The Clematis

Autumn 2008 Issue No 75

BAIRNSDALE

POSTAGE

Victoria

3875 PAID

Quarterly Newsletter of theBairnsdale & District

Field Naturalists Club Inc A0006074C 28 1 BAIRNSDALE & DIST FIELD NATURALISTS CLUB INC.  Please include your name, phone number and address with A0006074C your submission. List of Office Bearers for 2008  The deadline for submitting images is the President: Pat McPherson ph. (03) 5152 2614 [email protected] 2nd. June 2008. Secretary: Pat McPherson

Treasurer: Margaret Regan ph. (03) 5156 2541 Photo quality Correspondence to: Image quality is paramount for large format printing. A mini- mum of 360 dpi at 120mm x 120mm in size is desirable. The Secretary, To ensure maximum quality please: P.O. Box 563, BAIRNSDALE 3875  Set the menu of your camera to achieve maximum pic- ture size and picture quality. Do not use digital zoom. Web Site: www.eastgippsland.com/bdfnc

 Do not adjust or crop the original picture after download- General meetings take place at: ing it from the camera. Make a copy of the original if Noweyung Centre, 84 Goold Street Bairnsdale you want to make adjustments for your own use but pre- 3rd. Friday of the month at 7.30pm sharp. No meeting June, July, August serve the original picture for calendar submission and Committee meetings take place: Thursday of the previous week give it a file name that identifies the subject and the pho- before the 3rd. Friday of the month at members homes except June, July, tographer. August when held on field excursions if required.  Copy the original picture onto CD when submitting pic- . tures for the calendar. Group Co-ordinators: Botanic Group: James Turner Ph. (03) 5155 1258 The 2009 calendar will be printed in July 2008 and will be on Fauna Survey Group: Jenny Edwards Ph. (03) 5157 5556 sale by August 2008. Bushwalking Group: Noel Williamson Ph. (03) 5152 1737 Plant Study Group: Heather Oke Ph. (03) 5156 3231 Please send your CD to: Newsletter Editor: Pauline Stewart Ph. (03) 5152 1606 Calendar Committee, 80 Bengworden Rd. Bairnsdale.3875 Bairnsdale & District Field Naturalist Club Inc. P.O. Box email: [email protected] 563,Bairnsdale Vic. 3875

All articles for Winter Clematis must be in by June 1st. For further information, contact Calendar Committee members: STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Jen Wilkinson (03) 5140 1258 [email protected] 1. To further the study of natural history in all its branches, promoted by periodical meetings, field excursions and other activities. Pauline Stewart (03) 5152 1606 2. To observe and strengthen the laws for the preservation & protection of [email protected] indigenous flora and fauna and habitat and important geological features.

3. To promote the formation and preservation of National and State Parks and Reserves.

2 27 ‘East Gippsland Flora and Fauna calendar for 2009’ RULES TO OBSERVE ON FIELD TRIPS: 1. Excursions are cancelled on days of TOTAL FIRE BAN. We are proud to announce that the 2008 calendar was almost 2. Participants to keep a visual on the car in front and behind. a sell-out and very popular with locals and tourists interested in 3. When making a turn, give signal, and stay at intersection until East Gippsland’s natural history. Due to this success we will be following car has also turned. producing a calendar for 2009. Of all the positive feed back we re- 4. If separated from other cars, stop, and stay with your car. ceived one valid one was that the calendar needs to be on sale two Other members will return to find you. months earlier than last year’s calendar. 5. Car pool passengers should offer a donation to the driver for fuel costs. We were thrilled with the diversity and quality of images submitted last year and we hope that you will once again submit images that increase public awareness of the beauties of East SUBSCRIPTION FEES Gippsland’s fauna and flora. Therefore we would like to invite you to contribute your photographs for this 2009 calendar, our Family membership $30 second publication. Single membership $20 Mid-year fee (new members only) $10 Photo format and subject:  The 2009 calendar will be a slightly different format than the 2008 calendar. It will be 210mm square which is the same Responsibility for the accuracy of information and opinions expressed in this depth but not as wide as the 2008 calendar. It is hoped the newsletter rests with the author of the article. 2009 calendar will retail for around $10 instead of the $14.95 price tag of the previous year. LIBRARY INFORMATION - Librarian - Dot Prout Phone: 5153 1303  The calendar will include a range of macro photography as • Books are generally borrowed for one month - however you can write on well as images of different habitat scenes. the sign-out sheet if you wish to have it longer. • Should any library materials need maintenance, please make me aware of  The calendar will include a balanced mix of birds, insects, same. spiders, reptiles and mammals as well as a variety of flora. • If you wish to recommend a book, this can be done by writing a short  Both vertical and horizontal images can be included in the recommendation for the Clematis. This information could be from our li- 2009 calendar. brary books or from other books that you believe our library could look at  Photo subjects should be set in the natural environment i.e. purchasing. no gardens, buildings, people, fences or farmland visible.  While digital images are preferred, quality transparencies CONTENTS can also be submitted. Program March to June 2008 5-6  Digital photos should be of the highest possible resolution President’s Report 7 and submitted on CD (see photo quality below). Lindenow South - Stockdale 8-10 Greenhills 11-12  Written captions identifying the subject and general location A Moth from History (Aglaosoma variegata) 13-16 of each photograph should be included with the CD. Knocker Track 17-19  The selection committee will choose 14 of the most suitable Wildflowers Galore 19-21 photos for inclusion in the calendar. Smoky Mouse Survey 22-25  The published photos will be credited with the photogra- East Gippsland Fauna and Flora Calendar 2009 26-27 pher’s name.

