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.