Green Space Our Place Our Volunteers Voice
Enhancing our visitors’ experience 2018 in photos Celebrations at Sugarworld
Issue 21 December 2018
Front Page: A Volunteer Information Session held at the Airport Mangrove Boardwalk Back Page: Tapeinochilos ananassae, Backscratcher Ginger In this issue: • From the Editor - Louisa Grandy - this page • Enhancing our visitors’ experience - Page 3 • Sugarworld - the perfect place for a celebration - Pages 4-5 • Airport Mangrove Boardwalks Pages 6-7 • Snapshots 2018 - Pages 8-15 • A hard nut to crack - David Warmington - Page 16 • The misunderstood mistletoe Tom Collis - Page 17 • Sculpture Botanica - Page 18 • Friends activities in the Cairns Botanic Gardens - Page 19 • Feathered Friends - Yellow Oriole - Page 20 • Green Space Our Place - some interesting facts - Page 20 • Volunteer comments - Page 20 • Building a sense of community Page 21 • “Can we pick up rubbish on our way to school?” - Page 21 • Sexual dimorphism in birds: Part 3 - Jennifer Muir - Page 22 • Critters in the Gardens Beautiful Bracca - Dr David Rentz AM - Page 23 • Inflorescence arrangement Page 24 • Gapforce - Page 25 • Orchids and wasps - Barry Muir - Page 26 • Resident volunteer enhances council land - Page 27 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, John Peter, Dr David Rentz and Tom Collis.
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From the Editor
tagxedo.com
On behalf of Council and especially the Green team - Sarah, Christian and myself - I’d like to say a huge thank you to all of you; we continue to achieve so very much because of you. I’d also like to give a special mention to those who have helped us create four new programs this year.
- Sugarworld Friends have been meeting at the Sugarworld Botanic Gardens for over 10 years. We have joined forces and formed a monthly Sugarworld Gardening Group;
- The very popular History Tour Guides program providing tours on the history of Tanks Art Centre and Cairns Botanic Gardens precinct which has been booked out each Thursday since we began in July; - The ‘Weedbusters’ who have been controlling weeds such as Thunbergia in the Gardens reserve - massive effort; and - The latest program, Visitor Enhancement, with volunteers supporting visitors at the Botanic Gardens precinct. All our regular groups have been achieving so much and I’d just like to point out the Stratford Nursery group which has doubled in size and propagated over 17,000 seedlings. As a collective we have planted over 3000 plants, assisted with management plans at Cattana Wetlands and enhanced our local parks and reserves which is appreciated by both Council and the community.
A special mention goes out to the Clontarf Foundation. We have had a very rewarding experience joining up with them this year to transform the Forest Garden’s Duck Pond. Thank you. I’d also like to acknowledge and thank Council staff who have supported the program throughout the year. This support makes our jobs a lot easier. We wish you a wonderful festive season and look forward to working with you all in the new year.
Louisa
Enhancing our visitors’ experience New program proves valuable
Visitor Enhancement Volunteers, affectionately known as ‘The VEVS’ is underway with Joanne Matthews giving her time for the first morning shift in early September. Joanne said she was actually surprised at how busy she was in the three hours she spent offering advice and answering questions about the Cairns Botanic Gardens / Tanks Art Centre precinct. Joanne, who also volunteers in the Tracks ‘n’ Trails program said: “Although I was providing directions and answering questions, I actually learnt so much too. I loved it! I’ve also met so many different people.” Council’s Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre officer Ann Chalmers said it was wonderful to have volunteers supporting the precinct. “It is a particularly busy time of the year and we have to balance serving our customers in the shop, answer the phone as well as provide advice and give direction. The support offered by volunteers was very well received. Joanne was fantastic!” Ann said.
Joanne Matthews giving directions to one of the many visitors to the Botanic Gardens / Tanks Art Centre precinct
Also volunteering in this new program are Ingrid Clarke, Chelsea Scanlan, Chris Holtz and Mary Ettling. All of them feel this is a very valuable role for the precint. Jenny Martin continues to offer support at weekends, which she has been doing for two years.
