• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

How to Help FAIRYLAND Lane Cove National Park There is plenty to do and opportunities for all, Individuals, Groups or Companies. Bushcare is great way of learning more about your local environment while helping to preserve it for future generations. Ideal for one off corporate or community days, or regular monthly sessions. Join with The Friends of Lane Cove National Park Help support their work and keep in touch with happenings in the park Find out more at www.friendsoflanecovenationalpark.org.au Contact us at [email protected] or speak to the Lane Cove National Park Volunteer Bushcare Co-ordinator 0419 753 806 Produced by Friends of Lane Cove National Park With assistance from Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority and The Australian Government’s Caring for 0ur Country Program History, Heritage and Ecology Where Threats Situated right next to one of the fastest growing commercial centres in Weeds are a major threat in this as in Sydney, less than 3 kilometres from Chatswood and less than 10 kilometres so many other areas. Most of the local soils are derived from from the centre of Sydney is Fairyland, part of Lane Cove National Park. sandstone and are very low in nutrients. The almost 42 hectares of bushland sandwiched between Delhi Road and Surprisingly this has resulted in a great the Lane Cove River provides a home for endangered species including diversity of plants that have adapted to Powerful Owls, and other species such these conditions. Weeds, mainly plants as Echidnas which, while not on the en- from overseas, generally gain a foothold dangered list, are extremely uncommon when ’man’ has disturbed the soil and changed conditions, this can often be this close to the centre of a major city. Privet from the introduction of nutrients from a The area is also home to three special variety of sources including road runoff. groups of endangered plants known as Many weeds would look attractive in their Endangered Ecological Communities native environment. It is just that in Australia there are not the restraints that there would be at home. Lane Cove National Park. The top picture shows Privet in full flower. After the One of the most urban of the National flowers the bushes are covered in black berries, at- Parks, Lane Cove runs from Pennant tractive to large birds including Currawongs. The Hills in the north to Hunters Hill in the berries then encourage them to stay in Sydney over south, providing an important environ- winter, when they prey on the chicks and eggs of mental corridor. It is relatively small at small birds; just another of the unexpected conse- 675 hectares, but has many kilometres of quences of this weed invasion. boundary and hundreds of neighbours. Vines are particularly insidious, they can blanket and eventually kill not only shrubs and low growing Fairyland is just one of many distinct vegetation, but even large mature trees. The photo areas within the park that need help. Ballon Vine below shows ’Morning Glory’ which has a large purple flower and on the left is ’Balloon Vine’ which features the large ’balloon’ full of seed. They are just What is a Weed. two of a whole range of problem vines. ad Ro The general definition of a weed is elhi D a plant out of place. Under some circumstances a gum tree in the middle of a wheat field ad hi Ro d may well be considered a weed. Del te rylan rpora Fai Environmental weeds are those Co Park which can seriously affect native vegetation by forming mono cul- tures where nothing else can germi- iver Map copy write nate, or in the case of vines blan- Cove R Morning Glory Lane SIX Maps NSW keting and smothering the natives. Fairyland Fauna Heritage and History Small Birds Aboriginal Heritage In 1810 the area that became Because of the For many thousands of years, since Fairyland, and in fact most of the variety of the sea level rose to its present western side of the Lane Cove River environments level after the last ice age, the Lane was included in the Field of Mars Fairyland has Cove River valley, including the Common. A vast area that was in- extremely good Fairyland area, was home to the tended to provide additional pasture small bird Aboriginal people and timber for a group of soldier habitat. They utilised a wide range of local When small settlers who had been given small birds are disap- resources including the mullet and plots in what is now Eastwood. pearing in so shell fish that flourished in the river, Later around 1895 when the govern- many places in Sydney it is very encourag- and many of the plants that can still ment need to raise some money ing to see so many different small birds in be seen in the area. they started to sell off blocks. the