A day of flowers and trees

Last week, my friend M. and I decided to go exploring in some banksia woodland to the north of Charlotte's Vineyard in Ellenbrook.  This is an area I have visited many times, but there's always something new and interesting to see.  The weather couldn't have been better for a winter walk - clear blue skies, warm sunshine; no sign of the rain typical for this time of the year.

Our first find was an adult Bobtail (Tiliqua rugosa) out sunning itself.  It's not uncommon to spot baby bobtails making the best of the sometimes-patchy winter sunshine, but adults are not usually out and about in winter because they take longer to warm up.  A cold slow adult is a dead adult if there are predators around.  This adult scooted away as quickly as it could, while still appearing nonchalant.  We had time to take a few photos before bobbie was under cover.

Bobtail (Tiliqua rugosa) in the sun

Once we were in the banksia woodland proper, we found that the Acacias (wattle) were flowering.  Acacias in this part of the world are either small woody trees, or delicate open shrubby affairs, and in this case it was the latter.  Masses of small yellow pom-pom flowers of Acacia pulchella and Acacia sessilis dotted the grey-green landscape. 

Acacia pulchella (commonly called Prickly Moses) in flower

A close-up of Acacia pulchella pom-poms

The Acacias weren't the only flowers around.  As we picked our way through the trees, down the hill towards the wetlands, we saw small soft-leaved Hibbertias growing in shrubby clumps, their yellow flowers almost the same shade and intensity as the Acacia blooms.  We found Hibbertia subvaginata and Hibbertia hypericoides in flower.  It seems that yellow is the colour of August!

Hibbertia subvaginata growing in a small clump (one plant)

Close-up of Hibbertia subvaginata flowers and leaves

Onward to the wetlands!  It was dry enough underfoot to wonder why on earth these are called wetlands, a question M. put to me during our meandering.  Shouldn't there be ponds, lakes or a creek somewhere? 
 
The area retains its typical wetland vegetation of Stout Paperbark (Melaleuca preissiana) and Swamp Sheoak (Casuarina obesa) trees, with various sedges and other water-appreciating understorey plants, despite not having had a decent winter's rain in thirty years.  It will be interesting to see what it looks like in fifty years' time.  The substrate is quick-draining sand, so even after a night of heavy downpours, we would have to get up early to see any water lying on the surface.

Wetland edge with Stout Paperbarks and Swamp Sheoaks, sedges and Hibbertias

One particularly spectacular individual of Stout Paperbark was featured in an earlier blog - see The Grandmother Tree.

About a kilometre further into the bushland, we found an area where some of the paperbarks had died.  These are the big twisty trees in the centre and right of the photo below; they were Stout Paperbarks (Melaleuca preissiana).  The whole patch seemed to be suffering, perhaps from the lack of rain.  However, I was heartened to see that Holly-leaved Banksia (Banksia ilicifolia) were growing there, so this may be just a case of natural succession.

Dead Stout Paperbarks (Melaleuca preissiana) with new growth of Holly-leaved Banksia (Banksia ilicifolia)

My friend M. found a Swamp Banksia (Banksia littoralis) in flower, and took some photos of the flower cones.  Guess what colour they are?  She remarked that these and many other plants in the area are food for Carnaby's Cockatoo.  (Later, we even heard and saw some cockatoos flying around in the distance; so they do use the area.)  We admired the beautiful foliage of this tree and its neighbours, glimmering silver and dark green as the breeze ruffled the leaves. 

Swamp Banksia (Banksia littoralis) attracts birds and photographers!

The effect of silver and green ruffling is best photographed with the sun behind you.  Perhaps a photo doesn't really do it justice - video would be better!

Swamp Banksia (Banksia littoralis) in the breeze

Eventually we decided it was time to go home.  It took us an hour or so to walk to back to the car.  Of course, there were still things to look at on the way; carnivorous plants (known as sundews) which supplement the meagre soil nutrients by eating insects, weird bulbous fungi with cracked skins, and ancient cycads (Macrozamia fraseri) with their lush green fronds.

An unknown (to me) species of sundew (Drosera sp.) growing in sand

Fungi fruit, about the size of a golf ball (any mycologists out there want to identify this?)

Macrozamia fraseri, a cycad native to Perth

On arriving home, we found we had taken about a hundred photos, walked about 6km in a couple of hours, and discovered only three kangaroo ticks on our persons at the end of the trip.  The walk had also given us a good appetite for a very late lunch. A worthwhile day indeed!

