Issue 127 Winter 2016

Contents

Articles Page From the President's Desk: May Report 1

Notice: Annual General Meeting 2 June Flood Report 2

Top 100 ranking 3 Bird Notes: Hazel Britton 3 Changes in the bird population as the colours of the turn to Autumn

Feather map of Australia Project 4 Can’t See the Wood for the Paul Hydes 4 Recent developments: Launching new waterfowl raft 5 New Kubota Access to Limestone Hill Volunteers’ BBQ 5

Education: Arbor Week Karen Dowie 6 International Society New Zealand Tour phil Parsons 8 phil Parsons Newsletter contributions are always welcome. These may take the form of: Letters to the Editor, Postal address: Tasmanian Arboretum Inc., P O Box 370, Devonport, Tas. 7310 E-mail address: [email protected] Website: www.tasmanianarboretum.org.au Public Officer T.A.I., P O Box 370, Devonport, Tas. 7310

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President’s Report MAY 2016

As they say in the jokes, first the good news although there is nothing bad to report. A member has most generously donated $50,000.00 for a range of smaller projects. This will address at least a decade of deferred and delayed infrastructure upgrades resulting in some of the early efforts in terms of infrastructure brought into line with modern requirements as well as some improvements in amenity. Projects include a glass windscreen for Rotunda three, a replacement for the nearby footbridge and a cover for the Founders’ Lake outlet. Our Partnership with the Australian National Botanic Garden has progressed to us the stage of short listing plants for an initial shipment in the spring. We are looking at plants from the high altitudes of the Wet Tropics in Queensland. We already have in the ground the leatherwood Eucryphia wilkieii, the podocarp Sundacarpus amarus and the blue kauri Agathis atropurpurea from those higher altitudes. We have thinned the protective canopy again, especially over the Sundacarpus amarus Additions to the in-ground planting in the Australian Rainforest are the long leaved tuckeroo Cupaniopsis newmanii and Macleay’s laurel Anopterus macleayanus which is the Tasmanian Laurel’s only close relative. When winter comes we shall see how they fare. Coming on for planting are a few species, from the lemon aspen Acronychia acidula at 2 Macleay’s laurel metres tall to the just germinating Davidson’s plum Davidsonia jerseyana which will have several years of growing on before moving into the ground. The Walking Trails Project using Work for the Dole scheme ended on the 16th of May with a little more work to complete the Limestone Hill Lookout remaining. Many more paths need upgrading work over the next few years. A possible order of upgrading will be on Limestone Hill where it parallels Melrose Creek and then on the upper part of the nature trail and thence in the rainforest once the protective canopy of silver wattles Acacia dealbata is much reduced. Also being upgraded is the Oriental Garden path across the Red Bridge. The temporary fencing around the natural spring outlet is being replaced in the style of the steel railing. Later the path will be raised with a layer of concrete. Many of the Wollemi Wollemia nobilis are showing signs of damage on the growing point but as yet the cause is unknown. This damage followed the long dry period and is most pronounced where one would expect the driest soil. Soil moisture appears to have returned to levels that promote plant growth especially in the places where Arbor Month planting is taking place. Collection maintenance is seeing the herbaceous weeds much reduced, the perennial weeds under pressure and a return to felling mature hawthorns, partly with a new but smaller Work for the Dole program and partly by our regular volunteers. Also more plant shaping work is being undertaken by Philip Murray. On several days visitor number have been such that overflow parking has been necessary. One such occasion coincided with a wedding. The Park Kiosk has also had its moments with volunteers working through customers’ orders and taking over several hundred dollars in one day. Running up to the end of the season was a spate of bookings for lunches and morning teas. The new route for Sylvan Circuit has made access to the toilets much safer. We may be using some of the area made safer by altering traffic flow for a climbing frame to provide focus for children’s activities during family visits to the Arboretum. We will be applying to the Tasmanian Community Fund to assist us with the climbing frame costs. After much gashing of teeth, several cubic metres of plant material and some wading, the cumbungii in the centre of the Natural Spring has been removed. The price of keeping the water open will be constant vigilance. There will be a second pull of regrowth soon. Membership stands at three hundred and fifty showing in a practical way the positive comments visitors make after they appreciate our Arboretum in all its parts. phil PARSONS

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NOTICE: Annual General Meeting The Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday the 4th of September at the Tasmanian Arboretum Education Centre at 2:00 pm followed by a walking tour or a talk depending on the weather.