Ingrid Clarke enjoys the VEV role
Chelsea Scanlan and Jenny Martin discuss information to be shared with visitors
Chris Holtz on her first day volunteering in the VEV program
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Reward & Recognition
Sugarworld - the perfect place for a celebration
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Each year Green Space Our Place (GSOP) organises a celebration to recognise and reward our dedicated volunteers. This year we chose the Sugarworld Botanic Gardens to promote this beautiful location and recognise the support of the Friends of Sugarworld Gardens Inc. Our guest speakers were Deputy Mayor Terry James who thanked the volunteers on behalf of Council; Community Development manager Brett Spencer who praised the GSOP staff; and Friends of Sugarworld Botanic Gardens Inc.(FOSG) president Fran Lindsay who gave an overview of Sugarworld and its history. This year Five Years of Service certificates were awarded to Prue Fitzpatrick and Sharren Wong from the Jabirus (Cattana Wetlands program), and Wendy Russell, Rhonnie Lavater and Alex Edwards from Down ‘n’ Dirty (Cairns Botanic Gardens program). Pictured: 1. Myra Jensen, 2. Cr Terry James (third from left) with the Green Space Our Place team Christian Cluver, Sarah Gosling and Louisa Grandy; 3. Jenny Martin and Friends of Cairns Botanic Gardens president Val Schier; 4. Friends of Sugarworld Botanic Gardens Fran Lindsay, Merelene Lisha, George Lisha, Jim Hill, Myra Jensen; 5. Jabirus volunteers greeted by Sarah Gosling; 6. Louisa Grandy and Prue Fitzpatrick (celebrating 5 years of service); 7. Anne Griffin and Carolyn Scott; 8. FOSG president Fran Lindsay; 9. Fran Lindsay and Cairns Botanic Gardens curator David Warmington; 10. Clontarf Foundation’s Rod Jensen and Travis Thorne; 11. Chelsea Scanlan; 12. Ingrid Clarke; 13. Gary Abbott; 14. Council’s Cultural Services manager Stephen Foster, Community Development manager Brett Spencer and Cr John Schilling; 15. Janice Pichon and Val Shier; 16. George Lisha; 17. from left, Vito Husak, Christina Shepherd, Lee Ross, Jenny Parsons, Jim Hill and Prue Fitzpatrick; 18. Cairns Botanic Gardens staff Dean Austin and Ben Allgood; 19. Bernie Mason and Sandy Long; 20. volunteers support officer Christian Cluver with Aude Meiffredi.
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Information Sessions
Peter Shanahan led a group through the Jack Barnes Mangrove Boardwalk in August. There is a stark contrast between the two boardwalks with very different mangrove species featured in both.
Walking amongst the Rhizophora stylosa on the southern boardwalk
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Leonie and Ingrid on the northern boardwak
Rhizophora stylosa
Ceriops and Avicennia on the northern boardwalk
Peter Shanahan giving a talk on the mangrove boardwalks
Jack Barnes Mangrove Boardwalk The Jack Barnes Mangrove Boardwalk was our venue for the August ‘Volunteer Information Session’ with Peter Shanahan teaching us about mangroves and their habitat. Following is information Peter provided for the interpretive material many years ago.
They also support large bird populations and their complex roots break up surging storm waters, protecting the fragile coastline from erosion.
Mangroves and their importance to the environment and to humans
Mangroves were once regarded as mosquito infested swamps of little or no value to society. As a result of this incorrect thinking many mangrove areas were destroyed by landfill or used as garbage dumps. Today all Queensland mangroves are protected ecosystems under State and Federal legislation.
Mangroves are communities of plants adapted to survive in salt and brackish water environments. Some species excrete salt from special pores in the leaves or store it in old leaves where it is disposed of when the leaf dies and falls off. Mangrove muds are rich in nutrients and organic matter but very low in oxygen. Many species have arial, prop or buttress roots for support in the soft unstable mud. These roots all serve as pneumatophores allowing the plants to obtain oxygen from the air which diffuses into the buried roots.