26 3 CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS and email address’s for meetings April Field Trip and field trips. Andrew Bould 5156 6494 [email protected] Saturday April 5. Meet at Bridge Club, McLeod St. Bairnsdale at 8am. Jenny Edwards 51575556 [email protected] Travel to Native Dog Flat arriving late morning to set up camp & have Heather Oke 5156 3231 [email protected] lunch. Traps and hair tubes will be set out during the afternoon and time Elden Marshall 5157 9134 spent finalising plans for the rest of the weekend. Pat McPherson 5152 2614 [email protected] Wendy Parker 5152 2615 [email protected] Sunday April 6. Those helping with trap checking need to rise early ready Margaret Regan 5156 2541 to set off for traps around 6.45am. Trap checking commences at 7am with Jeremy & Nina Stewart 5153 0216 [email protected] processing completed before 9am. Elliott trap captures will be processed Pauline Stewart 5152 1606 [email protected] at the trap line and released promptly. Processing of wildlife will not be James Turner 5155 1258 [email protected] delayed for the benefit of spectators, so please be prepared for an early Noel Williamson 5152 1737 [email protected] start if you wish to participate. Return to camp for breakfast. The day will be spent walking along various tracks in the area to search for and collect predator scats. The more pairs of eyes, the more thorough this job will be. DEGREE- OF DIFFICULTY FOR BUSH WALKS Time will also be spent recording vegetation for the trap and hair tube

Easy Flat, good firm track. sites as well as along our walks Traps will be closed during the day so Moderately easy Mostly flat, track in good to fair condition need to be re-visited approx 4pm in the afternoon to be opened again for Moderate May be undulating, track in good to fair condition the night. Mod. difficult May be some steep sections, track may be rough in places Monday April 7. As above Difficult May have long steep sections, track may be non existent at times Tuesday April 8. Trap checking as above but today traps have to be col- Walks vary in distance from 6 to 14 km. lected, washed and dried ready to be packed away. We will pack up camp Contact the leader of the walk for a rating if it’s not included in the and perhaps fit in another walk to collect predator scats as well as collect- program. ing hair tubes and checking them to see if any of the tapes have collected

hairs.

Please take note of safety procedures in your Bairnsdale & District Any further enquiries contact Jenny Edwards, Fauna Survey Coordina- Field Naturalists Club Inc. ‘RISK MANAGEMENT POLICY’ tor on 5157 5556. booklet.

VALE Avril Yates was a highly respected member of our community and also an active member of several natural history groups in East Gippsland. She was a keen and knowledgeable member of the Bairnsdale & District Field Naturalists Club for 26 years. Avril will be sadly missed by all her knew her.

4 25 end to Buchan Tops). Another area which could be searched if time per- PROGRAM - MARCH TO JUNE 2008 mitted is the track network around Buenba/Beloka area.. These walks will be enjoyable in their own right! It is your responsibility to contact the co-ordinator of each field The program below is a guide only, particularly for the day time activities trip to notify them of your intention to participate. which will depend on number of helpers, weather and other factors. Full The co-ordinator can then notify you if the trip has to be cancelled instructions on techniques used, particularly hygienic methods of scat col- due to adverse weather conditions or other unforeseen lection will be given on each field trip. So come along, enjoy this wonder- circumstances. ful part of the High Country, learn about a very special threatened species Evening committee meetings may not be required. Please check and help out with whichever activities fit in with your capabilities and in- before arriving. terests.

MARCH March Field Trip Wed. 12th. Plant Study Group 10.00am at Forestech Thurs.13th. Committee meeting 7.30pm at Wendy Parker’s home. Saturday March 29. Meet at Bridge Club, McLeod St. Bairnsdale at Sat. 15th. Special excursion 9.00am Bridge Club to Wulgulmarang. 8am. Travel to Native Dog Flat arriving late morning to set up camp & Contact: James Turner have lunch. Traps and hair tubes will be set out during the afternoon and 29-31st. Smoky Mouse Survey (see page 26-27) time spent finalising plans for the rest of the weekend. Sun. 30th. Bushwalk 9.00am Bridge Club to Mississippi Creek. Contact: Pauline Stewart Sunday March 30. Those helping with trap checking need to rise early APRIL ready to set off for traps around 6.45am. Trap checking commences at 5-8th. Smoky Mouse Survey (see page 26-27) 7am with processing completed before 9am. Elliott trap captures will be Wed. 9th. Plant Study Group 10.00am at Forestech. processed at the trap line and released promptly. Processing of wildlife Thurs. 10th. Committee meeting 7.30pm at Margaret Regan’s home. will not be delayed for the benefit of spectators, so please be prepared for Frid. 18th. General meeting 7.30pm Speaker: Raz Martin. an early start if you wish to participate. Return to camp for breakfast. The Sun 20th. Monthly excursion 9.00am Bridge Club to Freestone Creek. day will be spent walking along various tracks in the area to search for and Contact: James Turner. collect predator scats. The more pairs of eyes, the more thorough this job Sun. 27th. Bushwalk 9.00am Bridge Club to Mitchell River National will be. Time will also be spent recording vegetation for the trap and hair Park. tube sites as well as along our walks Traps will be closed during the day Contact: Noel Williamson so need to be re-visited approx 4pm in the afternoon to be opened again MAY for the night. Thurs. 8th. 6.00pm Casserole tea followed by planning meeting and committee meeting at Pauline Stewart’s home. Monday March 31. Trap checking as above but today traps have to be All members welcome for this social event. collected, washed and dried ready to be packed away. We will pack up Bring along a casserole and/or a dessert to share. camp and perhaps fit in another walk to collect predator scats as well as Wed. 14th. Plant Study Group 10.00am at Forestech collecting hair tubes and checking them to see if any of the tapes have col- Frid. 16th. General meeting 7.30pm. “Plants from Exotic Places” lected hairs. Members are asked to bring along photos taken on their travels Can be slides or CDs.

