Green Space Our Place - Volunteers Voice - Issue 19 June 2018

Green Space Our Place

Our Volunteers Voice

Major repairs to Arrow Tracks Sugarworld gardening group

Issue 19 June 2018

Locals enhance Leonard Park

Front Page: Hiromi Ohira and Sarah Olds resurfacing Mt Whitfield’s Arrow Tracks.

Back Page:

Acacia fleckeri can be located in the Botanic Gardens’ Aboriginal Plant Use Garden.

In this issue: •

From the Editor - Page 2

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Volunteer Profile - Wendy Russell Page 3

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Tracks ‘n’ Trails - Pages 4-5

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Park activities - Page 6

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Who you gonna call.....

‘Weedbusters’ - Page 7

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Around the Gardens with David Warmington - Page 8

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Cairns and Lae Sister Cities relationship - Page 9

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Catching up with Friends - Page 9

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Achieving great results in nursery Page 10

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Sugarworld Botanic Gardens gardening group - Page 10

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Exploring our rainforest - Page 11

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Our partnerships - Gapforce and TAFE - Pages 12-13

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Littering and illegal dumping action plan - Page 14

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Manager filled with pride - Page 15

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Feathered Friends - Page 15

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Volunteers snapshots - Pages 16-17

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Sexual dimorphism in birds Jennifer H. Muir - Page 18

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Critters in the Garden - Dr David Rentz - Page 19

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Corticoid and Cup Fungi - Barry Muir - Page 20

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Flower Blessings - Louisa Grandy Page 21

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Hort. Notes - Pages 22-23

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Editor - Volunteers Supervisor, Louisa Grandy Proof readers - Michelle Walkden and volunteers Sandy Long, Jenn Muir Contributors - Botanic Gardens Curator David Warmington; Volunteers Barry Muir, Jenn Muir, Val Schier, John Peter, Dr David Rentz and Tom Collis.

From the Editor Welcome, Another magazine already; the year is flying by!

Once again it is packed full of photos of our many members volunteering in our ‘green spaces’ along with some very interesting and informative information on our flora and fauna.

Our front cover features the Tracks ‘n’ Trails volunteers in action on the Mt Whitfield Arrow Tracks. The volunteers have been working incredibly hard to restore these well used tracks after the heavy rains in March caused some major damage pages 4 & 5.

We are excited to announce a partnership with the Friends of Sugarworld Botanic Gardens Inc. in holding a monthly gardening group at the beautiful Sugarworld Gardens in Edmonton. If you know of anyone in the southern area of Cairns who would love to take part in gardening activities, have them contact me. It will be held once a month on a Thursday morning from 9-11am - page 10.

Cairns’ parks are being enhanced by our volunteers with residents planting and weeding in areas such as Leonard St and Jalarra Parks - page 6.

The ‘Weedbusters’ have become a regular Thursday morning activity with Christian teaching his volunteers on various weed control methods - page 7.

We were once again joined by TAFE and Gapforce in May with some major works achieved with the extra hands on deck such as a huge weeding job at Cattana Wetlands, 70m3 mulch shifted at the Botanic Gardens, track repairs on Mt Whitfield and the shifting of raw materials to various locations on the Arrow Tracks - see pages 12 & 13.

Thank you to the volunteers who support this magazine with articles and their proof-reading skills. This is very much appreciated, especially as our program becomes busier.

Louisa

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endy Russell has reached her fifth year with the Down ‘n’ Dirties, having joined in March 2013 after hearing from another volunteer how much she enjoyed coming to the Botanic Gardens each Wednesday morning.

“I didn’t have a very successful beginning with my car failing to start,” Wendy laughed. “However I loved my first day and was impressed with how everyone joined in and got the job done with lots of chatting and fun.

“It’s great to stand back and see the end result especially after a big mulching job. It always smells great and we achieve such good results with so many of us.”

Born in Korumburra, Gippsland, Victoria, Wendy says she was definitely a farm girl, growing up on a cattle farm and has always been a hands-on person.

“The cold wasn’t good for my Dad’s health so we moved to Wangaratta, and although a small town, it had a very active sporting community. Sport became a way of life for our family consisting of three sisters and a brother tennis, basketball, netball, swimming.

“I remember listening to the Ashes in England on the radio late at night with my sister and mum.

“When I left school I moved to Sydney and became a nurse for 18 months before meeting my husband and starting a family of my own. Family life has always been very important to me and I had four children.

“We moved to Wagga Wagga and had a great farm life.

Everyone worked on the farm including our youngest son - such as feeding the calves and lambs, shifting irrigation. My husband, Peter, was a bull-rider and saddle bronc rider. Although I hated watching it, my daughter took after her father and became involved in the rodeo too, winning the national championship for Breakaway Roping.”

As their family grew, Wendy said they couldn’t afford for Peter to have an injury so he started roping instead of the incredibly risky bull-riding. However, despite being cautious, Peter passed away very suddenly from cancer when their youngest was seven.

“Life became a bit harder without him, especially for the kids,” Wendy explained. “However the farm made us very self-sufficient and we were able to survive more easily due to this.”