The Mangrove Ecosystem: its productivity and ecological importance
These highly productive inter-tidal ecosystems support a range of complex food webs and are nursery areas for a wide range of commercial and recreational fishing activities.
Decaying mangrove leaves and other organic materials provide nourishment for algae and microscopic organisms. These are food for shrimp, prawns, mud crabs, fiddler crabs and filter-feeding molluscs such as oysters that are a food Mangroves have buoyant seeds Bruguiera gymnorhiza source for large predatory fish species, that are suited to dispersal by water such as Barramundi, Jewfish, Threadfin, movement. Many mangrove plants are viviparous; that is their seeds germinate while still Bream and Mangrove Jack. attached to the parent tree. Once germinated, the seedling grows out from the base of the fruit to form a propagule. When the propagule is mature it drops into the water and remains dormant until it lodges safely in the soil, sprouts roots and begins to grow.
There are 69 species of mangrove trees and shrubs found world wide representing 20 separate plant families. 35 species are found in North Queensland, making it the richest region for mangroves in Australia. Mangroves are important nurseries for prawns, crabs, fish and many small marine animals that thrive in the nutrientrich environment.
Some species of fish that are normally found in the open ocean and on coral reefs return annually to the mangroves to spawn. Their larvae and juveniles remain in these nursery areas until they are mature enough to move out to sea. Some adult fish, such as Sea Mullet, spawn at sea and their larvae along with the larvae and eggs of some reef fish, are swept into the mangroves where they develop through their early stages. At low tide mudskippers and fiddler crabs are easily seen as they emerge to graze on the nutrient rich mudflats. As the tide flow changes, garfish and mullet can be seen feeding on food caught by the flowing water.
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8 1 0 2 s t o h s ap
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Erica spreading mulch in the Chinese Friendship Garden
Down ‘n’ Dirty volunteers, from left Leonie, Erica (back), Judith and Wendy cleaning the creek in Cairns Botanic Gardens
Alex and Aude in the Freshwater Lake Garden
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Anne takes a moment to smell a flower at Cairns Botanic Gardens
Gary and Lee enjoying a chat at the Down ‘n’ Dirty morning tea break
y t r i D ’ n ‘ n Doairwns Botanic Gardens
Group shot after a morning spent mulching in the Gondwanan Heritage Garden
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Lyn and Ric in the Fitzalan Garden
Graeme mulching at the Chinese Friendship Garden
Down ‘n’ Dirty volunteers at the beginning of a morning spent at Freshwater Lake Garden
Leslie pulling out Syngonium at Fitzalan Garden
Chelsea clearing the Red Arrow Track
Helen and Pat pulling out a weed fern in the Fitzalan Garden
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Sharren tending to new seedlings
Strarfsoerrdy Nu
Ian and Lisa potting up native seedlings
Dianne at the potting bench
Lisa watering native tubestock
Christina washing up with Little Taccas
Robyn and Bella sterilising tools to complete their morning
Peter playing hide and seek with a Little Tacca
Christina and Ingrid sharing stories
Little Taccas
Children’s Nature Activities Program
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Charlie having fun with the Little Taccas
Jabir us Catt
ana Wetland
Trevor ensuring Sandy is all set for the launch of the new canoe
Trevor has spent many hours brushcutting the larger weeds at Cattana Wetlands
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Jabirus heading off for a well-deserved break after filling the back of the ute with Signapore Daisy weed
Vito oiling the benches on Cuckoo Lake
Jabirus have one of the best sites at Cattana Wetlands to enjoy a morning break
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Sugarworld Janice and Lyn painting the bench donated by Friends of Sugarworld Gardens
Sugarworld Friends and gardening group enjoy a cuppa under the Rain Tree
Wendy and Lois with a full trailer of prunings
Fran and Janice with a collection of citrus fruit
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Sandy and Kuljeet assisting in the Sugarworld tropical orchard
