NEWSLETTER

July 2021

P.O. Box 111, GLEN FORREST, WA 6071

Meet: Octagonal Hall, 52, McGlew Rd., Glen Forrest. 4th Friday of the month. Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm

Evening Meeting Committee 2021 Friday 23rd July “Slime moulds”” President: Penny Hussey Karina Knight Vice President: Fran Kininmonth Treasurer: Peter Day Karina Knight was the Collections Manager Secretary:Janet Atkins at the Herbarium, and was involved in the Committee Members: huge transfer of the specimens from the old June Barkman building to the new one. Mal Myers She has always been interested in fungi, Maxine Tyler which are quite difficult to curate, and she Robin Rudeforth worked with Margaret Brims when she became interested in slime moulds, taking Email: over her work with these peculiar For all email contact to individual organisms when Margaret passed away. Committee Members please use the Slime moulds are very strange WSWA’s generic email: organisms indeed. Sometimes they behave [email protected] like an animal, sometimes like a fungus. Are they a collective of single cells, or a Facebook: truly multicellular organism? Also they are htps:/www.facebookcom/groups/easternhills much commoner than you might think! wildflowersoc/ Prepare to be amazed! There will be a Quiz. Don’t forget to bring specimens for the COVID NOTE: Once again, we must nature table. emphasise that scheduled events will go ahead – provided there is not a mandatory restriction due to Covid19. It is your responsibility to keep up to date with those! Coming Events August

th Thursday 5 August Committee Meeting Coming Events July 3pm Octagonal Hall

Thursday 1st July Wednesday 4th and 18th August Committee Meeting Seed Cleaning 3pm. Octagonal Hall. 9am Octagonal Hall

Wednesday 7th and 21st July Propagation Group In recess Seed Cleaning 9am Octagonal hall 25th - 27th August 2021 Excursion Propagation Group In recess Morawa – Mullewa – Three Springs (see detail below)

Evening Meeting In EHB we are familiar with the technique of Friday 27th August ‘direct seeding’ championed by the late Ken Patterson Joanna Seabrook, and many members will “The rehabilitation of Piesse Brook” have helped in the Seed Orchard she got established. But, seed is expensive, and Piesse Brook runs down from Pickering even under the best of conditions, seedling Brook to join the Helena River just above survival is not high. So, anything that can the Pumpback Dam. It passes through improve the germination and survival of areas of orchards and farmland where, over seed is worth investigating. This is where the years, the natural stream-side Vanessa’s research comes in. vegetation had been replaced by weeds She told us about coating the seeds such as Blackberry and Watsonia which with ‘activated carbon’ to make the growth had spread down into the national park. So more resistant to the herbicide used to a Friends Group was formed to start doing control weeds. The method of coating something about this. caused some laughter – she runs the mix I researched the Friends of Piesse through a pasta machine to make ‘seed Brook action group and was amazed by the spaghetti’! So far, her trials at Gnangarra steadfast implementation, organisation and and Gingin are looking hopeful, although diligent applications to improve that lovely Covid restrictions have set everything back. part of the Hills environment. Wow!! If all There were many questions from the such groups were fortunate enough to have knowledgeable growers in the audience. the same dedication and input, what Very many thanks, Vanessa, for magnificent changes will be made for our highlighting so clearly the many problems natural environment. faced in Banksia Woodland restoration. Ken will explain what they have done and illustrate his talk with excellent ‘before The Quiz was won by a group who got 17 and after’ photos. out of 20 questions correct - well done Fran Kininmonth folks! The nature table showcased some superb specimens. Penny Hussey REPORTS WSWA AGM Friday 25th June “Improving Banksia woodland The AGM of the Wildflower Society of restoration with seed enhancement Western Australia (of which EHB is one of technologies” 12 branches) was held at the end of June. Janet Atkins and Penny Hussey attended Vanessa Brown started off with a few as Branch delegates. The Constitution was alarming statistics about the extent of amended and the draft Prescribed Burning Banksia woodland destruction since the Policy was (sort of) approved. Kevin Theile start of European settlement, and just how remains as President, but at the end of this altered the land is left after such activities year he will be leaving WA to return to as sand mining and pine plantations. All this NSW, so hopefully someone else will step is so extreme that Banksia Woodlands on up. Full details will be in the next WSWA the Swan Coastal Plain have been declared Newsletter. a ‘Threatened Ecological Community’. Penny Hussey And as for restoration, how on earth do you start on an artificial land surface without a scrap of biologically active material left? Well, of course, a cover Excursion details would soon establish itself – but do we really want to return the site to a wasteland 25th - 27th August 2021 of weeds? If we want native back, Mullewa Flower Show and Three Springs we have to be proactive, and put them Flower and Art Exhibition there! Drive yourself or car-share. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THIS! Book your own accommodation. Babingtonia pelloeae th * Wednesday 25 – 8.30/9.00am Leave Octagonal Hall. Wongan Hills for m/t and Two similar species of Babingtonia occur in look around. Approx 1hr Dallwallinu for the Kalamunda and Mundaring Shires, lunch.To Perenjori, Caron Dam and Orchid Babingtonia camphorosmae (Camphor Ridge. Morawa, overnight stay. Myrtle) and Babingtonia pelloeae. The more th * Thursday 26 - to to Canna, m/t and common species, B. camphorosmae, wildflowers. Mullewa, lunch, Flower Show occurs west of a line from Three Springs to Depot Hill wildflower walk, Coalseam NP, - Mount Barker (map 1); while B. pelloeae overnight in Three Springs. (previously known as Babingtonia sp. B) * Friday 27th - Three Springs Wildflower occurs in a discrete area between Gingin and Art Exhibition before returning to Perth in and Karragullen, mainly along the eastern time for the evening meeting. escarpment of the Darling Range (map 2). These are the only species of Babingtonia Please let Fran know if you are intending to known to overlap in range. join the excursion. [email protected] Mal Myers