Wendy decided to move to Cairns to be close to her sisters and their families, settling in Clifton Beach over 30 years ago.

“It was good to be with the family once again and Cairns was such a beautiful place after living in very cold weather, sometimes -7 degrees Celsius with a brown, dry landscape.

“The kids loved having their cousins to share their lives and we loved the beach. There weren’t many stingers back then, not like now. I’m not sure why but it could be the reduced numbers of turtles but that’s only a guess.

“Cairns has certainly changed in the years we’ve been here. There was much more sugar cane with two skinny lanes leading you to the beaches. There was never a traffic problem back then,” she smiles.

“We did all our shopping in town (Cairns CBD). We would spend a day in town and lunch at the ‘Swagman’ and shop at Westcourt Shopping Centre which was thriving back then - there was no Cairns Central.

Although most of Wendy’s children live elsewhere around Australia, as do her own brother and sisters, with the exception of her son Stuart who is a ranger at Lake Eacham, the family still comes together for Christmas.

“Family and having good friends is the key to a good life - life is too short to have a family feud. We are a close-knit family and I travel regularly with my sisters and their husbands overseas and we love road trips around Australia.

“Volunteering is another important aspect in my life, and although I don’t participate during the hotter months, I look forward to sharing with a variety of interesting people and contributing my time in such a beautiful Garden.”

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s l i a r T ’ n ‘ s Track

Tracks revamped

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The Tracks ‘n’ Trails volunteers have been working very hard to repair Mt Whitfield Arrow Tracks after heavy rains in March with resurfacing, levelling, clearing landslides and repairs to steps.

1. Volunteers Officer Christian Cluver armouring the track surface with Daniel Serpa; 2. Hiromi Ohira and Sarah Olds pleased with their morning’s achievements of resurfacing the track.

BEFORE and AFTER - Green Arrow track repairs

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after the big wet

3. Peter Hunt, Scott Parker, Sarah Olds and Hiromi Ohira laying cold mix to repair steps on the Red Arrow; 4. Joanne Matthews and Sarah Olds slogging it out clearing a landslide on the Yellow Arrow; 5. Hiromi Ohira laying deco on the Yellow Arrow track; 6. Timber step repairs done! Joel Groberg, Russell Watkinson, Sarah Olds, Hiromi Ohira and Taiji Shima.

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S E I T I V I T C A K R PA

Leonard St Park

The Kewarra Beach locals love their park, spending most afternoons chatting while their children play on the newly installed playground.

Under the Green Space Our Place

volunteer program, Elizabeth Harvey and Vivienne Harris (pictured) instigated a tree planting with other residents Scott Stephens, David Martin and Ross Harvey to enhance the area and provide some much needed shade.

Jalarra Park

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1. Jalarra Park volunteers eradicated Singapore Daisy and replanted one section of the creek with native plants to stabilise the banks; 2. Les Francis; 3. Bridget Bonnin and Tim Wood; 4. David Dermody with his dog Tucker; 5. Bridget Bonnin and Maureen Fuary planting Lomandra to stabilise the creek bank.

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Who you gonna call....‘Weedbusters’ Looking like something out the Ghostbusters movie, the latest Green Space Our Place volunteer program ‘Weedbusters’ was formed last month and meets each Thursday.

You can volunteer either during the morning shift or an afternoon shift, to be involved with weed management under our licenced Volunteers Officer Christian Cluver.

Under licenced supervision the program involves handpulling and spraying general weeds on and at the base of Mt Whitfield, Lantana and Japanese Sunflower control on Mt Whitfield, Thunbergia control in the Cairns Botanic Gardens ‘Rainforest Boardwalk’ area and basal barking Leuceana at Saltwater Creek. Volunteers are provided with the tools required and personal protective equipment (PPE).

If there’s something strange in your neighbourhood Who you gonna call? ‘Weedbusters’ If there’s something weird And it don’t look good Who you gonna call? ‘Weedbusters’ We ain’t afraid of no weed We ain’t afraid of no weed If you’re seeing weeds taking over Council land Who you gonna call? ‘Weedsbusters’ A Lantana plant growing along the track Who you gonna call? ‘Weedbusters’ If you want to assist Pick up the phone You better call, ‘Weedbusters’

Pictured top, Aude Meiffredi and middle, Joel Groberg kitted up for spraying.

Right: Joel and Aude cutting back a selection of weeds to locate Thunbergia grandiflora in the Botanic Gardens Rainforest Boardwalk section.

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Achieving great results in the nursery Stratford Native Plant Nursery volunteers have had a great year with 11,500 seedlings being potted along with their usual activities of pruning and weeding.

Pictured from left, Dianne Stephens and Sharren Wong.

Sugarworld Botanic Garden gardening group

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ould you like to join a monthly gardening group?

Green Space Our Place, in partnership

with the Friends of Sugarworld Botanic Garden Inc., is meeting once a month to take part in gardening activities within the Sugarworld Botanic Gardens, Edmonton.

These unique and beautiful gardens are only 20 minutes from the centre of Cairns with acres of ancient trees and a sprawling exotic fruit tree orchard.