Weedbusters
Joel clearing a path for weed control
Lisa spraying cut stems of Thunbergia grandiflora
Jim pruning the bananas
Christian and Aude controlling Mucuna bennettii
Matthew weeding along the Esplanade
Carolyn and Matthew mulching at the Esplanade gardens
Diarmuid with a bag of weeds
Esplanade Sandpipers Mia weeding Crows Foot weed from Esplanade lawn
Charlie mulching with the Sandpipers
Charlie, Chris (back) and Carolyn weeding a Gardenia bed
History Guides
History Tour Guides, from left, Janice, Bernie, Sandy and Lyn (absent: Chris)
Bernie begins the History Tour in front of the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre 13
Sitting on a new bench they built on Ivan Evans track, from left, Peter, Russell, Hiromi and Sarah
’ n ‘ s k c a Tr Trahiitlfiseld Mt W
Asphalt job well done! Hiromi, Scott and Sarah
Peter and Rob cutting timber for step repairs 14
Refurbishing timber rail on the Red Arrow, Than Win Maung, Thein Myint and Aung Thang
Russell clearing steps on the Green Arrow
Hiromi and Sarah repairing steps on the Red Arrow track
Daniele clearing foliage from the Green Arrow track
Mulching at Jalarra Park
Jalar ra Park Stratford
David and his dog Tucker are regulars at the Jalarra Park working bees
Bridget, Lesley and Hazel weeding Singapore Daisy from the creek bank
Tom and David pulling out Singapore Daisy
Dee donated and planted a Brachychiton at Jalarra Park
From left, Les, Paul, Tom and Bridget with Shane who assisted with mulching at Jalarra Park
Les and Paul collecting fallen palm fronds
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Around the Gardens Curator David Warmington
A hard nut to crack Cairns Botanic Gardens has some amazing plants such as the Amorphophallus titanum, Titan Arum, the giant water lily Victoria amazonica, and incredible flowering vines like the Strongylodon macrobotrys, Jade Vine as well as some very interesting trees and palms. For the first time we have recently seen the fruit of one of the Monkey Pot Trees which is surely the king of the nuts. ‘Monkey Pot’ is a common name for many tropical trees in the genus Lecythis and the fruits produced by these trees. This large woody capsule has a lid that bursts open when the seeds are ripe.
stick its hand into a pot". This refers to the fact that a young monkey may plunge its hand into the capsule and not be able to withdraw the fistful of nuts whereas an experienced older monkey will remove the nuts singly. While this monkey pot is from the Paradise Nut Lecythis ollaria, it is very similar to the most well-known member of this family the Brazil Nut, Bertholletia excelsa, which is a huge tree native to tropical South America.
The Paradise Nut is said to be sweeter than Brazil Nuts, with a superior flavour and easier to digest. However it does need to be treated with some caution as evidence The name comes from the practice of using these woody suggests the tree is an accumulator of selenium that could capsules to trap monkeys. Food was placed in the capsule reach hazardous levels depending on the amount of nuts and while the monkey was able to put their hand inside the consumed. capsule they were unable to remove it when grasping the The tree can be found growing in the Saltwater Lakes food and reluctant to release their tasty morsel. section where you will find many other interesting plants There is an old proverb "a wise old monkey doesn't
‘Little Tacca’ Nathan Shmueli proudly holds onto the ‘Monkey Pot’ to demonstrate its size 16
that have edible fruits or other useful properties.
Exploring our rainforest Tom Collis Jalarra Park Volunteers
The misunderstood mistletoe In Australia there are about 90 different types of mistletoe. They are a semi-parasitic plant most commonly seen growing on the branches of trees. Less familiar types of mistletoe grow on the roots of other plants, and a species called Viscum grows on other mistletoes. Mistletoes borrow water and nutrients from the host plant but also produce their own food through photosynthesis.
There are natural controls that keep the spread of mistletoe in check. For example possums select the highly nutritious mistletoe leaves in preference to the leaves of a host tree. Even caterpillars can strip mistletoes of leaves very quickly helping to control the mistletoe growth. Mistletoe plants are sensitive to fire, are not long lived and die after about seven years.
