South East Queensland JULY 2010 Volume 4 Number 3 Newsletter of the Land for Wildlife Program South East Queensland ISSN 1835-3851
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South East Queensland JULY 2010 Volume 4 Number 3 Newsletter of the Land for Wildlife Program South East Queensland ISSN 1835-3851 Contents 2 Editorial & Contacts Fauna 1 An extended season for grass yellow butterflies 3 Fauna Vignettes The value of dead trees 15 The frog that never said die Flora The Common Grass-yellow has been 8-9 Figs of SEQ seen widely across SEQ over the past 14 Rainforest Plant Identification: few months. These photos show male getting to know the red book An extended season for butterflies in the wet season form (above) and dry season form (left). grass yellow butterflies Photographs by Russel Denton. Practicalities 4-5 Turning your pool into a pond his is the second year that we have had successfully on various ferny-leaved 10 Figgin’ Camphors: How to use Ta good wet season following many years wattles, sennas, Indigophora spp. and other strangling figs to replace of drought. This year, the wet season has native and exotic legumes. Adult butterflies weed trees been prolonged in SEQ with rain extending love to feed on nectar from flowers of some well into May. This has had a positive effect herbaceous weeds such as Cobbler’s Pegs on both plants and invertebrates. and Billy Goat Weed. Weeds 12 Mistflower Usually one would only see a few species Common Grass-yellows are active, but not such as Common Crow and Evening Brown strong fliers, so they are often found flying butterflies at this time of the year when the close to the ground looking for larval host Ecosystem Profile days are getting shorter and drier. However plants and nectar flowers. 6-7 Native Vines and Revegetation over the past few months, we have had continuing wet weather which has created There are other species of grass yellow a good provision of fresh plant material for butterflies in SEQ such as the Small Grass- Property Profile butterfly larvae to feed on. yellow (Eurema smilax) and the Scalloped 11 My Little Corner Grass-yellow (E. alitha) both of which have Land for Wildlife living As a result of this rain, there are similar habits and ecological needs to the several more species that have been Common Grass-yellow, but differing host What’s blocking our predominating over this time, well beyond plants. rainwater tank? their usual flight period. One of these is Providing a diversity of understorey the Common Grass-yellow, also called the 13 Book Reviews Large Grass-yellow (Eurema hecabe). This species on your property will help attract butterfly has been noticeably abundant butterflies such as these grass yellows. 16 2010 Queensland Landcare across SEQ over the past few months. More details about butterfly host plants can Conference be found in Butterfly Host Plants of south- The Common Grass-yellow has a broad east Queensland and northern New South Living with Flying Foxes variety of larval host plants, the main Wales (see book review on page 13). one being the shrub Breynia (Breynia oblongifolia). They will also lay their eggs Article by John Moss Published with the assistance of Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club the Australian Government. editorial ack in 2002 world leaders met members the chance to have biodiversity Land for Wildlife Band agreed to reduce the rate of monitoring conducted on their properties. Extension Officers biodiversity loss by 2010. So this year, a I hope you enjoy this edition. Please South East Queensland report called the Global Biodiversity Outlook be patient when reading Alan Wynn’s assessed our progress and concluded that excellent article on fig ecology. The life- Brisbane City Council biodiversity loss is continuing, and in many All enquiries, 3403 6777 cycle of figs is one of nature’s miracles. cases, intensifying. It is estimated that Fflur Collier about 130 species are becoming extinct Just before Stuart Mutzig left his role as Greg Siepen globally every day. There is more gloomy Land for Wildlife Officer for the Moreton Peter Hayes news on the Convention on Biological Bay area (and he is sorely missed), he Scott Sumner Diversity website if you’re feeling up to it. researched the experiences of landholders Susan Nolan who had converted their pools to healthy To combat extinction-statistic blues, I find ponds. It is an interesting read and helped Gold Coast City Council it helpful to know that new species are also debunk my cynicism. Darryl Larsen, 5582 8896 being found regularly. The International Lexie Webster, 5582 8344 Institute for Species Exploration website Stephanie Reif, who is now on maternity has a Top 10 list showing weird and leave and I wish her all the best, wrote Ipswich City Council fascinating new-to-science creatures. a great article on the importance of Peter Copping, 3810 6608 Closer to home, you may have already incorporating vines into