Flood Report (Editor’s note: While this is not a formal report rather a collection of messages President phil distributed over the flood period it gives members some idea of the situation as it occurred.) June 6th: Closed today due to flooding and forecast. Don River Bridge at Eugenana closed, water over the road. I won’t mention mud and light debris on the ground, they are about and indicate flood levels.

Comparing this with the 2010 flood it appears to be of a similar volume, slightly less, but without the large debris and perhaps the velocity. Main areas of impact:

1. Carpark scoured and gravel dumped in Oriental Garden;

2. Sylvan Circuit lightly scored leading up to and on the other side of the Forestry Bridge as far as Founders Lake;

3. A little scouring above the White Gum Grove due to the volume of water exceeding the capacity of the pipe; 4. More scouring from the floodway back around to almost the intersection with the new road. This is Melrose Creek which follows the contours and the easiest course down the road. This is the worst damage to the road;

.5. Fence broken down at the floodway but as we have ‘built’ it do so that there is nothing really unusual there;

6. Fence lifted and pushed over near the road to ANZealand. Rerouting the fence and moving the gate would fix this but we would have to be either rich or take our time;

7. Debris on fence below Europe. As this is backwash the fence does not come under pressure like at ANZealand and

8. The status of the banks of Melrose Creek and the Don River including the ANZealand plantings, the railway and the lower nature trail are unknown.

Besides closing the park and advising those I could I put out some traffic cones in case some fool came in. Three boys came in and were politely asked to leave.

Although a further 10 to 150m of rain over the next 8 days is modelled (Bureau of Meteorology) we will begin clean up tomorrow

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Flood Report continued June 7 The Arboretum re-opens for visitors. Flowing water is contained within the banks of Melrose Creek and the carpark can be used. Some of Sylvan Circuit has lost gravel making a rough drive around. Some sections adjoining the Don River remain flooded and thus closed. Some standing water. Repair time, at least 3 days

Tasmanian Arboretum featured in Tasmania's Ultimate Bucket List In an exciting recent development travel/experiences site Experience Oz (www.experienceoz.com.au/news) published a major feature focusing on Tasmania entitled ‘The Tasmania Bucket List – 100 things to do before you die’ …and at # 59 was the Tasmanian Arboretum. Phil Parsons President

Bird Notes: Hazel Britton Changes in the bird population as the colours of the Arboretum turn to Autumn The Arboretum community is obviously missing Paul Hydes and his regular birdwatching notes, bird walks, monitoring and other bird activities. A few of you contacted me after receiving the last Newsletter and expressed the hope that I would make a regular contribution. Last year I was asked if I could help with the schoolchildren during Arbor Week. I recommended that Julie Serafin be approached, as she is involved in an education programme with shorebirds that I coordinate and connects very well with young people. Philip Milner is also interested in birds and has offered to carry out bird surveys with a friend Ian Ferris and also to contribute to the Newsletter. We have therefore joined forces to try and fill the gap left by Paul. (For which our readers are most grateful, Ed.) I visited the Arboretum again on 23rd April with Patricia Ellison and Geoff Smart. It was a beautiful autumn day and even at 11 am the grass was wet with dew; there was a whiff of smoke in the air, which I took to be from nearby wood fires now being lit because of the cooler temperatures, and the colours of the deciduous trees were magnificent. Many of the birds I recorded in January were absent, being breeding migrants from the mainland, already returned to a warmer climate. There were three functions booked during the day and plenty of people enjoying this lovely venue. The grassed areas were full of birds and I looked carefully to see if I could find any Yellow-rumped Thornbills and Beautiful Firetails amongst them, particularly in the New Zealand section, but was unlucky on this occasion. They were mainly Superb Fairy-wrens in their brown non breeding plumage, the males being singled out by their black bill, lack of reddish around the eye and blue tails. I also saw three birds still in their vibrant breeding plumage. As males get older they spend more time in breeding plumage and some birds (c.5 years or older) appear to moult directly from one breeding plumage to the next, and the occasional ‘blue’ male can be seen at any time of the year. There were also a lot of Tasmanian Native-hens in the wetter grassy areas. This species really thrives in the Arboretum grounds and I believe that Paul used to make regular counts. Nearby a single male was associating with a Domestic Goose! On Founders Lake I counted 90 Eurasian Coot – in January I thought that 55 was a big number for this little lake. They must be finding plenty of food, like the two platypus I watched active at 2pm. The track along the Don River was surprisingly wet and two Bassian Thrushes were feeding along the edge with a nearby Tasmanian Scrubwren. I didn’t see the Grey Goshawk here this time but Phil Milner told me