Come along and take part in a variety of gardening activities while learning about tropical fruit plants. The orchard produces many diverse and interesting fruits such as the Jaboticaba, the Miracle Fruit (which turns sour into sweet), Garcinia (Mangosteen), Artocarpus (Breadfruit types) and Canistel, to name a few.

The group will meet every four weeks June 28, July 26, August 23, September 20, October 18, November 15 and December 13. If you are interested please contact Louisa Grandy on 4032 6648 or email greenspaceourplace@cairns.qld.gov.au

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Cairns and Lae Sister Cities relationship In support of the Cairns and Lae Sister Cities relationship, Friends of Lae Botanic Gardens (FLBG) committee member Anna Wissink met with Cairns Botanic Gardens curator David Warmington and Friends of the Botanic Gardens Cairns committee member Sarah Warne to exchange knowledge and ideas about friends organisations and flora and fauna.

Anna was visiting Cairns to promote Lae’s first Flower and Garden Show, hosted to coincide with Mother’s Day. Friends of the Lae Botanic Gardens, local organisations, women’s flower groups and families showcased more than 32 large stalls displaying tropical flowers and plants at the Lae Botanic Gardens.

“We believe that through events like this, the publicity of the Gardens will be made known and people will start coming in to use the gardens at weekends and on holidays, or even during weekdays,” said Anna.

“I had a great time walking through the Cairns Botanic Gardens and discussing the different plants especially the PNG ones. There are a good number of ideas to be used for the Lae Botanic Gardens.”

Catching up with Friends President Val Schier

New committee At the AGM we said goodbye to Odette Aspinall, Judy Chappell and Lee Ross who plan to put their energies into other things for a while. Lee has been a real stalwart on the committee for many years and has played a major role in making our monthly talks happen, organising Jazz under the Stars and helping out with plant sales and other fundraisers.

Odette has also been an active member, instrumental in acquiring the native bee hive and interpretive signage on the balcony of Friends House and initiating a native bee workshop which ended up being one of our most popular activities in 2017. Thanks Lee, Odette and Judy and welcome our new members Michael Hyde, Meredith Gawler and Barry and Jenn Muir.

‘New Shoots’ collaboration with Tropical Writers’ Festival We have agreed to support a wonderful initiative by the Tropical Writers’ Festival. Eight local poets will undertake a masterclass in poetry in June and will select a place in the Gardens about which they’ll write a poem. On a Sunday in August – the date soon to be confirmed – groups of people will be guided by Friends to the various locations where the poems will be on display on signage and the poets will recite their poem and answer questions. It’s something new for the Gardens and promises to be a very different and interesting activity.

We are looking for Friends’ members to volunteer to guide groups of visitors to the poets. It’s only for an hour and a half and afternoon tea will be provided. Contact us if you are interested, email: fobgcairns@bigpond.com A face-lift for Friends House Friends House will be closed for several weeks as Council undertakes a refurbishment of this heritage-listed building.

New steps and balcony floor tiles will be installed, the old lattice work replaced, a post removed and the disability access made compliant. Unfortunately, the shop will be closed for the renovations and our volunteers will not be on hand to staff the shop and provide information to visitors.

When the work is completed, we will look at refreshing the signage to the right of the door.

Friends of Lae Botanic Gardens committee member Anna Wissink with Cairns Botanic Gardens curator David Warmington looking at the Cyrtosperma cuspidispathum in the Watkins Munro Martin Conservatory.

Projects for 2018/2019 We welcome suggestions about projects that might be implemented with our funds. Council staff would like us to consider a rain-proof ‘porch’ outside the Conservatory or to make the wall immediately inside more attractive. At the moment visitors walk straight in to see the plants and barely cast a glance at the current signage. Committee members explored whether we might contribute to funding art in the Gardens or new plantings, a palm trail or enhancing the collection of gingers. One suggestion is to build on our links with Cairns’ sister city of Lae and develop a New Guinea Palm Trail. All ideas are welcome.

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Around the Gardens Curator David Warmington

Palms change hands Cairns Botanic Gardens recently exchanged palms with Townsville Botanic Gardens.

The Townsville Botanic Gardens consists of three gardens, The Palmetum, Anderson Park and Queens Garden.

The Palmetum, which was a bicentennial project opening in 1988, is a very well laid out collection of palms from around the world. The palms were grouped into different ecological zones and today represent an impressive collection of native and exotic palms among other botanical specimens.

Botanical collector / consultant Michael Ferrero (left) and apprentice horticulturalists beneath a Lodoicea maldivica in Townsville Botanic Gardens

Cairns Botanic Gardens also holds an impressive collection of palms from predominately tropical regions of the world. Many of the specimens are now mature and we have been able to propagate new plants from these.

Genera such as Sommiera and Calyptrocalyx, wild collected by botanical collector / consultant Michael Ferrero in 1995, were able to be provided to supplement the Palmetum collection. These plants, from Papua New Guinea and West Papua, were well documented by Michael during his collecting expeditions and are botanically very significant in any palm collection.