Mistletoes are highly beneficial for birds and other animals providing them with food throughout the year. The flowers produce copious amounts of nectar, the tiny berries are high in protein and carbohydrates, and even the leaves are nutritious.
Because of the negativity associated with the word ‘parasite’ many people believe mistletoe is a pest that eventually kills the host tree. Although this occurs occasionally it is not a good strategy, as the mistletoe will die as well. The death of a host tree is more likely in disturbed areas where the natural cycle has been disrupted. Studies have shown that complete removal of mistletoes from an ecosystem can reduce the diversity of native birds and rather than being a pest it can be an indicator of a healthy ecosystem.
During the day, nectar-feeding birds such as honeyeaters and parrots flock to the mistletoe flowers gorging themselves on the sweet nectar. Butterflies lap up the nectar and at night Sugar-Gliders and Blossom Bats seek out the nutritious fluid. The fruit of the mistletoe is a berry eaten almost exclusively by the tiny Mistletoebird. The berries pass through the simple digestive system of the bird in less than 30 minutes. In this short period only the outer coating of the fruit is digested leaving a sticky seed. To get rid of the sticky seed the Mistletoebird wipes its vent on the branch of a host tree spreading new mistletoe plants far and wide.
Photos Top: Amyema conspicua mistletoe laden with nectar Below left: Viscum articulatum, a mistletoe species that grows on other mistletoe Centre: Buds and flowers of the Mistletoe Amyema sp. Below right: Mistletoebird on a powerline with a sticky seed
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‘Forest Belles’ by Anne Jillett
Sculpture Botanica was once again a huge drawcard for Cairns Botanic Gardens with 15 natural sculptures placed along a trail to be explored by visitors.
‘Spirited Dancers’ Amanda McGahan
The Sculpture Botanica 2018 artists with Cr Linda Cooper (third from right) at the launch Friday 12 October ‘My Place’ Marion Gaemers
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‘Friends of the Forest’ Meiyin Ahnsuz
‘Understorey’ Marcia Bird
Participants in the ‘Sailing’ workshop
Friends activities in the Cairns Botanic Gardens Friends of Cairns Botanic Gardens contribute their time in many ways, from becoming a member of the Committee and supporting events such as the monthly guest speakers and the Jazz Under the Stars evening; to assisting visitors in the Friends Shop; providing garden tours and propagating plants to sell at plant sales. Tours of Flecker Garden Friends Visitor Guides provide free tours for visitors to the Flecker Garden from Monday to Friday, leaving from the Friends Shop at 10am. If you wish to pre-arrange a tour for a group or organisation, email fobg@bigpond. com for further details. Plant sales
Friends Visitor Guide Bill leading a group of visitors through the Flecker Gardens on a Wednesday morning
The Friends ‘Gardeneers’ meet each Wednesday morning to propagate plants. They also have a ‘Trolley Plant Sale’ outside the Friends Shop from 9.3011.30am. The ‘Gardeneers’ also have three larger sales each year - Pre-Easter Sale, at Carnival on Collins and the Christmas Plant Sale. All money raised is used to purchase plants for the Cairns Botanic Gardens. Monthly guest speakers Guest speaker nights are held on the second Wednesday of the month. This year has seen a wide range of topics from cassowaries, rainforest food, fungi and trees in history to name a few. There have also been a couple of Moth Nights presented by Dr David Rentz MA (see his article Page 23 - ‘Critters in the Gardens’). If you would like to become a member, pick up a membership form or email info@ botanicfriendscairns.org.au for further details.
‘Gardeneer’ Rae selling plants at the Wednesday morning ‘Trolley Plant Sale’
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Green Space Our Place
Feathered Friends
some interesting facts
Jennifer Muir
Yellow Oriole Orioles are often difficult to spot as they forage among the foliage high in the treetops, and it’s often only their songs that give them away. Two species of orioles occur in Queensland, the Yellow and the Olive-backed. Conveniently, the Olive-backed Oriole tells you its name with its repeats ‘ory-ory-oriole’ over and over again but the Yellow Oriole is far less informative, giving quite a different call: a loud, gargling ‘yok-yok-yoddle’ instead.