3 that he has seen it recently. Another sign of the season were the flocks of Silvereyes, usually with a few Grey Fantails foraging restlessly from one potential food source to the next. A small flock of New Holland Honeyeaters were also busy feeding in the eucalypts n Limestone Hill. I hope to be able to visit the Arboretum more often in the future as there are many tracks that I have never been on. I can only cover a small part in a single visit and many birds have their favourite spots, preferring a certain type of habitat not always obvious to us. As mentioned I did not see the Beautiful Firetails this time but Phil reported seeing them near the track up to the Tasmanian section. (Many thanks to Sarah Lloyd for the photo of the male Superb Fairy-wren - Hazel.)

Feather Map of Australia Project BirdLife Tasmania thought some of our members might be interest in this project:

Become a citizen scientist today: Collect wetland bird feathers Wetlands are habitats that are critical for Australia’s waterbirds however they are under threat from reduced river flows and flooding, drought, climate change and land use changes.

Help turn the tide by simply collecting wetland bird feathers you find on the ground or in the water from inland wetlands across Australia. Researchers from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and the University of New South Wales will analyse the feathers using nuclear techniques to track the movement of waterbirds, creating the first ever Feather Map of Australia. This information can be used by water and wetland managers to inform decision making and help researchers better understanding waterbirds to ensure their survival Find out how you can get involved at: www.ansto.gov.au/feathermap

The Project logo and two images can be downloaded here: https://sharefile.ansto.gov.au/download/1f93e8ce1613657b0d9971b6fab8d11e0132f7b5

Notes from the North: Can’t see the Wood for the Trees Paul Hydes Autumn has finally arrived with morning dew-laden spiders’ webs across the wetlands and a reduction in bird species’ diversity as the migrant wimps move north. A few nominally migrant birds overwinter, just as the Fan-tailed Cuckoos and Silvereyes do at Eugenana, and we also see birds from south of here passing through. One case in point was my first sighting of a Satin Flycatcher, at the end of March, this species usually leaving Tasmania before the end of February which in small land-bird terms isn’t bad for a 1500km journey. Swift parrots also make it this far north but that magic “ping” call has so far eluded me. Our kangaroos are being pushed further into the wetlands as development of stage 2 of this place gets underway so the Wagtails are having to find alternative perches. One beautiful perch in late summer is Persoonia linearis, a graceful shrub growing to 3 metres with its delicate lemon yellow flowers and pine like foliage, but all the other flowering is up in the canopy, attracting raucous flocks of lorikeets and honeyeaters. Further afield, a visit to the Botanic Gardens at Canberra renewed our acquaintance with the Red Centre planting, which is now better established and gave us a great display of Gippsland water dragons along the way, over 20 of these lizards basking by one of the ponds. Not present when the gardens were established, it is a classic example of the old adage “build it and they will come”. English ash trees in the streetscape in North Adelaide were a surprise but the touring highlight was undoubtedly a fig. Moreton Bay figs (Ficus macrophylla) are well known along the coast, the massive

4 horizontal branches, hemispherical canopy and plank buttresses a feature of several Botanic gardens. However, I had never seen the subspecies “columnaris” which has a very different conformation. The original seed germinates on a host tree as an epiphyte, eventually killing the host to form a hollow lattice trunk which produces classical lateral branches. These then drop aerial roots which anchor into the ground below. Imagine a dart board with the lattice trunk on the bull’s eye. The first set of aerials come down around the triple score circle and grow to become trunks 60+ cm thick in their own right. They in turn support further laterals which drop roots on the double score line and so on, the “tree” extending up to 2 hectares, making it very difficult to identify the original lattice trunk - hence the title to this piece. Groves of Kentia palms nearby are overwhelmed and they have a tough time as it is, given the extensive mining activity of the resident shearwaters and petrels, 3 species of which breed here. Other sea birds abound, including the spectacular Red-tailed Tropicbirds, one juvenile allowing an intimate photo as it waited to mature and be ready for lift off. It is not just trees that do strange things here however. On the mainland, Sacred Kingfishers feed on insects and lizards leaving the small fish to their Azure cousins. On this island, coastal rocks provide perfect perches for active fishing Sacreds, including ones overlooking shallow rock pools so it is no wonder they often shake their heads after a catch. Last but not least on the “strange” list, local fungi (Mycena chlorophanes) glow in the dark which can be a help on rainy nights as the street lights are low and dull so as not to disturb the shearwaters. The marine life is also spectacular and readily accessible so why go to the Barrier Reef when Lord Howe is only an hour away? For anyone who finds the analogy with the dart board beyond belief, Google “Banyan Fig Lord Howe” to find a National Geographic article dated 9/4/15. My camera couldn’t take a photo to do justice to the tree but the article has a beauty. (Ed. I found this example on tripadvisors’ website.)

