the question I ask is "How could we possibly survive without bushland?"

("What have the Romans ever done for us?")

Clean Up Australia Day

Fifteen people showed up on the morning of Sunday 1st March for Clean Up Australia Day.

We started off as a big orderly group on the boardwalk in Moulton Wetland, but soon diffused into smaller and smaller groups wandering through the banksias.


It seemed like everyone was keen to grab a bag and start filling it with rubbish.











As you would probably guess, there were lots of PET drink bottles, glass, bottle tops, and takeaway food containers.

We also found household paint cans and computer hardware, and someone even dragged out an old mattress.

A flock of Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo, an endangered species, landed in the trees while we were cleaning up their habitat. This bird comes to Ellenbrook to feed on the banksia flowers and seeds.













After an hour or so of filling the rubbish bags, we headed back to The Grapevine for a delicious morning tea of fruit juice and muffins, and received our certificates of appreciation.















A big thankyou to everyone who participated - Many hands indeed make light work!

Here's what we collected ⇒
It may not look like much, but when you consider all the small items such as plastic lids, crisp packets and other tiny scraps, it was a brilliant effort.

Some of this rubbish will be recycled.


All photographs courtesy of Janelle from City of Swan.

Introducing the Ellenbrook Bushland Group

Our first formal meeting for the Ellenbrook Bushland Group was on 19 January 2009. A small group of us met to find out what our common interests were, what we should call ourselves, and what kinds of events or activities we would like to have. We decided that the Clean Up Australia Day campaign would be a good choice for a first event.

Janelle from City of Swan has been very helpful in giving us pointers - who to contact and how to go about organising various activities, as well as assistance with promotional material. (Thanks again, Janelle!)

It's exciting to see what's been accomplished by other "friends" groups, and imagine how these activities could be translated to Ellenbrook. We'd like the Ellenbrook Bushland Group to be more than just a bushcare group, though, as there are obvious opportunities to link in with other community groups for activities such as art, photography and community education.