In return the Palmetum was able to supply specimens of Carpoxylon macrospermum which is a species that we have so far been unable to successfully establish in the Cairns Botanic Gardens.

This is a magnificent palm from Vanuatu.

According to International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) data it is critically endangered with approximately 40 individuals existing in the wild and another 120 mature trees cultivated around villages.

Although this palm was first described in 1875, attempts to locate it were unsuccessful and it was thought to be extinct until in 1987 Dr John Dowe ‘rediscovered’ this palm.

Extensive studies were under taken by Dr Dowe on the ecology and morphology to document and describe this palm. With very low numbers of adult palms, studies were undertaken to determine the genetic diversity and hence the vulnerability of this species. The Carpoxylon in the Palmetum and the plants donated to the Cairns Botanic Gardens are representatives from that genetic study and retain all of the original collection data.

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Seed of Carpoxylon macrospermum

Carpoxylon macrospermum avenue at the Townsville Palmetum

Exploring our rainforest Figs in the Wet Tropics Tom Collis - Jalarra Park Volunteers

There are thirty species of figs or Ficus in the Wet Tropics, ranging from small shrubs such as the Red-Leafed Fig to the giant White Figs, Ficus virens, that can grow up to 40 metres. The Curtain Fig and Cathedral Fig on the Atherton Tableland are two such figs that attract thousands of visitors every year.

You have probably seen hundreds of fruits growing along the trunk and branches of large fig trees but have never observed any fig flowers. This is not surprising as the fig itself is a flower that never opens: technically it is a syconium.

To enable fertilisation of the fig ‘flower’ the assistance of tiny fig wasps is required. Numerous female wasps laden with eggs enter the fig through a small hole, transferring pollen from one fig tree to another. When the new fig wasps hatch only the females have wings, leaving the tiny wingless males in the fertilised and ripening fig.

Ficus variegata

Distinctive leaves of the Red-Leafed Fig Ficus congesta

The relationship between figs and fig wasps has evolved over millions of years and they are completely dependent on each other with several figs having their own species of fig wasps that provide pollination services.

Fig trees can fruit at any time of the year and they provide huge amounts of food for fruit-eating species, especially when other fruits are not available.

Double-Eyed Fig Parrots feed almost exclusively on figs and many other animals, such as Cassowary, Spectacled Fruit-Bats, Musky Rat Kangaroo, native rats and possums, rely on the regular availability of the fruit.

The removal of figs from the rainforest ecosystem would cause the collapse and decline of many species dependent on the food provided by figs and for this reason they are referred to as a ‘keystone species’.

Female Fig Wasps in a Cluster Fig, Ficus racemosa

Hairy Fig, Ficus hispida

Double-Eyed Fig Parrot feeding on Cluster Figs, Ficus racemosa

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e c r pfo

OUR PART N

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Gapforce volunteers joined us once again with 10 participants this time round volunteering for two weeks in May with our supervised volunteer group activities at Cattana Wetlands, Cairns Botanic Gardens, Mt Whitfield and Saltwater Creek.

1. A couple of days were spent working on Mt Whitfield Arrow Tracks; 2. Group leader Terrance planting at Saltwater creek; 3. Cold mix work on Mt Whitfield; 4. Joe mulching at the Botanic Gardens; 5. Sebastian tree planting at Saltwater Creek; 6. Group leader Robin weeding at Cattana Wetlands; 7. End of a day tree planting.

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T NERSHIPS TAFE students gained work experience with us in May, taking part in weeding at Cattana Wetlands and track maintenance and land care management on the Mt WhitďŹ eld Arrow Tracks.

8. Codie, Aless and Lisa digging out a damaged step on the Red Arrow; 9. Lisa and Jasmine delivering timber to the site for step repairs; 10. Codie and Aless building a step; 11. Tristian pulling weed vines from trees at Cattana Wetlands; 12. Good job team - ďŹ ve steps repaired today, from left, Codie, Jasmine, Lisa, Aless and Tristian; 13. Jasmine, Aless and Lisa resurface the track with cold mix.

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Littering and illegal dumping action plan

CAIRNS Regional Council will crack down on littering and illegal dumping under a three-phase action plan aimed at cleaning up the city and its waterways.

The Litter and Illegal Dumping Action Plan has been adopted and highlighted the need for Council to step up its activities to promote responsible rubbish disposal.

Mayor Bob Manning said the need for such an action plan was an unfortunate reality.

“Sadly, most of the rubbish that ends up on the ground or in our waterways is the result of some people simply not caring about their surrounds or the impact their choices have on others and the environment,” Cr Manning said.

“We’ve seen that plastic bottles, food packaging and especially cigarette butts are commonly found in gardens and parks, on streets and along our beaches.

“In a recent clean-up more than 2000 cigarette butts were collected from just one garden bed. Every one of those butts represents a personal choice to litter. A minority of individuals choose to damage our pristine environment for everyone else.

“It’s important that we educate our community and visitors to our city on the need to dispose of all rubbish responsibly and to make people accountable for their actions when they choose to do the wrong thing.”

The action plan consists of three key components: infrastructure, education and enforcement.