24 5 Sun. 18th. Monthly excursion 9.00am Bridge Club to Marlo Plains and efforts over the greatest area. Our activities will include trapping with Mt. Raymond. Elliott traps, setting out hair tubes (which do not capture the animals, just Contact: James Turner some hair on sticky tape when they investigate the bait) and the collection Sun. 25th. Bushwalk 9.00am Bridge Club to Stony Creek, Mt. Alfred of predator scats which will be sent for analysis to determine the pretty State Forest. eaten. Contact: Pauline Stewart

Committee and general meetings will now be in recess until September 2008 Trip leader will be Jenny Edwards, assisted by Pauline Stewart and sup- ported by other “Authorised persons / Investigators” as per our wildlife JUNE permit conditions. Other club members and visitors may observe and as- Wed. 11th. Plant Study Group 10.00am at Forestech. sist with various activities, however may not handle wildlife. It will be Sun. 22nd. Monthly excursion 9.00am to Colquhoun Forest. beneficial to know in advance who will be attending so we know whether Contact: James Turner we have sufficient helpers to help out with various aspects over the week- Sun. 29th. Bushwalk 9.00am Bridge Club to Ken Richards Track and on to end. Stuttering Fred Creek. Contact: Pauline Stewart We will base camp at Native Dog Flat on the Benambra-Black Mountain

Road (2 wheel drive access). This is a flat grassy camping area adjacent to the Buchan River and there is a Parks Victoria toilet, fireplaces and a picnic table. There is plenty of water available from the Buchan River but it is recommended that you bring your own drinking water.

Anyone who does not want to camp, could stay at Karoonda Park 5155 0220 and drive out to join us for each days walking activities. As part of the grant funding, there will be some money available to contribute to the fuel costs of volunteers helping out on both weekends. Because of the distance, it is sensible to do some car pooling to reduce the number of cars needed.

Trap sites are mostly not flat, the ground can be rocky and they are on slopes. Some require more fitness than others. We do need helpers to help put out traps though (filling them with bait and dacron etc...) which can be done on flatter ground near the site with the fitter helpers doing the scrambling to put them out. The same applies to hair tubes, which are fid- dly and time consuming to set up.

Walks to collect predator scats will be mainly along 4WD tracks and will be of varying length. Some include more up/down hill than others and we can divide up, so those who want easier walks, check the easier tracks. Tracks to be walked may include- Rams Horn Track, Native Cat Track, Banksia Marginata drawing by Elise Walker Sugarloaf Trk, Mt Stradbroke Walking Track, Forlorn Hope Trk (north

6 23 Bairnsdale & District Field Naturalists Club PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Fauna Survey Activities 2008

Smoky Mouse searches – East Alps Unit, Alpine National Park What a relief it was to have a bush fire free summer and to observe the March 29-31 and April 5-8, 2008 bush being nourished by regular watering and warm sunshine. After a break in January, our program for the year is in full swing and we Through a grant from Envirofund Bairnsdale Field Naturalists Club will now have the dates for the Smokey Mouse Search in the Cobberas area be conducting searches in the Cobberas area for the Endangered Smoky (29-31 March and 5-8 April). Mouse under guidance of Jenny Edwards as Flora & Fauna contractor. I was delighted when Jen. Wilkinson reported that our 2008 calendar was There is currently only one site in the Victorian Alps where live Smoky almost a sell out and very popular with locals and people interested in East Mice have been recorded since 2002 and this is near Native Dog Flat in Gippsland natural history. Congratulations and many, many thanks to Jen our target area. This colony is the subject of a separate population study and Pauline Stewart for making this happen. Based on this success we will and will not be disturbed or trapped during our fieldwork. In 2002 good be producing a calendar for 2009 and the photo format and subject re- number of Smoky Mice were trapped in the Wonnangatta-Howitt area quirements are being circulated to members and other local groups seeking north of Licola and remains in predator scat were found here just last year. their contributions. Also since 2003 they have been captured in the Grampians while other older records come from the Otways and far East Gippsland coastal heath. Jen Wilkinson has also taken on another responsibility as Club representa- tive on the committee that is formulating an Action Statement relating to There is evidence to suggest that some populations are declining or disap- Sambar Deer being listed as a threatening process in the reduction of bio- pearing and no real knowledge of the current extent of the population. We diversity of native vegetation. hope that the Native Dog Flat population does not live in isolation and that other small colonies exist nearby in the Cobberas area within unsuitable In February I met with representatives from DSE from Melbourne who are habitat. exploring the possibility of a more structured communication and infor- mation sharing process between like minded natural history groups. Smoky Mice rely heavily on mature heath-like plants for the seeds that I was able to tell them about the formation of the Habitat Network East make up a high proportion of their diet. Therefore fire regimes appear to Gippsland website, http://www.hneg.org.au and the latest review and up- play an important role in determining ideal Smoky Mouse habitat. Too date that I recently facilitated. long between fires and the heath plants become old and die off, too fre- I was particularly interested in their report that DSE is developing a data quent fires mean no mature plants to seed. base on which groups like ours can post their botanical data as a discreet (and protected) entity. I will continue to follow up this initiative. It is unknown what the effect of a major fire event such as experienced in 2003 and again in 2006/07 will mean for Smoky Mice. While the ultimate In January we were saddened by the death of Avril Yates who was a mem- success of our searches would be to trap or find indirect (hair) evidence of ber of this Club for twenty six years. We also remember other members, Smoky Mice, just the process of conducting the searches (even if no Beth Isakson and Marie Wade who are not enjoying good health at present Smoky Mice are detected) and the associated data we will gather about the and wish them well. potential habitats searched, will be valuable. Pat McPherson There will be two field trips which gives us the opportunity to spread our President

