Banksia Bulletin autumn 2021 John Eichler receives Bayside’s 2021 Environment Award Working bee updated Bayside Community Nursery now open From the Mayor In this issue Welcome to the Autumn edition I had the pleasure recently of Special features Other articles of Banksia Bulletin. joining 23 environmental groups at It is wonderful to be out and about the Bayside Environmental Groups’ in Bayside, seeing familiar faces and Listening Forum. PLANTS OF BAYSIDE 4 enjoying our natural environment The idea to hold this event came once again. from Caroline Lawton, President of ATTRACTING BUTTERFLIES 4 A huge ‘welcome back’ to the the Beaumaris Conservation Society, BAY ROAD HEATHLAND Bayside Community Nursery, where who had the brilliant idea to bring all SANCTUARY 5 a fantastic gala event was held on the environmental groups together to Saturday 27 March to mark the share their priorities with Council. BAYSIDE COMMUNITY opening of the 2021 season. Over the course of the morning, we NURSERY IS OPEN 12 It has been nearly 18 months since listened to representatives from each IN MY GARDEN the nursery has been open to the group as they presented many ideas. 6 AUTUMN BIRD COUNT 13 public. Thank you to all the volunteers These ranged from introducing a who have been busy in the preceding program to plant replacement Banksia WHAT ARE THE BUSHLAND months preparing our indigenous integrifolia trees on the coast to ways AND NURSERY CREWS plant stock for sale. Joining me at the we could better protect and expand role in protecting and enhancing UP TO? 14 opening were Cr Hanna El Mouallem Bayside’s tree canopy. Many groups our local environment. We heard MCRP BEACH PATROL 3193 15 and Cr Fiona Stitfold. I’m looking shared ideas about how to best recruit, about some of the challenges we face forward to planting the Eucalyptus train and retain volunteers. such as maintaining Ricketts Point WATER – THE LIFEBLOOD OF viminalus I purchased at Fairway Aged Council listened as environmental as it continues to grow in popularity LIFE ON EARTH 16 Care as part of a planning regulation, volunteers spoke passionately about as a destination for visitors from far PEAS IN A POD? very soon. how their groups play an important and wide. 8 HOW TO PUT ECOSYSTEMS Thank you to my Councillor BACK TOGETHER WITH colleagues who also attended including A POLE 17 Cr Clarke Martin, Cr Alex Del Porto, CONGRATULATIONS Cr Fiona Stitfold and Cr Jo Samuel-King. VOLUNTEER GROUPS 18 JOHN EICHLER who helped organise the event and BAYSIDE 2021 Thank you also to the Council Officers for showing their interest in listening ENVIRONMENT AWARD to our community by joining the conversation on a Sunday morning. WINNER Council is considering the ideas 10 that were presented and looks forward to progressing some of these in the near future. Cr Laurence Evans Mayor Laurence Evans OAM speaks to the crowd at the Bayside Mayor Environmental Groups’ Listening Forum. Bayside City Council Australian Emerald Dragonfly (Hemicordulia australiae) by Pauline Reynolds Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa kershawi) by David Cook (Creative Commons) L-R: Alison Murnane, Jason Hall, Michael Norris, Attracting Michael Ruyg, Cr Jo Samuel-King MBBS, Helen Water Ribbon (Triglochin procera) Williams and Sue Forster. Photo by Annie Dennis. Plants of butterflies Bayside Butterflies are a welcome addition Bay Road Words and photo by Aaron Hurrell, to any garden and are easily Citywide Bushland Crew attracted with a few simple design principles. Heathland Water Ribbon Put out a dish of damp sand and a flat The Water Ribbon (Triglochin procera) is a variable and rock for butterflies to bask in the morning robust, formed, perennial plant with a thick woody sun. Provide sheltered and shady positions rhizome and cylindrical tubers that can handle being throughout the garden that let them retreat Sanctuary fully aquatic or live an amphibious lifestyle. during the heat of the day. Butterflies prefer The leaves are erect, or float on the water, usually flat flowers, such as daisies, that are easy to between 0.1-3.5m long and 5-40mm wide with dark February working bee land on to extract nectar. They are attracted green colouring on the top surface and the bottom surface paler in colour to a yellowish green. to a range of coloured flowers, in particular A recent Bay Road Heathland The flowers of the Water Ribbon are found densely blue, yellow and red. Sanctuary working bee on Saturday 27 packed on a 6-51cm long spike but shorter if found February attracted a great turnout of Look for the butterfly icon on pages 28-60 growing in permanent water, roughly numbering volunteers from the Friends group. between 52 to 320 small greenish flowers. The flower in Live Bayside, Plant Bayside publication This unscheduled working bee made spikes can either be standing erect or falling over. for plants that provide food and shelter for up for the previously scheduled activity, The Water Ribbon requires freshwater up to 2m deep butterflies. which was cancelled due to the snap or irregular flood areas in full sun and semi-shade. lockdown in February. Source: Bull, Marilyn (1991) Flora of Melbourne: A guide to the You can purchase some of these plants from Friends enjoyed an impromptu visit indigenous plants of the greater Melbourne area Carlton Vic: Hyland the Bayside Community Nursery, which is from Councillor Jo Samuel-King MBBS Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary Friends group removing bracken on House Publishing now open for sales (see page 12 for more). who dropped by for a quick chat and Saturday 27 February. Photos by Sue Forster. to help with bracken removal. 