“Firstly, we need to make sure we have the right infrastructure to deter people from littering or dumping rubbish,” Cr Manning said. “That includes making sure we

have bins in the right places and restricting access to known illegal dumping hotspots.

“But the real key is to stop littering and illegal dumping before it happens by encouraging people to make good choices.

“We are trying to lead by example by reducing waste – particularly when it comes to plastic straws and other singleuse plastics – and we’ll be doing whatever we can to spread those messages.”

Council will work with schools, community and sporting clubs, and the tourism and hospitality sector to promote pride of place and responsible disposal of rubbish.

There will also be improved promotion of what can be disposed of free of charge at waste transfer stations to prevent illegal dumping of items such as whitegoods, e-waste, batteries and chemical drums.

The campaign will build on the messages delivered through the illegal dumping television ads that started in December 2017.

The action plan acknowledges that a hip-pocket deterrent is also required in stopping littering and illegal dumping – and that is where the enforcement element comes into play.

“We will look at making people more accountable for their actions when they choose to dispose of rubbish in a harmful way,” Cr Manning said.

“It all adds up to us as a community having pride in our region and protecting our unique natural assets for future generations.”

ILLEGAL DUMPING 14

SEE IT. REPORT IT. STOP IT. 24/7 1300 69 22 47 CAIRNS, IT’S NOT A DUMP. LET’S KEEP IT THAT WAY.

WWW.CAIRNS.QLD.GOV.AU/ILLEGALDUMPING

Manager filled with pride Manager Community Development, Brett Spencer had some great feedback about Cattana Wetlands and the people who preserve it.

“This is the highlight of my day when I read this newsletter.

I took some Colombian visitors to Cattana Wetlands during April. One of them is a keen ‘twitcher’ so we got there about 8am. In one of the bird hides, on queue three Jabirus circled the lake and landed not 10 feet away and they stayed for about 10-15 minutes.

“It was truly amazing! The man cried he was so enamoured with this spectacle. I’ve never seen a person cry tears of joy and amazement about nature. He said he never thought he would see in his lifetime these birds that he’d read so much about.

“Boy did I feel so proud of our Vollies and Council for having the foresight to restore this place as a wetland so he could witness this. It was his first time in Australia and Cairns.

“He emailed me and said he had booked his family’s flights to return to Cairns next year for two weeks. He said he will spend much of his time back at Cattana and other bird watching places in FNQ. I think the kids and his wife will be reefing.

“Love what you guys do and be assured you are making a difference, cheers.”

Feathered Friends

Rainbow Bee-eater

Jenn Muir

By any account, the Rainbow Bee-eater is a spectacular bird. With its colourful plumage, slim build, slender curved beak and distinctive streamers that extend beyond its tail, it is simply beautiful.

Bee-eaters are a familiar sight in many lightly timbered parts of mainland Australia, perching on fence-posts or overhead wires, then launching after flying insects, snapping the insect in its bill, then returning to the perch to eat it.

Though they occasionally breed in northern Australia, most nesting records are in the south.

They burrow into banks, road cuttings or the walls of quarries, especially where the soil is sandy, digging with their bills and removing the soil by scratching it out with their feet. Their glossy white eggs are laid in a chamber at the end of the tunnel, either onto the bare soil or in a rudimentary nest of grass or feathers.

The eggs are often taken by snakes and goannas, but having survived and hatching, the chicks may then be taken by various predators - sometimes even by cane toads.

In autumn, after breeding has finished in the south, large flocks fly north to bolster the populations of the bee-eaters that live in northern Australia throughout the year. Their rolling ‘prrrt prrt’ calls are often heard as they fly overhead.

During winter, bee-eaters are widespread across tropical northern Australia and in New Guinea, with a few flying to Indonesia. Some birds, however, overshoot their mark, as shown by the arrival of vagrants in Micronesia and on the Ryuku Islands, in southern Japan.

By John Peter 15

Volunteer snapshots 4.

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1. Esplanade ‘Sandpipers’ Matthew Rhodes and Carolyn Scott weeding and collecting litter along the foreshore; 2. One of the latest Jabiru recruits Darren Johnson pulling vines from trees; 3. Jabirus bagging Sensitive Weed at Cattana Wetlands, from left, Jenny Parsons, Prue Fitzpatrick, Sandy Long and Rodney Lloyd; 4. ‘Sandpipers’ Patrick Brindley and Dirk Meiring mulching the Bromeliad Healing Garden; 5. Newest recruit Bella Zanandrea spreading mulch at Cairns Botanic Gardens; 6. Down ‘n’ Dirty volunteers Aude Meiffredi and Jeff Pretty weeding at the Gardens.

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7. Ric Streatfield getting ‘Down ‘n’ Dirty’ in the Cairns Botanic Gardens’ Bamboo Grove; 8. Del Van Mierlo amongst the foliage doing a little detailing at Cairns Botanic Gardens; 9. Gary Abbott amazed at the speedy growth of the Dendrocalmus aspa; 10. Charles Wang with Little Tacca Sophie; 11. Christina Shepherd assisting with the floral arrangement theme at Little Taccas; 12. Lots of laughter as Peter Hunt and the Little Taccas tumble down the grassy slope at Cairns Botanic Gardens.