22 7 LINDENOW SOUTH - STOCKDALE - 21 October 2007 most snow gums are regenerating and beneath the dead branches a thicket by Margaret Regan of new foliage grows from the lignotuber at the base of each trunk. But wind and temperature extremes in the alpine environment provide harsh Our early stops on this excursion were in the Gippsland Plains Grassland conditions for slow-growing snow gums and it will take many years be- Reserve along the railway line from Lindenow South through to Munro. fore our burnt alpine regions will return to their full glory. There were occasional Black She-oaks (Casuarina littoralis) and Burgan (Kunzea ericoides), although some of the She-oaks have been removed This bushwalking trip was not an official BDFNC outing but was over the years to keep the vegetation a grassland. Of course as well as lead by member Noel Williamson who loves to share his passion of walk- grasses there were many small herbaceous plants. Some grasses were ing with other members and friends. Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra); Blady Grass (Imperata cylindrica) ☺ which has a relatively wide leaf and an inflorescence that is long and silky; and Spear-grass (Austrostipa sp.) with a tall open inflorescence. There were two mat-rushes; the very common Spiny-headed Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia) and the small delicate Wattle Mat-rush (L. filiform- is). There were several orchids. The pale blue Slender Sun Orchid (Thelymitra pauciflora) has white hair tufts on the column. The yellow Tiger Orchid (Diuris sulphurea) has two brown blotches at the base of the dorsal sepal; and the Purple Donkey Orchid (D. punctata) has a tall flower stem (to 60cm) with up to ten flowers and grows in massed groups. Com- mon Onion Orchid (Microtis unifolia) has flower stalks to 90cm with as many as 100 minute (4mm) green flowers. Common Rice-flower (Pimelea humilis) is a very small plant with cream flowers clustered in terminal heads. The flowers are tubular and four-lobed, made up only of sepals with no petals, and may be unisexual or bisexual (with both carpels [female] and stamens [male]). There were plants of the fascinating Grass Trigger-plant (Stylidium graminifolium). This is a small plant with a ro- sette of leaves with the flowering stalk bearing many pink flowers. In the flowers the filaments of the two stamens (male part) are united with the style to form a column. The anthers (bearing the pollen) are attached at the top of the column with the stigma between them. (The style and stig- ma form the female part.) The column is at first reflexed. When an insect alights on the flower to collect nectar, the movement causes the column to spring back and shower the insect with pollen. The column then bends back again and the stigma becomes receptive. If the next visiting insect Trigger Plants and Snow Daisies - photo by Jennifer Wilkinson carries pollen and it triggers the column, this pollen can be transferred to the stigma. Lilies were Milkmaids (Burchardia umbellata), a small herb with white flowers with burgundy ovaries and anthers; yellow Bulbine Lily (Bulbine bulbosa) with onion-like leaves and the many flowers all have tufts of yellow hairs on their staminal filaments; the deliciously per-