Pepper and salt, mistletoes and insect interactions

We're heading into the time of year in which the bushland lights up with a thousand shades of yellow, orange, pink, gold and purple, and I simply can't go for a bushwalk without my camera.  There are so many different flowers to delight the photographer; orchids, hibbertias, leschenaultia, hakeas, native peas, acacias, cottonheads and kangaroo paws, to name a few*.  

One plant I particularly like (among these hundreds of species) is known colloquially as "Pepper and Salt".  The scientific name for it is Philotheca spicata.  It isn't the most spectacular flower in the bush, not by a long shot, but it makes up for being somewhat photogenically challenged by having a pleasant and elusive perfume, and always seems to have a posse of insects flittering around the delicate flowers.

Flowers of "Pepper and Salt" (Philotheca spicata)

The plant itself grows as an upright shrub, usually no taller than 50cm, with a slightly weeping habit especially when in flower.  (The gracile branches seem to be weighed down by the flowers.)  It is fairly widespread in our local bushland such as the Bush Forever sites, in banksia woodland, or amongst jarrah and marri trees.

"Pepper and Salt" (Philotheca spicata)

Pepper and Salt is found along much of the Swan Coastal Plain and further south (at least where it hasn't been cleared for roads and buildings.)  It would make a fine addition to a bush garden, but in nurseries you might have to search for it, or order it, under the old botanical name of Eriostemon spicatus.

Satin-green Forester moth (Pollanisus viridipulverulenta)

The little moth in attendance could be mistaken for a butterfly - it moves around in broad daylight, its iridescent green, blue and copper wings glittering in patches of sunlight.  Due to its romance with the Philotheca flowers, and its general reluctance to move from a good position, I find this species not too difficult to photograph.  

Satin-green Forester Moth

According to my field guides, this species is the Satin-green Forester Moth (Pollanisus viridipulverulenta).  Entomologists, please correct me if I'm wrong! The wikipedia entry doesn't mention that it is found in WA, but the CSIRO website shows that it is. 

Insects such as butterflies and moths are usually reliant on specific plants for food and drink.  Some of these little animals are entirely dependent on just one or two species.  Some have had deserved scientific attention.  For example, caterpillars of the Satin Azure butterfly (Ogyris amaryllis) dine on mistletoe (Amyema species).  Unfortunately, many people remove mistletoes, believing that their parasitic qualities will weaken and kill their trees.  See this ABC website for a great expose on the myths and facts of mistletoe.

Here is a fact sheet you can download about the Satin Azure, written for South Australia.  Interestingly, although the Satin Azure is found across Australia, in each area it feeds on the local Amyema species available.  In the factsheet, it mentions Wireleaf Mistletoe (Amyema preissii) as a favourite food plant, and Stalked Mistletoe (A. miquelii) as a back-up; these are two mistletoe species we have around Perth.  The butterfly also needs "attendant" ants to complete its life-cycle.

Wireleaf Mistletoe (Amyema preissii) grows on Acacia trees

Can you see the ecological links here?  In this case, the butterfly lays its eggs on a plant that is totally reliant on another plant (i.e. wattle trees).  The caterpillars of the butterfly are protected from predators by the attendant ants .  Do the mistletoes benefit from this arrangement?  And what do we know about the ants' requirements?  What do they feed on?  Does the wattle provide an ideal habitat in the way of leaf litter?  What are the requirements of the wasps that might parasitise the caterpillars?  We know a little, but not very much really.  (At least there are a few articles of interesting research listed on the internet about this!)

These fauna-flora interactions are not widely studied, and have not been fully considered in our planning for conservation reserves, rehabilitation of industrial areas, and revegetation of urban landscapes.  Part of the problem in the past has been that people have studied plants (i.e. botany) or insects (i.e. entomology) and not the link between the two sciences (i.e. ecology).  In fact, botanists have tended to look askance at insects as a threat - something with the potential to destroy the perfect plant specimen, or wreck a photo of an ideal flower (where some little critter has chewed one of the petals, for example.) 

Horticulturists have moved one step further from nature, with their arsenal of poisons to deal with their unwanted fauna in the form of bug sprays.  It saddens me to think how many caterpillars might be being sprayed today in my suburb, because they are not recognised as being butterfly larvae.  Ecological links are broken.  No caterpillars; no birds to feed on them = Silent Spring.  (Yes, it's a book; read about it here.)