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Sexual dimorphism in birds What is ‘Dimorphism’? From the Greek ‘dimorphos’, meaning ‘of two forms’ (‘di’ - two, ‘morph’ - form), the term ‘dimorphism’ refers to parts of a plant or animal (or individuals in a population) that occur in two forms or colours. Some plants, for example, have two forms of leaves: eg the Basket Fern, which has sterile leaves forming the ‘basket’ and very different fertile leaves that grow out from the ‘basket’.

In animals, ‘Sexual Dimorphism’ is the condition in which differences in characteristics such as colour, size, or form, occur between males and females of the same species. This is well known in the bird world, and is a particular advantage in selective reproduction such as the choosing of a certain mate by a female animal because of attractive features of the male, such as bright colouration.

In this article are two examples of bird species in which male and female are ‘Sexually Dimorphic’, that is, the male and female are different. Some bird species are markedly different, while in others the observer needs to look more closely for the differences, which makes birding even more interesting and challenging. Remember the motto, “In nature, adaptation and diversity rule!”

Jennifer H Muir broad blue breast/belly band; • the male is green under its lower belly where the female is scarlet; • the male’s under tail is a dusky grey where the female’s is scarlet.

There are other differences, but we are only looking at those that can be seen in these photos. Sometimes other differences are due to position of feathers on individuals, moulting, body position, effects of light, and shade and are not always reliable identification factors.

Magpie-larks At first glance the sexual dimorphism of Magpie-larks is less obvious. However look closer at the two photos below of the male and the female.

Again, going from head to tail: Male

Eclectus Parrot First we’ll look at the Eclectus Parrot (pictured below).

Early ornithologists and birdwatchers thought the male and female were two different species as they are so markedly sexually dimorphic. Such a level of dimorphism is unusual.

The male on the left is mainly green, while the female on the right is scarlet and blue.

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Now look closer for some of the other differences that can be seen in the photo. Looking from head to tail: • the male’s bill is orange to yellow above (upper mandible) and black below (lower mandible), while the female’s bill is entirely black; • the male’s head is green, while the female’s head and throat are red; • the male has scarlet sides to the breast and abdomen, which is otherwise green, while the female has a

Female

• the male has a wide white eyebrow, while the female has no eyebrow; • the male has a black forehead (directly above bill) where the female is white; • the male has a black throat which is white on the female; • the male has a wide white cheek patch, while the female’s white cheek ‘patch’ goes down the side of the throat to underparts; • the male’s breast and belly are white, while the female’s breast is black and the belly white.

There will be more examples in the September issue of

Green Space Our Place.

Critters in the Gardens

Dr David Rentz AM

Insect numbers in decline?

Coastal Brown Ant

control man says that at the moment they are his most common problem.

The Coastal Brown Ant feeds on all sorts of foods but prefers meat comprised of fats and oils. Insects on mounting boards or live insects in cages are fair game if discovered by the ants. The large-headed ‘soldiers’ are not ‘used’ to guard the ants as might be expected but the large For about 10 years I was keeping records of orthopteroid muscular heads bear large mandibles that are employed to species that I found around my 1.5 acre piece of secondary cut tough foods such as meats.

Care must be taken to prevent the ants from coming rainforest on Butler Drive in Kuranda. in contact with valued insects, alive or dead. I have had Prior to publication of the “Cockroach Guidebook”, I the ants invade insects on the drying boards as well as recorded about 88 species from my property. To date the specimens in cardboard shipping boxes. number has risen to 91 species. However, in the past 2-3 Local people raising insects commercially have had to deal years numbers coming to the light-sheet, as well as those sighted on leaf surfaces and on the ground, have dropped with this species as they can devastate insects in culture.

Where the ants are present, ‘scout’ ants can be found off so much that I have stopped keeping records. in places the ants have not yet invaded such as kitchen My collecting mate Buck Richardson has heard me say benches or leaf litter in the garden. many times on many trips within 100km of Kuranda that I Coastal Brown Ants can easily form colonies. Megacould never have written the Cockroach Guidebook based colonies form when many smaller colonies are on the small diversity of species we are now seeing in interconnected. Queens are quick to establish small nature. colonies that can blossom into larger ones.

This demise could just be a glitch due to drought or Piles of phrass can be seen in the house or wherever large a response to other atmospheric conditions. During colonies are found. The phrass consists of ant parts, bits this period we have been beset by the appearance of of soil and plant fibre. Large colonies can dislodge bricks the Coastal Brown Ant or the Big-headed Ant, Pheidole from paths! megacephala. This is a species of African origin. See: https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pest-insects/coastal-brown- Of course, this ant cannot be responsible for the decline in insects that has been noted across the globe. But it may ants-big-headed-ants. contribute to the problem.