4 Banksia Bulletin | Autumn 2021 Banksia Bulletin | Autumn 2021 5 In my garden Story and photos by Pauline Reynolds Here, I share recent sightings from my garden. This spectacular Wandering Ringtail Damselfly Austrolestes( leda) was spotted on 11 February 2021, in the same week I also saw an Australian Emerald Dragonfly (Hemicordulia australiae) on 6 February 2021 (inset and on the cover). Both were warm days and these magnificent creatures were photographed enjoying the late afternoon sun. You will notice too they are both sitting on indigenous plants – Austral Storksbill (Pelargonium australe) and Knobby Club- sedge (Ficinia nodosa) respectively. Wandering Ringtail Damselfly (Austrolestes leda) 6 Banksia Bulletin | Autumn 2021 Banksia Bulletin | Autumn 2021 7 Propagating from seed has advantages from a conservation point of view. Seedlings provide genetic diversity, whereas cutting-grown plants are clones and have genes identical to the parent. Often, seedlings are also more resilient when planted out, as they have stronger or better-structured root systems. ‘pea pods’ forming on the Pale Wedge PeaIt atwas Long very Hollow exciting this to year.find some I’m curious as to why our Gompholobium has set seed, apparently we had a wetter season and the plant wasn’tfor the strugglingfirst time, thisto survive year. Is as it itbecause normally does? Or is that only part of the explanation? I have watered the Long Hollow Gompholobium to ensure its Unripe pods of Pale Wedge Pea (Gompholobium huegelii) January 2021. survival over several previous summers. Photo by Rob Saunders. But it didn’t set any seed then. Another possibility is that there may be more or different pollinators around locally than in previous years. Nectar a range of different insects. There areproducing many native flowers pollinators such as peas and attracttheir Pale Wedge Pea (Gompholobium huegelii) – a locally rare indigenous wildflower. Photo by Rob Saunders. abundance tends to change from one season to the next, for reasons that are not fully understood. Certain characteristics of the pollinator are critical with bush peas. A long tongue is useful for the insect to reach the hidden nectaries of pea insect can part their petals and trip theirflowers. spring-loaded But only an stamens,appropriately-sized dusting Peas the insect with pollen to transport to successful pollinators for Gompholobium in a wouldanother be flower. larger It than seems those likely for thatthe more Over the years, John Eichler has Blood-tipped Resin Bee photographed at Long Hollow by John Eichler. photographedcommon ‘eggs aand number bacon’ of flowers. different pod? native bees at Long Hollow, including several from the Lasioglossum family By Rob Saunders Most of Bayside’s indigenous peas The local Purple Coral Pea hard to miss. Our Pale Wedge Pea one or two seedlings have emerged (Social Burrowing Bees) and a couple Friends of Long Hollow Heathland are small shrubs with bright ‘eggs and (Hardenbergia violacea) is a strong (Gompholobium huegelii) tends to be after some of Bayside’s ecological of different Megachilids (solitary Resin and Rare Plants Group climber with eye-catching sprays of a low, scrambling shrub. It has tiny burns in recent years, we know of Bees and Leafcutter Bees). Research Eight local species from the genera Aotus, leaves in groups of three, but relatively fewer than 10 plants scattered around in Tasmania suggests the native Bossiaeabacon’ coloured, Daviesia flowers., Dillwynia, Platylobium The popular Running Postman (Kennedia just four reserves – Long Hollow, Megachilids can be important pollinators and Pultenaea prostratamauve, pink) is anda ground lime greencover flowers.with bright our other bush peas, they are single- Gramatan Avenue, Balcombe Park and for Gompholobium huegelii. Another in shades of yellow and reddish brown. coloured,large (2cm) with flowers. a lovely Unlike soft, anypale of George Street. Even Golden Spray all have (Viminaria flowers that juncea come), a Indigo (Indigofera australis) has very lemon hue (above left). Propagation of the Gompholobium pollination, Rudie Kuiter, has also red flowers. And the adaptable Austral For a long time, I have been concerned has not been easy either. Bayside toldfield menaturalist the Megachilids who specialises are abundant in orchid Three other local pea species are more Bayside has one other indigenous about losing the Pale Wedge Pea Community Nursery has grown a this year.