8 21 brilliance here and there are stately groups of magenta pink Trigger–Plant fumed purple Chocolate Lily (Arthropodium strictum); and a Flax-lily (Stylidium sp.). Each plant produces numerous spikes bearing small, or- (Dianella sp.). Daisies were the tiny yellow Scaly Buttons chid-like flowers that feature a protruding trigger structure which is set off (Leptorhynchos squamatus); lemon Button Everlasting (Helichrysum scor- to release the pollen when an insect visits to feed on the nectar deep within pioides); bright yellow Variable Groundsel (Senecio pinnatifolius); and the flower. yellow Clustered Everlasting (Chrysocephalum semipapposum). Peas Walking further along the mountain tops I found mossy alpine were yellow Large-leaf Bush-pea (Pultenaea daphnoides); Hop Bitter-pea bogs of peaty soil and water-filled ponds which support a curious group of (Daviesia latifolia) which has broad veined leaves, and yellow and brown plants, so curious some appear prehistoric. Candle Heath sprawls in shrub- flowers in dense long inflorescences; and Smooth Parrot-pea (Dillwynia by fashion with prickly sheathed foliage like mini pineapple leaves while glaberrima) with narrow leaves, and yellow and brown flowers. Thyme neighbouring succulent plants form mounds of bead-shaped leaves dotted Spurge (Phyllanthus hirtellus) is a very small shrub where plants bear ei- with starry white flowers. Other swamp species look more like something ther male or female white flowers (dioecious- two homes). The leaves are you'd expect to see in a vegetable garden. Alpine Trachymene forms a covered with bristly hairs. Birds around were Grey Butcherbird, Black- fleshy mound of parsley-shaped leaves topped with umbrellas of dainty faced Cuckoo-shrike, Noisy Miner and White Cockatoo. white flowers while Snow Aciphyll is more commonly called 'Alpine Cel- ery', and it is easy to see the celery-like form but there the similarity ends. Next stop west along the railway line there were big beautiful Bluebells Also growing amongst the dampness I found two species of Leek Orchid (Wahlenbergia sp.), but we had stopped to find the Potato Orchid or Cin- (Prasophyllum spp.). While none of these bog plants are visually stunning, namon Bells (Gastrodia sesamoides) which were duly seen. This orchid is there's no doubt they highlight alpine biodiversity. a leafless saprophyte which gets its nutrition from decaying organic mat- Down from the mountain tops sheltered beneath a forest of snow ter, usually in association with a fungus. Consequently it usually grows in gums grow a variety of tough yet pretty shrubs and perennials, the sort I'd an area with rich soils or litter accumulation. The brown fleshy flowering love to grow in my home garden. Shrubs include 'Egg and bacon' bushes stalk (to 90cm) has up to 75 bell-shaped hanging flowers which have a sporting clusters of yellow and rusty red pea flowers, deliciously scented sweet scent. There was again Spear-grass with its large plumed inflores- Alpine Mint Bush out-stretched in snow-like tiers of white flowers, and cences shimmering in the sun, Grass Trigger-plant and Tiger Orchid, many shrub daisies, mostly species of Olearia, a wonderful group along with Tall Sundew (Drosera peltata). More orchids were further crowned with dainty white flowers. Added to this mix of shrubs are col- west were blue Dotted Sun Orchid (Thelymitra ixioides) which usually has ourful wispy-stemmed perennials including deep blue Royal Bluebells, spots on the dorsal sepal and petals; Salmon Sun Orchid (T. rubra) has masses of nodding Pale Vanilla-Lily, various clustered yellow-daisies, and pink or paler flowers; the Spider Orchid Caladenia tentaculata which has spikes of the white flowering Derwent Speedwell and soft blue Diggers yellow clubs on the tips of the sepals; Tiny Caladenia (C. pusilla) which is Speedwell. Imagine these beauties arranged beneath a stand of gnarled very like Pink Fingers but smaller; and Nodding Greenhoods (Pterostylis trees amongst a bed of mossy rocks and ferns and you have a dreamy nutans). On the branches of a Burgan plant were several specimens of a woodland garden. My guess is that these forest flowers have bloomed very peculiar organism. It was grey black, about 1cm long and covered more prolifically with the increased sunlight that now shines through the with spiky feathers??? We thought it may be a scale insect. It was closely burnt snow gum canopies. adhered to the branch. Indeed the impact of the 2003 bushfires through the alpine region is inescapable. From Mt Hotham the familiar view of distant mountains Along Limpyers Road and into a White Stringybark (Eucalyptus glodoi- washed in a misty cyanic hue as far as the eye can see is now shrouded in dea) forest for lunch. We shared the area with a swarm of bees looking an eerie silver starkness, reminiscent of a wintry deciduous landscape. The for a home. Not too closely, fortunately, but interesting. In this forest was burnt snow gum canopies that clothe these ranges now stand as weathered Sandfly Zieria (Zieria smithii), a small shrub of East Gippsland with nar- skeletons like a blanket of silvery driftwood over the horizon. Fortunately row trifoliate opposite leaves and white flowers; Grey Guinea-flower

20 9 (Hibbertia obtusifolia); Hairy Fan-flower (Scaevola ramosissima); Nod- we reached the top at 1500m. They were pretty fit; as even though we ding Blue Lily (Stypandra glauca); and the following orchids: Red Beard drove slowly it seemed quite a distance. The vegetation here was sub- Orchid (Calochilus paludosus); Pink Fingers (Caladenia carnea); and alpine with Snow Gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora). This tree is small at this White Fingers (C. catenata). White Fingers closely resembles Pink Fin- altitude with leaves that are thick and shining, with almost parallel veins. gers but lacks the red bars on the labellum and column. Another orchid The ground was covered with tufts of the small beautiful grey Tussock was the fascinating Large Duck Orchid (Caleana major). There were also Grass (Poa sp.). Some other plants were the scrambling Handsome Flat- swathes of Blue Pincushion (Brunonia australis) in bud - what a lovely pea (Platylobium formosum) which has pointed heart-shaped leaves, and spot to return to in a few weeks. gold and russet flowers; Showy Violet (Viola betonicifolia); and a Speed- well (Derwentia sp.) in bud with mid-green lush decussate leaves. Birds Nearly into Briagalong just off the road was a Snowy Mint-bush were Gang Gang and Flame Robin. There were many butterflies flittering (Prostanthera nivea). This group of rather loose shrubs with white flow- about, among them a beautiful iridescent green, black and brown swallow- ers with yellow spots in the throats are the only plants known to grow east tail butterfly which would have been Macleay’s Swallowtail. of Melbourne. This plant is usually associated with granite outcrops. Back along the railway line near Munro White-browed Woodswallows in Thanks to Noel for leading the group in the orchid hunt. numbers were seen to be flying overhead. In the railway reserve were the ☺ small shrubs of the Woolly Grevillea (Grevillea lanigera). The small crowded soft leaves are hairy and the flowers were red with the pollen pre- WILDFLOWERS GALORE senter and tips of the petals green. by Jennifer Wilkinson