These ants are a ‘perfect’ pest. It was the first imported ant pest to the Hawaiian Islands reported by Perkins over If there is a decline in insect abundance, there are probably 100 years ago. They are prolific and seem to adapt to many multiple causes. It may also be just a part of the natural waxing and waning of insect populations. Continuous conditions. surveying may shed more light on the situation but this A small bit of food left in my car in the carport resulted may take years before a realistic explanation can occur. in the establishment of a small colony in my car that was Photo above: A native, tropical blattid cockroach, Methana very difficult to eradicate. In nature the ants live under convexa (Walker). Was this cockroach attacked alive by the stones, wood, in woodpiles and in gardens. They are easily Coastal Brown Ants or was it found dead? Who knows. The transported in pot plants, rolled newspapers etc. Once big-headed individuals are the ants that are used to dismember established they are very difficult to control. Our pest large pieces of food that the smaller ants cannot deal with.

Much has been said in recent months about the apparent decline of insect numbers not only in Australia but overseas as well. Climate change is the most frequently cited probable cause.

Over the past 3-4 years I have noticed what seems to be a decline in some insect numbers in the Kuranda and Daintree area of Far North Queensland.

19

Corticoid and Cup Fungi

Corticoid Fungi

Barry Muir

Sometimes called paint, patch or crust fungi, the corticoid (Latin cortex = bark) fruit bodies are often overlooked or considered boring. There is, however, a huge variety, many of them brightly coloured and easy to find. They often occur on the trunks or branches of trees, especially on the underside of fallen logs where water from rainfall collects.

The fungi from which the fruit bodies grow are mostly wood-decomposers living inside the timber (and occasionally on leaves) and help to break down sometimes enormous trees that have fallen after storms. A few are parasites.

Without them many rainforests would be almost impassable.

An interesting fact is that some species of corticoid fungi specialise in certain types of wood size, such as logs, fallen branches or twigs, and rarely occur on other sizes of wood. Some only grow on certain species of wood, but there has been little study done on this as identifying the species of fallen branches is difficult. Some only grow on relatively freshly fallen timber while others only grow on wood in an advanced state of decay.

The corticoid fungi is an artificial grouping, as many different types of fungi form similar skin-like layers on dead wood. Some corticoid fungi you may find in the forest are the very early stages of bracket fungi (see Green Space Our Place Issue 17, December 2017) and the brackets develop later.

The spore-bearing layer is typically smooth, granular, spiny, with very tiny pores or rippled. They are generally without large pores, and never (as far as I know) with gills. They tend to appear each year after heavy rains, although some are perennial and can be found at any time. Both the species illustrated here can be found in the Cairns Botanic Garden.

Cup Fungi

This group of fungi is the most common of all, much more abundant than the mushrooms, yet sometimes not noticed when bush walking. Technically called the Ascomycetes they do not have gills or pores but all have a special sac-like structure, the ascus (Greek askos = sac, plural asci), which fires spores through an opening (called an operculum) in the tip. Many, but not all, Ascomycetes have a cup-like fruit body, but enough of them do to make this a commonly used name for the group.

Some look more like old orange-peel, tiny twigs, jelly-blobs or melted plastic.

Many Ascomyctes are economically important, causing many plant diseases, but there are also beneficial species such as Cordyceps which attacks and kills caterpillars, the brewer's yeast and baker's yeast fungi, cheese-making fungi and the edible morel and truffle. Many medicinally important compounds, such as antibiotics, come from Ascomycete fungi and some of our diseases, such as thrush, are caused by them.

About 42 per cent of known cup fungi are involved in forming lichens.

The asci may form on the inside surface of cup-shaped species or on the outer surface of the twiggy and blobby species. Most are ephemeral, especially after heavy rainfall, but a few, such as Xylaria may be quite woody and may be found at any time, although they may not be producing spores if they are old.

The cup-shaped species (pictured right), is 3cm tall, red if growing in bright sunlight, but may be orange if growing in dense shade. It was found near Centenary Lakes.

The grey twiggy fungus (left) is a 8cm tall Xylaria found on the Gondwana Walk in the Cairns Botanic Gardens and is probably an undescribed species. The tips of the ‘twigs’ are white because they are covered with fresh spores.

20

Connecting with Nature - Part 5

Louisa Grandy

Flower blessings Where would we be without flowers? For me, life wouldn't be quite the same. There are always flowers blooming in my garden and at least one flower on display enhancing the ambiance in my home and brightening my day.

Flowers have always been a part of my life in a variety of ways.

Whether it was seeing my Nan or Mum making displays for their homes, family members or the church, or watching my Nan potter in her annual flower beds. I would also press flowers at an early age and, once dried, would stick them to cards to be given with a gift.

She would bring me a bowl of floating smiling-faced pansies to make me feel better when I was a child sick with tonsillitis.

Growing flowers in the garden and displaying them around my home creates such a simple pleasure in my life. I’m sure there are professional courses to show you style and technique, however have a play, and see what you can create. Here’s a few ideas to get you started.

Firstly think about how you will display your flowers. Will you display them as a bunch, or singularly. How about showing them singularly in coloured bottles on your kitchen window sill. Once they start to age, take the best ones remaining and float them in a bowl of water as a table setting.