revegetation. Mark Bell, 3810 6666 heard about the re-discovery of the Yellow- Andrew Bailey, 3810 6666 Unfortunately Martin Bennett is leaving spotted Bell Frog in NSW. This frog was re- his role as Land for Wildlife Officer for the Lockyer Valley Regional Council discovered on a private property and the Lockyer Valley. He is a remarkable field Position vacant, 5462 0376 owners are very keen on protecting it. The ecologist and I wish him all the best with article on page 15 gives more detail and his new role. Logan City Council reminds us all how important landholders Nicole Walters, 3412 4859 are in the battle against biodiversity loss. Thank you to all contributors, including Lyndall Rosevear, 3412 4860 the photographers whose images lift the Rebecca Condon, 3412 5321 Since the last edition of the newsletter, whole newsletter. As always, I welcome any Councils and SEQ Catchments have stories or photographs that you wish to Moreton Bay Regional Council undertaken strategic planning about share with the Land for Wildlife network. Amanda Sargeant, 3283 0291 the Land for Wildlife program. We hope Ed Surman, 3283 0289 to roll out some new initiatives over the next few years including a new database Deborah Metters Redland City Council and webpage, another open property Land for Wildlife Melanie Harrison, 3820 1106 scheme and the finalisation of a set of Regional Coordinator Gavin Hammermeister, 3820 1102 new technical notes. We also hope to offer SEQ Catchments Scenic Rim Regional Council Keith McCosh, 5540 5436 Somerset Region Landholder Registrations, Land for Wildlife SEQ - 01/05/2010 Michelle Ledwith, 5422 0516 Registered Working Towards Total Area under Sunshine Coast Regional Council Total Area Retained Properties Registration Restoration Dave Burrows, 5485 1318 Josh Birse, 5475 7345 2678 589 47,818 ha 2,899 ha Nick Clancy, 5439 6433 Alan Wynn, 5439 6477 Land for Wildlife South East Queensland is Toowoomba Regional Council Forward all Letters to the Editor, All enquiries, 4688 6611 Fauna Vignettes and My Little Corner a quarterly publication distributed free of charge to members of the Land for Wildlife contributions to: program in South East Queensland. The Editor Print run - 4500 Burnett Mary Region Land for Wildlife Newsletter Back copies from 2007 - 2010 Gympie, Fraser Coast, SEQ Catchments available for download from North & South Burnett, PO Box 13204 www.seqcatchments.com.au/LFW.html Bundaberg and Baffle Creek Regions George Street QLD 4003 Back copies from 1998 - 2006 07 3211 4404 available upon request to the Editor. For all regions contact the Burnett Mary Regional Group, 4181 2999 [email protected] ISSN 1835-3851 Land for Wildlife is a voluntary program that encourages and assists landholders to provide habitat for wildlife on their properties. www.seqcatchments.com.au/LFW.html 2 Land for Wildlife South East Queensland July 2010 \ Fauna Vignettes is a feature designed for you - Land for Wildlife members - to send in images of wildlife and fauna their habitats from your property. fauna vignettes In 2010, all contributors to Fauna Vignettes will receive a free vignettes Suburban and Environmental Weeds of South-East Queensland DVD The Value of Dead Trees valued at $64.90. Send good quality images and a (even those scrappy ones!) short story to the Editor (see pg 2). e have a number of dead Sally WWattles (Acacia melanoxylon) on our hillside Tallebudgera property. On one of her visits, Lexie, from Land for Wildlife, suggested we leave the trees standing as they are important to wildlife. Recently we discovered just how true this is. There’s a long-dead Sally Wattle a short distance from our house, with a termite mound halfway up the trunk. Matt had been pulling out weeds nearby and was puzzled by the occasional cracking sound. A Lace Monitor - or commonly called tree goanna - was perched on the mound, working away at it with its large, powerful claws, breaking off chunks of the hard Lace Monitors depend on the temperature-controlled micro-environment of arboreal material and flinging them aside. termite mounds to incubate their eggs. It is remarkable how the mother monitor knows when to return to release her newly hatched babies from inside the sealed mound. We watched the monitor over two days dig a hole about twelve centimetres wide at the opening. On the third day we observed her Termites are great recyclers of sitting in the hole, panting with exertion as dead wood and help return she laid her eggs inside the termite mound. essential nutrients to the soil. That afternoon she’d disappeared. Monitors will only use active termite mounds to lay their The termites will now work to repair the eggs as they need the termites hole, sealing the eggs inside and giving to seal their nest around them protection from predators. If all goes the monitor eggs providing well, in eight or nine months time she’ll a predator-free incubation return, the sounds of the hatched lizards chamber.