Thank you very much James. In 2003 Victoria's alpine region became a charred landscape; today ☺ the mountain tops are a wonderland of wildflowers. Fortunately most are- as of the Alpine National Park were spared a second incineration in last summer’s fires and recent rains have enhanced regeneration of quick- growing flowers creating the most glorious natural gardens. I discovered just how glorious these alpine gardens are on a recent bushwalking trip to the Mt. Hotham area where summer flowers are in full bloom. A colourful mosaic of everlasting daisies covers the rocky moun- tain peaks in shades of pale lemon, gold, orange and white. The display is awe-inspiring to see in the distance but it is even more wonderful to gaze closely at the diverse mixture. There are button shapes large and small (Craspedia spp), paper white daisies with a contrasting golden eye (Rhodanthe sp.), heads of deepest gold sporting a skirt of glistening pa- pery bracts (Xerochrysum spp.), and spherical flowerheads drumstick-style atop tall wiry stems (Pycnosorus sp.). The daisy foliage is amazingly di- verse too and includes tufts of satiny silver straps encircling the shaggy white-flowered Snow Daisies (Celmisia sp.) and a dome of bright green feathery foliage beneath dainty purple rock daisies (Brachyscome spp.). Among this carpet of daisies alpine grasses topped with interest- Aglaosoma variegata - photo by Andrew Bould (see article page 13) ing spiky and feathery seedheads rustle in the breeze, and adding extra

10 19 Grass Triggerplant (Stylidium graminifolium), and Heath Pink-bells GREEN HILLS - 18 November 2007 (Tetratheca bauerifolia). Lilies were yellow Bulbine Lily (Bulbine bulb- by Margaret Regan osa) and Black-anther Flax-lily (Dianella revoluta) whose flower’s an- This property was bought by the Victorian State Government in the early thers are longer than their filaments and the leaf margins are rolled under. 2000s as a Nature Conservation Reserve to protect the Austral Toad Flax Two more small shrubs were Grey Guinea-flower (Hibbertia obtusifolia), (Thesium australe) and the Maroon Leek Orchid (Prasophyllum frenchii). and the pea Leafy Bossiaea (Bossiaea foliosa) with a plain yellow flower The Austral Toad Flax is Vv (V - vulnerable in Australia and v - vulnera- on a small shrub with brown stems and tiny leaves with no bracteoles. ble in Victoria) and the Maroon Leek Orchid is Ee (endangered). Endan- Along the creek which after previous trips was named Orchid Creek by gered is rarer than vulnerable. The next step rarer?? is extinct. Green James, was Mother shield-fern (Polystichum proliferum) and, after much Hills was part of Gillingall Station. It is supposed to be managed by Parks searching, two specimens of the enormous flowered Sickle Greenhood Victoria, but the weeds Blackberry (Rubus sp.) and Sweet Briar (Rosa ru- (Pterostylis falcata). In a wet area near the edge of Burnside Track was a biginosa) are spreading. Grazing by cattle has been removed and the very small prostrate Pratia. grasses are growing. It may be that the prior private management of the property for many years was advantageous for the rare plants. There was We drove or walked higher up the Knocker Track. The track was named perhaps grazing in late autumn and winter, after the rare plants had flow- when it was the main road the coaches used, and because of the steepness, ered and set seed, which had reduced the competitive grasses. The owner the horses were “knocked up”. Another story is that coming down, the may also have sprayed for Blackberry and Sweet Briar. driver would throw out a log attached by rope to the coach which would drag along the ground thus slowing the coach down and acting like a sea Most of the area has been cleared with just a few trees. Just inside the en- anchor. At a previously visited spot beside the track were Tall Sun Orchid trance gate on the sides of the ridge the soils were derived from black bas- (Thelymitra media) and Scented Sun Orchid (Thelymitra nuda). The Sun alt. Some Snow Gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora) were growing on this Orchids have simple flowers with the labellum unornamented and resem- ridge. There were many herbs in the grassland. There was a buttercup bling the other petals and sepals. The appearance of the column has thus (Ranunculus sp.); the daisies Tufted Daisy (Brachyscome scapigera) with become the significant feature by which the species are differentiated. a rosette of simple leaves and single pale flowers, and Scaly Buttons The column is the structure in the centre of the flower and is formed by (Leptorhynchos sp.) with leafy cottony stems with small bright yellow the fusion of the reproductive parts of the flower. There were three differ- flower-heads; blue Native Flax (Linum marginale); yellow Small St ent Caladenia species. These were Musky Caladenia (Caladenia gracilis) John’s Wort (Hypericum gramineum); the lilies Golden Weather-glass which has scented pink and white flowers; Clubbed Spider Orchid (C. (Hypoxis hygrometrica) which has yellow starry flowers, yellow Bulbine clavigera) with a cordate labellum and usually clubbed sepals; and C. Lily (Bulbine bulbosa) and Pale Vanilla-lily (Arthropodium milleflorum) montana, another spider orchid. Other orchids were Common Bird Orchid with pale anthers; a Geranium sp.; Grass Trigger-plant (Stylidium gramin- (Chiloglottis valida), Midget Greenhood (Pterostylis mutica), Tiger Or- ifolium); a Woodruff (Asperula sp.); the Maroon Leek Orchid chid (Diuris sulphurea) and Potato Orchid (Gastrodia sesamoides) in bud. (Prasophyllum frenchii) with upside down flowers with dark brown Other plants were Pale-fruit Ballart or Dwarf Cherry (Exocarpus strictus) stripes; Ivy-leaf Violet (Viola hederacea) and Showy Violet (V. betonici- and Common Wedge-pea (Gompholobium huegelii). There were two folia); Bluebells (Wahlenbergia sp.); and the creeper Pink Bindweed ferns; Rock fern (Cheilanthes sp.) and Necklace fern (Asplenium flabelli- (Convolvulus erubescens) which has round pink flowers. Two grasses folium). A Grey Currawong was heard calling. were Kangaroo Grass (Themeda australis) and a small Tussock Grass (Poa sp.). A small shrub was Gunn’s Coral Heath (Epacris gunnii). It has Some of us drove right to the top of the track. On the way we came upon many white tubular flowers packed along the upper parts of the stem, and a pair of emus resting in a puddle. They upped and ran along the track sharp-pointed leaves. Both the Striated and Spotted Pardalotes were heard ahead of us. They would not deviate, but continued along the road until high up in the trees. Cicadas were also noisy. There was a blue-green