Recent Developments

Launching the new waterfowl roosting raft, much to the relief of all occupants of Founder's Lake.

Everybody is very keen to volunteer for a ride in the new Kubota ATV upon arrival. It has proved to be a great asset since its arrival on site.

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Improved access to Limestone Hill above the original quarry and remains of the lime kiln from the 1860's. The new access was built with assistance from the current 'Work for the Dole" participants.

Volunteers’ BBQ Volunteers recently enjoyed a BBQ taking advantage of the Autumn weather to enjoy the facilities so many of them work hard to maintain. The setting was picture perfect – post dry-summer period and pre-winter floods. A couple of the photos show glimpses of some seasonal colour in the surrounding foliage. The food was delicious as always but the highlights were the opportunity to get together and catch up and the after lunch entertainment.

Education Arbor Week 2016 (Note: The Arbor Week photographs come from a variety of sources but all have parental permission for publication. Ed.)

We have had 29 schools participate in Arbor Week between May 3rd through to May 27th ranging in level from Kinder to Secondary. Participating schools came from across the North West region - Burnie Primary through to Port Sorell. A varied range of activities were offered and were thoroughly enjoyed by the enthusiastic students. These included propagating sessions ably led by Bob Oakley and his very dedicated team of volunteers from the Devonport Garden Club. Phil Parsons, Madeline Brooker and David Critchlow assisted the groups with the planting of a varied range of trees and shrubs.

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Experts in the field of birds (Julie Serafin) and fungi (Phil Milner) conducted some engaging information sessions throughout the month. Michael Thow with his snake and reptile collection was again very popular. Students and adults alike were enthralled by his presentations and information. Andrew Hughes and Dr. Claire came from Hobart to inspire students interest in science by conducting bug explorations and scientific investigations. Also Julia Butler-Ross with her passion for the outdoors encouraged children to think about their environment and the world in which they live. As a part of each session the school groups were guided by Phil Murrary, Lyn Otley, Lee Cole, Karen Dowie and Virginia Smith on some of the many wonderful Autumn walks around the magnificent Arboretum. At times they were privileged with a viewing of the Swan family with their clutch of new cygnets and the stunning platypus display on the lake. The month has been an outstanding success and the feedback from attending teachers and students have reflected how much was gained from their experiences. Arbor education is only possible due to the dedication and excellent organisation of Lyn Otly and Lee Cole. Karen Dowie

Arbor Week Activities

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OUR DAY AT THE ARBORETUM FRIDAY MAY 20th. 2-3 A big thank you, once again to the superb arbour Week team. We all had a beautiful day.

I have sent a hard copy of some photos but thought I'd send some electronically as well. Best regards,

Chris Moore Sassafras Primary

The Aotearoa New Zealand International Dendrology Society Annual Tour. phil Parsons This year’s IDS Annual Tour was held in the Gisborne area and 79 IDS members attended including the President, Harriet Tupper from England and five (or six) from Australia (one member is a dual citizen). We spent three days with trees. I decided to attend to see the two arboreta because they have a reputation among aficionados.