PLANT OF THE MONTH

Darwinea oldfieldii

The name Babingtonia honours botanist and entomologist Charles Cardale Babington, nicknamed “Beetles Babington” at university. Apparently, he overlapped at Cambridge with Charles Darwin, and in 1829 they argued over who should have the pick of beetle specimens from a local dealer. However the species pelloeae was named after Melbourne-born West Australian, Emily Harriet Pelloe (1877/8– 1941), who helped bring the south-western Australian wildflowers to public attention in This is a small domed shrub that can grow articles and books ... particularly with the up to 1m tall and wide. It has small, neat publication of her wildflower paintings and leaves and flowers in dense terminal botanical observations in Wildflowers of clusters. A very attractive small shrub for Western Australia (Pelloe 1921). She borders. collected B. pelloeae in Kalamunda in The flower colour comes from the January 1925, and the species was bracts which are usually red, but can vary apparently not re-collected until the 1980s from pink, through mauve to purplish-red. (Rye 2015). They are produced from winter into spring. B. camphorosmae and B. pelloeae are This occurs in the Irwin District, easy to tell apart in the field. The more including Kalbarri NP, growing in heathland common B. camphorosmae has 8-13 on sandy gravel. stamens opposite the sepals, with gaps It is propagated by cuttings. opposite the petals. B. pelloeae has 12-26 Robyn Rudeforth stamens in a continuous circle. A quick check can be made by photographing the flower and then enlarging the photo in the viewing window of your camera or phone

BOOKS

EHB LED THE WAY!

The need for reveg is not a new idea! This book was published by EHB in 1987 – 34 years ago. Joanna Seabrook wrote Babingtonia camphorosmae it, and June Barkman’s delightful pictures illustrate it. Borrow a copy of this and other of Joanna’s books from the Library. Good ideas do not go out of date!

Do you like birds? You’ll love this!

Babingtonia pelloeae Talitha Huston started I have photographed B. pelloeae in researching, Kalamunda National Park at Gooseberry photographing Hill in December 2015, December 2020 and and writing this January 2021; and in Korung National Park when she was at Karragullen in November 2017 and 14. Now, at January 2021. Both species grow in the 16, she has same area at Gooseberry Hill. published her Lesley Brooker work. It is superb!

WEED WATCH Looking for a present for someone? Or for your own bookshelf? Talitha financed this Apologies: Peter Day took me to task after herself (check-out chick!) and any profits will last month’s Newsletter saying that I clearly be given to Kanyana Wildlife Centre. Ring did not know much about the spread of Haas DBCA Mundaring and ask for Bob Huston Grass in central Mundaring Shire! He has (her Dad) to find out where one can be been weeding it out for 20 years or more! bought. Thank goodness for reserve ‘Friends’ like Peter, unsung heroes! Penny Hussey Penny Hussey

The views and opinions expressed in the articles in this Newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Wildflower Society of Western Australi