area. Wrens, Silver Eyes, Thornbills, Two that became Honey Eaters, Wagtails and more can regu- Fairylands were larly be seen if you sit quietly . purchased by the Swan family. First The Powerful Owl. Listed as an Hidden Neighbours. Many of the inhabi- they grew straw- ‘endangered species ’ this is one of tants of Fairyland prefer to keep to them- berries and sold the top predators in Fairyland. Its selves. Echidnas while rarely seen are them to passing main diet is the Ring Tail Possum . known to live there and have even ventured river people; soon In recent years the reduction in fox into the Delhi Road commercial area. Sugar they found that numbers has lead to an increase in Gliders come out at night and even then are hard to spot, but they leave tell tail signs of starting the possums which has resulted in an ’pleasure gardens’ increase in Powerful Owls. their presence by making Arriving at Fairylands made better business sense. Water Monitors and other reptiles horizontal By River circa 1910 can often be seen sunning them- marks on Red selves near the river. As a ‘cold Bloodwood blooded’ animal their food require- trees when ment is much less than mammals. they are feed- During it’s heyday Fairyland even had ing. it’s own dance hall. It is said that dur- Other smaller ing World War II people would walk hidden inhabi- from Chatswood station to the tants such as Mowbray Park bank of the river and insects and shout for the ferry to come across and invertebrates pick them up. are essential After WW II the best years had gone, with wider availability of the car parts of the people could go longer distances, Fairyland had lost some of it’s magic. food chain. Fairyland Ecology Fairyland Ecology There are more than 500 different species of native plants in the Lane Cove Wetlands, there are two types of wetland National Park. A large number of them occur in Fairyland. area within Fairyland, both of which are Different groups of plants, are Endangered. Close to the river banks there referred to as ‘communities’. are small areas of Salt Marsh . Just as individual plants and animals Typical plants in this area include Warrigal Greens, used as a vegetable by the first can be listed as endangered, plant settlers. Further from the river are the communities can also be listed as Fresh Water Wet Lands a really magical endangered. area where Paper Bark or Melaleuca, There are three different Endan- trees flourish. Here, on the right day you Mangroves gered Ecological Communities’ can hear the call of hundreds of frogs and in Fairyland and other see a myriad of small birds flying by. It is hard to over emphasise the impor- communities of plants which are vital tance of mangroves. They line the river- for providing habitat for endangered side living in the salt water where little species of fauna. What’s Flowering. else can exist. They provide the perfect Virtually when ever you nursery environment for a whole range of walk through Fairyland small creatures that are the basis of im- there will be something in portant food chains. flower. One way to identify However they are not endangered in the the plant is to look on the Sydney area: because of the amount of Friends of Lane Cove silt that has been flushed down the river National Park web site, since European settlement, their areas where you can see are growing. pictures of ‘What’s Flowering this Month’. Ecology is a word we all use, but www.friendsoflanecove what does it really mean? nationalpark.org.au The science of Ecology is the un- derstanding of interactions between both living and inert elements within Sandstone Gully Forest. Higher up the slope the an environment. It originated in the Swamp Oak Flood Plains vegetation changes to the typical open forest of the late 1700’s when it was first realised The dominant tree in the local sandstone areas. Dominant trees include the that plants were an important source community found inland of the Sydney Red Gum, Angophora costata with it’s red of the oxygen we breathe. Mangroves is the ‘Swamp Oak’ grey bark, Sydney Peppermint with long strips of The more we learn, the more we or ‘She Oak’ , Casuarina glauca . bark hanging down, Blackbutt and Red Bloodwoods. Under this canopy is a really diverse mid storey with come to realise how little we really Also salt tolerant , but less so know of these complex interactions shrubs and small trees including Banksias, Wattles than mangroves this community and ’Egg and Bacon’ Peas. On the ground there are and how removing one species from is listed as endangered under Boronia gives a the chain can have disastrous effects a whole range of grasses, sedges and ground the NSW Threatened Species splash of colour on others, including our own.

Load more

  4

Copy Link