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Our first collection of trees was at the Guthrie-Smith Arboretum at Lake Tuatara. This Arboretum was a late, but most welcome, addition to my tour. It is a long drive from Hastings, my overnight from Wellington, to Gisborne. I was running early, so on the way there I stopped at the White Pine Reserve to view an 800-year-old kahikatea Dacrycarpus dacrydioides, along with other venerable specimens, in a small remnant of natural forest. At the Tasmanian Arboretum Kahikatea are in the TAI Gondwana and Aotearoa Collections. Guthrie-Smith is 90 hectares, divided in bio-geographic regions. The site is former seabed uplifted aeons ago. It has some very steep slopes. Sheltered from cold westerly winds the temperate climate receives 1400mm of rainfall per annum. This arboretum is open to the public on Sundays, October to May. Part of the site was planted to local vegetation to stabilize slopes as like many hilly areas, it was part of an extensive sheep grazing property. Among species new to me were maximowiczii, Paulownia bungeana and Photinia beauverdiana. There were many others more familiar, but still of interest. Indeed, the Australians were called upon to identify several species. The next day was Hackfalls Arboretum. But before that we visited another remnant kahikatea forest, but this time on a deep alluvial plain. The understorey had mature and large puriri Vitex lucens, titoki Alectryon excelsus and kohekohe Dysloxylum spectabile. All have a largely tropical and warm temperate distribution; the latter two Genera occur in Australia. Hackfalls is the work of Bob Berry, who was in his centenarian year, assisted in later years by Lady Ann, a friend of the late David Richmond and a past President of the International Dendrology Society, when she was Lady Ann Palmer. Now Bob’s daughter manages the Arboretum. He collected with another Gisborne local, the late Peter Murphy, travelling several times to Mexico and also to China in a time when imports of seed was relatively easy allowing a wide range of species to be collected. It became clear why New Zealand land owners are so interested in trees after driving through steep, high rainfall country subject to land slips. Trees reduce the incidence of those events. One of the means of reducing slips is farm forestry using Monterey pine Pinus radiata. They provide a good return to landholders. Some large examples of exotic trees were present including Eucalyptus fastigata, Platanus species and various Quercus species. We also saw many mature but smaller trees from around the world including Quercus insignis and a huge six metre Buddleja cordata. This Buddleja did not survive with TAI. On the Saturday we went to Nicks Head, a local property, to view revegetation work using indigenous plants. The landowner is undertaking what in Australia would be describe as a landcare program. We saw restoration of a wetland but mention was made of seabird and penguin nesting returning. From afar we saw a mouse proof fence providing a safe habitat for tuataras, a reptile remnant from the age of dinosaurs. In the afternoon we went to the former property of Peter Murphy to see an Alfred William Buxton design, (Buxton was a landscape architect who became fashionable and created landscapes for a number of properties on the sheep’s back of the 1920’s wool boom). The landscape remains in the Murphy family.

Here, were many familiar plants, but the rain and temperature caused growth rates among the largest I have seen in gardens Liriodendron tulipifera - tulip tree, Ginkgo biloba, Eucalyptus fastigata and Eucalyptus saligna. Included in the garden palette was a local plant, a Nothofagus menziesii - silver beech and another unfamiliar plant from Mexico, the devil’s hand flower - Chiranthodendron pentadactylon with its red flowers and five parts. On the last day we went to Eastwood Hills Arboretum, the work of Devil’s hand flower Douglas Cook, but now professionally managed by a Curator and overseen by a committee of locals. Here we saw more steep country with a bio-geographic in layout.

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Large and numerous deciduous trees among evergreen conifers over 50 years old made a stunning autumnal landscape in the older parts of the Arboretum. The plantings of lesser ages looked more like TAI. Changes had to be made to allow the trees enough space and a weeding program conducted to restore the landscape. Sheep are used under mature trees to manage the grass with flash grazing. The newest planting was a second tree cathedral, a Westminster of trees, evergreen for the stone and deciduous for the stained glass to give light and colour in the season. Of interest were the size mature examples in a warm temperate climate plants such as Quillaia saponaria - quillay or foam bark and new to me was candle tree -Leucosceptrum canum. At Eastwood Hills they installed a play area for children. It has increased visitation by parents and diverted younger visitors. It is located on a slope away from and below the food outlet. All the Luma apiculata - luma seen on the tour had cinnamon coloured bark, unlike ours which have some white in the bark. This may be because they are older plants. Foliose lichens were on all the trees, indicating clean air. To add to our collections at TAI, I brought back seed of the Japanese horse chestnut - Aesculus turbinata, the evergreen Mexican -Quercus crassifolia and Schezuan pepper - Zanthoxylum simulans, all of which were allowed in by AQIS. I hope they will mature in our relevant collections. Note: The Genus Alectryon refers to the raised aril on the seed that look like a cock’s comb. The word is Ancient Greek for rooster and flows from the myth of a failed lookout turned into a rooster to announce the dawn for his failure. The species excelsus was the first described and thus named.

A trunk with lots of character

(Note:Several additional photographs from this tour are available on the TAI website: www.tasmanianarboretum.org.au)

BTW (that’s 21st century ‘speak’ for ‘by the way’) Have you noticed the occasional blue words and phrases in your newsletter? Well I’m trying something new to reward the almost 200 people who save us the cost of printing and postage by having their newsletter delivered via email. The blue text indicates that there is a related item (almost always a picture of some sort) in the E Gallery which will be emailed when we send your newsletter – let me have some feedback please.

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