Green Space Our Place currently has 286 active volunteers and over a year our volunteers contributed approx. 32,000 hours. Sites where we volunteer - Botanic Gardens, Cattana Wetlands, Mt Whitfield, Saltwater Creek, Cairns Esplanade, Stratford Native Nursery, Sugarworld Gardens and the suburbs of Forest Gardens, Clifton Beach, Kewarra Beach, Machans Beach, Trinity Beach, Yorkeys Knob, Redlynch, White Rock, Earlville, Caravonica, Edge Hill, Whitfield, Mooroobool, Brinsmead, Stratford, Manoora and Smithfield. During 2017/18 we planted over 3000 trees and propagated 13,500 plants. This year we have created two new partnerships; Gap Force UK, hosting groups of international volunteers four times a year for two weeks each; and Clontarf Foundation which transformed the Forest Gardens’ Duck Pond. We also created the new ‘Pocket Garden’ model of Community Garden. These are unfenced edible gardens in parks and reserves, managed under our program.
The bubbling song of the Yellow Oriole can be heard right across North Queensland, as well as in the Top End and the Kimberley. It is so loud that it often drowns out the calls of other birds of the dawn chorus. The Yellow Orioles may call throughout the day, even during the hottest hours, when almost everything else is taking it easy. However, they only sing during the breeding season, between September and March, and they are nearly silent for the rest of the year. This absence of song often leads people to think that Yellow Orioles migrate after the Wet Season has finished, but their only movements are local, following the availability of food, eating all manner of fruits and berries, but they especially seem to favour figs. They seldom nest in fruiting trees, preferring paperbarks or mangroves, where their open, cupshaped nests, made from strips of bark, leaves and vine tendrils, are suspended from thin, forked branches. Two or three blotched and spotted eggs are laid, and occasionally they are surreptitiously joined in the nest by an Eastern Koel egg as well.
By John Peter 20
Richard and Aye Sander
Volunteer comments
“We had a good time and fun with the Herb & Spice Garden volunteer group. Garden’s Curator David Warmington is a nice and friendly person, sharing his knowledge about plants. “We brought some homegrown pumpkin and papaya plants and passed to David and he helped us transfer them to the garden. Hopefully they will grow well. “We would love to come back again to the program when we return to Cairns as we love plants and gardening and we love to serve and volunteer.” Aye Sander
Building a sense of community
Cairns is a welcoming and friendly place offering a relaxed and laidback lifestyle. Its people are generous, ready and willing to lend a hand to others when difficult times arise. They are resilient and pragmatic. But sometimes help is needed to build a sense of community. The Cairns Regional Council Community Services Unit aims to work with interested people and communities to build a sense of place through connecting people as neighbours. When neighbours are connected a street is more than where your house is. It can be a vibrant and safe place; the type of place where people want to be.
Getting to know neighbours creates safe and connected places and builds social capital - creates benefits that come from developing trust, reciprocating behaviour, sharing information and cooperation through the creation of social networks. Connecting with others around us makes safer places and friendlier spaces. Like financial capital, social capital creates value for the individual. By doing this we end up with great communities, not just places where people eat, sleep and watch television.
From left: Christy Van Der Heyden (rear), Nicole Schellback (front), Mariko Molleneaux, Gary Warner, Alan Blackshaw, Elizabeth Tyerman and Ian Chill.