18 11 alga Nostoc sp. growing on the bare ground near the old hut. These round- KNOCKER TRACK - 24 November 2007 ed dark green gelatinous structures often form on damp soil. Within the by Margaret Regan mucilaginous material are the tiny filaments of the alga. A small group of members drove to Omeo and stayed in the local caravan park in order to visit the Knocker Track north of Omeo. This area can be Further down the hill past the dam were two Leek Orchids, the Maroon a treasure trove of orchids if the season is suitable. Much of the area had Leek Orchid (Prasophyllum frenchii) and Alpine Leek Orchid (P. sphace- been burnt in the 2003 bushfires. We started at the corner of the Knocker latum). Leek orchids are all terrestrial, i.e. they grow on the ground, in the and Burnside Tracks. Birds were Striated and Spotted Pardalote, Noisy soil. They have a single erect leaf. There is a single flowering stalk with Friar Bird, Pied Currawong, Olive-backed Oriole, Sulphur-crested Cocka- many upside down flowers. The leek orchids include some of our largest too, Crimson Rosella, White-eared Honeyeater, Kookaburra, Black-faced terrestrials, some reaching 2m in height. The Maroon Leek Orchid has the Cuckoo-shrike, Sacred Kingfisher and White-throated Treecreeper. We lateral sepals apart and a rounded labellum, while spacelatum has the lat- found fewer orchids than on previous visits, maybe because of the extend- eral sepals held together and the labellum is waisted, round at the top with ed drought years or the effects of the bushfire. One of those we found a pointy end. The Austral Toad-flax was flowering here too. It has lax here was Scented Leek Orchid (Prasophyllum odoratum). It has one long greenish-yellow stems to about 30cm with minute white flowers. It is erect leaf and a flowering spike with up to 40 flowers. The flowers are probably semiparasitic on other plants in the grassland. Another plant green and white or with reddish stripes, the labellum is curved backwards which is v (vulnerable in Victoria) was Dwarf Milkwort (Polygonum ja- and the flowers are fragrant. Two donkey orchids were Golden Moths ponicum), a tiny shrub to 15cm with little mauve-pink flowers and net- (Diuris monticola) whose flowers are all yellow, and Tiger Orchid (D. veined leaves. New birds were Olive-backed Oriole, Pied Currawong and sulphurea) whose yellow flowers have dark brown markings. Black- Wood Duck. Here the sound of the cicadas was deafening. Tongue Caladenia (Caladenia congesta) has bright pink flowers with a black labellum tip. Purplish Beard Orchid (Calochilus robertsonii) has the It looked and sounded like rain and the black basalt soil can be very slip- basal part of the labellum covered with short purple glands, the central pery when wet, so we hightailed it out of Green Hills before is started and area has coarse purple hairs and the tip is naked. There were several dai- headed to Mellick Munjie Falls. We were caught in a terrific downpour sies; the shrub Sticky Everlasting (Ozothamnus thyrsoideus) has a few just as we arrived at the falls, so we waited for the rain to stop before ven- white flower heads grouped together; another shrub was Shiny Cassinia turing out of the cars. The rain was fortuitous as the falls looked really (Cassinia longifolia). Small daisies were yellow Button Everlasting good with the extra water coming over. A Potato Orchid (Gastrodia sesa- (Helichrysum scorpioides); a large purple-flowered Brachyscome spathu- moides) was seen on the track. lata with strappy leaves in a basal rosette; bright yellow Hoary Sunray (Leucochrysum albicans); a Billy-button Craspedia variabilis; and Clus- On Mt Stewart Track was Musky Caladenia (Caladenia gracilis) which tered Everlasting (Chrysocephalum semipapposum) with its small yellow has flowers which are white inside and a brown glandular outside; Tiger flowers in flat-topped terminal clusters. There was a large-flowered Blue- Orchid (Diuris sulphurea) and Golden Moths (D. monticola) with nodding bell (Wahlenbergia sp.). There were plants of the Mountain Banksia lemon yellow flowers with a broad labellum; Common Bird Orchid (Banksia canei). It only grows to 2.5m and is found on rocky sites above (Chiloglottis valida); Sickle Greenhood (Pterostylis falcata) which has 900m in subalpine areas. Woolly Grevillea (Grevillea lanigera) has large green and white flowers and is found in wet areas; Creamy Candles crowded small leaves and cream flowers with a red pollen presenter. (Stackhousia monogyna); Paroo Lily (Dianella caerulea) with small There was an upright heath Daphne Heath (Brachyloma daphnoides) leaves up the stem and staminal filaments shorter than the anthers; and whose tubular flowers were mostly white with a few red and the leaves Wattle Mat-rush (Lomandra filiformis). were small and round. A small herb was Spur Velleia (Velleia paradoxa) whose flowers have yellow frilled petals (2+3) with petiolate crenate Thank you James for another lovely day. leaves in a rosette. Other herbs were Showy Violet (Viola betonicifolia), ☺ 12 17 MHR for Gippsland. A MOTH FROM HISTORY Mary, also known as May, collected moth and butterfly specimens AGLAOSOMA VARIEGATA (WALLER) (Lepidoptera), identifying and mounting the specimens for her own collec- RECORDED AT RAYMOND ISAND 2007 tion. Mary’s collection includes specimens taken at Sale, Paynesville and Ocean Grange where the Wise family spent over 55 consecutive years of On the 24th June 2007, I was walking around our back garden when a flash Christmas holidays. of bright metallic blue caught my attention and I found a caterpillar ap- In 1910, Governor Thomas Gibson Carmichael visited Sale to view proximately 40mm in length with white body segments dotted with black Mary’s collection of over 3,000 specimens that Mary had obtained from on the upper and more densely on the underside. several locations in Australia, India and Central America. At first glance I thought it was a larva of an Anthelidae moth as they are Her collections are now held by the Museum Victoria. often found on the ground. Of particular interest is that Mary had collected specimens of Aglaosoma However, the caterpillar was displaying brilliant sapphire blue-green, a variegata at Paynesville in February of 1900, and January of 1906 and color I have not observed on caterpillars before. 1916. On further observation, I found each body segment to have blue dots with With over a century passing, the photographic records further confirm protruding sharp setae hair approximately 3mm long and bluish black in Mary’s identification record. color. What intrigued me was the fact that even today, the availability of ade- Long, light brown hairs protruded out around the body reducing in length quate reference books for moth identification is very limited, so how did along the head. Mary Wise in the very early twentieth century manage to identify the Smaller dorsal tufts of golden hair were present on each thorax segment. moth? What reference books did she have or which entomologists did I photographed the caterpillar and emailed the images to the Discovery Mary consult? Centre, Museum Victoria for identification. I have visions of Mary dressed from head to toe, wearing a wide brim bon- net hat trying to catch moths and butterflies without too much vigour as to not be uncomforted by her corset! As for my own photographic purposes I was keen to identify the moth having the advantage of digital photography, reference books and the modern method of web sites and emailing to the Discovery Centre for identification purposes. Oh, I forgot to mention the air conditioning!