Entomologists have in the past sometimes lacked the botanical skills to record the plants on which their study animals have depended.  At the present, following little animals around in bushland still requires patience, time and a lot of skill, so it does not fare well in the cut-throat budgets and high-pressure timelines of a typical land "development" or mining project.  Why on earth would a high-flying developer think they need an entomologist?  Add in the "emotional care factor" (i.e. cute fluffy animals versus scaly ones or buzzy flitty ones) and it's difficult to get people to realise their importance.  Maybe in another fifty years we'll have a better idea of ecological links.  So our Bush Forever sites and little urban parks may be more precious than we yet realise, especially at their current rate of disappearance.

There is a lot more to be learnt about our local bushland. . . 

* Note to the people who maintain our local Public Open Spaces - August is NOT the time to prune these plants!  You will be removing the recent winter's growth and flower buds, and depriving us of our coming show of spring flowers.  Please wait until late summer or autumn next year before getting out your pruning equipment.

Another adventure in our bushland

I went for a bushwalk yesterday to see what wildflowers are starting to come out. The bush was glowing with the rich yellows of Hibbertia (Hibbertia subvaginata) and Prickly Moses (Acacia pulchella), and warm orange pea flowers (Bossiaea eriocarpa and Euchilopsis linearis) as well. I wandered through groves of Pricklybark (Eucalyptus todtiana) and the many different banksias, pausing to admire the stout trunks and thick foliage of the WA Christmas Trees (Nuytsia floribunda). 

Further on, I stopped to gaze downslope at the paperbarks and wetland sedges about fifty metres to my left. A distant rustling drew my attention to a small dark animal pushing slowly through the undergrowth about twenty metres away. What could it be? It was about the size of a basketball, but not quite as round of course, and moving deliberately without any sign of fear, so it probably hadn't noticed me. I carefully slid my backpack to the ground, and stooping, took out my camera, all the while keeping my eyes on the dark fur.

The animal moved a little closer, and then I could see long caramel-coloured spines on the fat body.  I saw the small head come up momentarily and there was a long dark beak. Ahah!

(Can you see the animal in this photo?)

What a wonderful sight on a cool winter's afternoon!  I moved in a little closer and took another photo, keeping the breeze in my face and the animal in front of me so it would not be able to pick up my human scent.  (These animals reputedly have poor eyesight but good hearing and an excellent sense of smell.)  I moved as stealthily as I could, but it was difficult because there were dry leaves and branches scattered everywhere across the sand.

It was a big fat echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), foraging for food.  The photo above is a back view - see the lovely patterns of spines around the two back legs and the tail?  Usually echidnas don't come out during the day unless the weather is cool; they're nocturnal and seldom seen.  I have spotted echidnas in broad daylight before, but this was the first time I'd had a camera with me; a great opportunity for photos.  

I followed the echidna around for about fifteen minutes, watching quietly as it thrust its beak into the ground, or waddled around amongst fallen timber looking for termites and ants.

In this photo, the echidna has the front part of its head in the ground.  I watched as it dug a furrow and broke open an underground termites' nest, pushing its head along just under the surface, propelled by short stout (and very strong) legs.  Here's a photo of the furrow it left.

Lastly, the echidna climbed up on some fallen timber to investigate its potential for termites, and I managed to get the best picture of the day.

The bushland continues to amaze me; something new to experience every time.

Celebrate the arrival of spring - Wildflower Photography Safari

Spring is just around the corner and we'll soon be heading off into the bush to capture some of our stunning wildflowers on camera.  Here are the details:

Wildflower Photography Safari

When:  Sunday 12th September

Where: meet at 8:30 am at The Grapevine carpark, Brookmount Drive, Charlotte's Vineyard

What to bring: camera, macro lens if you have one, water bottle, notepad

What to wear: sturdy boots or shoes, long socks, long pants, long-sleeved shirt, hat

Please leave pets at home, as we will be going into a nature reserve.

Beginning bushwalkers are welcome!  The walk will be guided by experienced local biologists and nature photographers, who know the local bushland because they've walked in it so often.

We hope to find the elusive orchids, triggerplants and sundews, which are only visible during certain times of the year.

Ellenbrook has many species of these plants in local bushland.  There will be lots of other flowers as well, such as cottonheads, (Conostylis), Hibbertia, myrtles (Hypocalymma), acacia and maybe some native flags (Patersonia occidentalis).  

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.)