An hibiscus bloom picked on my early morning walk makes for a beautiful display in it's tiny vase on my kitchen window sill. Or a small bunch of marigolds from my vegie patch placed in a Japanese tea cup is a pretty addition to the table.

Many shrubs in the tropics have beautiful foliage and can be used to enhance flower arrangements. Placing them on your front door step is a welcoming sight.

Creating small flower arrangements with the stems wrapped to lock in the moisture, and presenting them to friends brings joy to the giver and receiver.

Placing flowers on display can make such an impact in your daily life if you see them as something more.

Balinese are seen morning and afternoon blessing their homes and businesses with small ceremonies and flower blessings. It was truly humbling to see the care taken each day to give thanks, inspiring me to create my own small flower / nature blessings to bless my home and show gratitude.

Look closely at the Balinese flower blessing photographs (at top of this page) to see the incredible skill that has been used

to create these beautiful and delicate presentations.

If you don't have many flowers utilise anything you come across as you take a walk in nature. One day while out walking I couldn't resist gathering a couple of Elaeocarpus, or 'Blue Quandong' fruits and their contrasting red leaves and creating a small display on my coffee table with a few bright red Sandlewood seeds, a feather and this precious stone given to me by a good friend.

Another lovely idea, especially now with many communicating by technology, is placing some words on a photograph you have taken and posting it on a friend’s Facebook page for their birthday, or even better, send it by ‘snail mail’ - very rare to receive blessings in the post these days!

If you are keen to learn how to create floral displays you could also become involved with FNQ Floral Art Designers Inc. which has held displays at the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre.

21

Hort. Notes

Leaves - shapes, margins,

In the past we have featured plant terminology information to enable our volunteers to better identify plants. Since that time we have had many new members join our program who may also beneďŹ t from reading this information.

Simple leaves

In the next few issues we will cover some basic plant terminology beginning here with leaves: their shapes, margins, arrangements and attachment.

The basic plant structure has three vegetative organs: roots, stems and leaves. The root system is usually underground. It anchors the plant, absorbs water and nutrients and can store food for the plant.

The stem supports the leaves, flowers and fruit, conducts water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves, flowers and fruit, and can store food for the plant.

The leaves produce food for the plant through photosynthesis.

This issue will cover leaves - simple and compound leaves and their arrangement, attachment, shapes and margins.

There are a number of technical terms used for describing the arrangement and shape of leaves. These terms can be divided into several groups: arrangement, structure, margin and attachment of the leaf to the stem, and the overall shape of the leaf.

The last group is the largest. There is also a large group of terms for describing the surface texture and appearance (eg degree of hairiness). These are not included here.

An undivided leaf is said to be simple. If it is divided into two or more leaflets it is said to be compound. If the leaf is divided once it is pinnate, twice bipinnate, thrice tripinnate.

Compound leaves

Leaves - simple and compound: (above) a. leaf simple, petiolate, stipulate, with reticulate venation; b. leaf simple, base sheathing, venation parallel; c. leaf simple, sessile, auriculate, venation parallel; d-j. compound leaves (note the axillary bud at the base of the petiole).

Leaf arrangement: (below) is described by terms such as alternate, decussate, distichous, opposite, radical and whorled.

Leaf attachment: (above) is described by terms

such as decurrent, sheathing, perfoliate, sessile and articulate, petiolate and articulate 22

arrangements and attachments widest near the apex

widest near the centre

widest near the base

Leaf shapes: (above) this diagram covers most of

the commonly used terms, but it should be noted that the shapes are not rigidly defined; two or more terms are often used together when considerable variation occurs.

Leaf margins: (above) the diagrams

are all of simple leaves, although some are deeply dissected.

Descriptions, above, of apices and bases.

Excerpt reprinted with permission Name That Flower, Clarke & Lee Melbourne University Publishing, 2003 Available from mup.com.au 23

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Contributions: Please submit articles (must be volunteer or nature based) by August for the next quarterly publication in September. Please note articles are subject to editing.

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• Friends’ Visitor Guides • Public Relations & Shop assistance in the Friends’ House • Tuesdays - Cattana Wetlands Jabirus 9am-noon • Tuesdays - Esplanade ‘Sandpipers’ - 9am-noon • Wednesdays - Botanic Gardens Down ’n’ Dirty Volunteers 9am-noon • Wednesdays / Fridays - Mt Whitfield Tracks ‘n’ Trails 9am-noon • Thursdays - Stratford Nursery - 9am-noon • Thursdays - ‘Weedbusters’ • Thursdays - Sugarworld Gardens gardening group - monthly • Fridays - Saltwater Creek ‘Salties’ 9am-noon • Weekends - Botanic Gardens Visitor Enhancement volunteers • Children’s Nature Activities Program - Little Taccas Interested in becoming involved with your local park, reserve or trail in your community? Contact us to be registered as a Council volunteer and be involved in beautifying your park (enhance planting, weed management, litter clean-up) and building community participation) with Council support. If you are interested in supporting any of our weekly groups or volunteering in your local area contact Volunteers Supervisor Louisa Grandy 0429 983 252 or email us at greenspaceourplace@cairns.qld.gov.au