Andrew Bould

References; Common, I.F.B. – Moths of Australia. ISBN 0 522 84326 3. 1993. Discovery Centre, Museum Victoria – Simon Hinkley Peter Marriot - Entomologist Synan, Peter – Three Cheers For The Commonwealth of Australia; George Henry Wise – Federationist. ISBN 0-947071-22-9. 2001 ☺ Photo by Andrew Bould

16 13 The returned email from Simon Hinkley stated ‘I would have thought with such a distinctive and spectacular larva that it would be in a book some- where or someone here at the Museum would have seen it before but un- fortunately we haven’t. It may be a species from the family Notodontinae or Lymantriidae.’ I decided to rear the caterpillar to adult moth to assist with identification. As with all moth larvae I collect, my first objective is to identify the food plant(s) from available habitat in the area the larva was collected. Initially, as it was found on the ground, I assumed the food plant to be grasses or tussocks and poa. sp tried but no interest was shown in them by the caterpillar. A closer look at other potential food plants in the area revealed, Eucalyp- tus tereticornis (Forest Red Gum), E. bosistoana (Coast Grey Box), Bank- sia marginata (Silver banksia), B. integrifolia (Coast banksia), B. spinu- losa ssp, Allocassuarina littoralis (Black sheoke), Acacia longifolia ssp (Sallow wattle), A. melanoxylan (Blackwood) and Grevillea sp. The caterpillar initially responded to Grevillea and not to any other plant. Aglaosoma variegata moth - photo by Andrew Bould After a few days with minimal leaf consumption, the caterpillar took a preference to Acacia longifolia ssp as its main food plant and occasionally Banksia spinulosa ssp. On the 25th July, one month after collection, the larva underwent a moult From Commons – Moths of Australia, I was able to identify the moth as or ecdyses and the resulting larval instar was similar to the previous stage Aglaosoma variegata Pl 17.6 (Family Thaumetopoeidae). but with large plumed golden dorsal tufts forming a diamond pattern. Common also states that it is ‘common from Mossman and the Atherton The caterpillar roamed for 3 days from the 22nd August looking for what I Tableland, northern Queensland, to southern coastal New South Wales. It thought was a pupation site. has been taken at Mildura, north-western Victoria, where it may have been However, on the 25th August, the larva again moulted with very few introduced.’ changes in appearance to the previous instar. The larva is also shown on Pl 30.7 and the blue spots are evident as it is at The next day, the 26th August, the caterpillar went to ground in leaf litter a similar instar as to when I first collected the larva. pupating in a bag-like cocoon approximately 40mm long and 20mm After photographing the moth and releasing it, I forwarded the images to across. the Discovery Centre, Museum Victoria and my identification was con- The cocoon was covered in golden brown hairs. firmed by Simon Hinkely. It was unusual for pupation to occur after only one day from an instar As it was an unusual moth for the Gippsland region, another entomologist change. Peter Marriot contacted me with regards to the moth and revealed some On the 9th December, an adult male moth emerged from the cocoon. very interesting local history. Fore-wings were mostly white with black blotches and radial lines and Miss Mary Isobel Wise (b.1882, d.1955), a keen naturalist in the late uniform dull light brown hind-wings. 1800’s to early 1900’s and holidayed at Paynesville during summer with The head was heavily covered with brown hair tufts and the body a light her family. brown to white. When disturbed, the moth feigned death by rolling onto its Her father, George Wise was a Solicitor and Magistrate at Sale who prac- side and staying motionless for several minutes. tised for a record period from 1874 to 1948, was Mayor of Sale and also

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