Social Justice principles of equity, equality, participation and access underpin the work of the unit, with an emphasis on: • working with people rather than for them (“grassroots”); • enhancing participation in the community and in decision making, especially for the most disadvantaged; • focusing on geographic communities as integrated wholes, The Community Services Unit operates on the concept that not just target groups (place based); real community change comes from within the community and • building on the existing strengths, skills and organisational not from outside experts. It incorporates concepts of building capacities of communities; relationships to build community. • providing opportunities for relationship building within and between communities (partnerships) The Community Services Unit works to find ways for people • building relationships between people to share power and to connect. When people connect as neighbours they build resources (includes interagencies and networks); communities that are welcoming, where they feel safe, happier • providing advocacy for, but not restricted to: People with a and protected. Disability, Multicultural Communities, First People’s Youth; The Community Services Unit focusses on four main principles: • providing grant funding for community projects and • Build strong communities through partnerships with celebrations residents; • partnering with other units from Council and community • Support inclusive communities; groups/individuals. • Planning social infrastructure with a focus on human If you would like to discuss an idea or project contact the centred design; and Community Services Unit at community_development@cairns. • Raise awareness of, and provide considered professional qld.gov.au. advice on, social issues.
"Can we pick up rubbish on the way to school?" Our Lady Help of Christians school contacted Green Space Our Place asking if they could help with collecting rubbish on their way to school. We supplied them with gloves, pickers and rubbish bags and on the “Monday walking bus” students picked up rubbish along the route to school.
Hayley
“They did a great job picking up paper, cans, plastic and any small items of rubbish. Thanks to CRC for their help,” said Heather-Ann Cochrane of Our Lady Help of Christians school.
Madeline, Xavier, Anastasia and Tom 21
Sexual dimorphism in birds: Part 3 In this third article, we’ll look at another two bird species that are ‘sexually dimorphic’, that is, the male’s colours, and patterns, if any, differ from the female’s. See also previous two issues of Green Space Our Place, Our Volunteers Voice. In nature, there is a reason for everything (though adaptation-evolution continues for better combinations) and ‘sexual dimorphism’ is about choice of mate with the best genes to pass on to the next generation, ad infinitum, for better chances of survival of that species into the future. Thus, a male bird with strong colours, such as brighter red facial skin and brighter yellow feathers (Australasian Figbird below) is more likely to have good genes than a bird with paler colours, which may even be unwell. As in the previous articles, we are only looking at those differences we can see in these photos. Some differences aren’t always apparent in photos, and sometimes other differences we see in nature are due to body position; effects of light or shade; distance from observer; state of feathers such as wet or dry; or during moulting. Here are two Australasian Figbirds: male and the female carrying nesting material. Just by looking at these two photos, you see some obvious differences.
Male Figbird
Female Figbird 22
Starting at the head (the usual way to describe a bird), you can see the male’s head is black, while the female’s head appears streaked like her body. The male’s facial skin is red, pinkish or orange, and the female’s bluish. Degree of red of the male’s facial skin can depend on his mood – if he is excited, such as if he sees a smorgasbord of fruit awaiting his pleasure, his eye skin may be redder. The male’s nape (back of neck), back and
Jennifer Muir
wings are mainly olive green; but although only part of the female’s wings can be seen in her photo, you can see they tend to be brown and streaked olive green. Apart from the reddish facial skin, the male’s other striking feature is his yellow throat and underparts, whereas the female is whitish with vertical grey streaks.
Australasian Darter - male
The Australasian Darter, an impressive waterbird, is also known as the Snakebird because while swimming it often holds its long snake-like neck above the water, resembling a swimming snake. You can see the top of the male’s head is blacker than the female’s and both sexes have a white stripe from below the eye along the side of the neck. (The male’s ‘eye-stripe’ is usually bordered by chestnut which can be just seen in this photo.) The male’s neck (which has a rusty-brown patch that fades with age) and most of its body is glossy black; the female mainly grey-brown with whitish or pale buff neck and underparts. The male’s wings (held out to dry in the above photo) are iridescent with grey-buff-cream streaks, while the female’s are generally grey-brown. Both sexes hang out their wings to dry, as do their relatives, the Cormorants, because their feathers are not waterproof. This reduces buoyancy, enabling the birds Australasian Darter - female to chase prey under water. Other differences that can be seen from other points of view, are not apparent in these photos.
Critters in the Gardens - Beautiful Bracca Dr David Rentz AM Anyone who lives in or near rainforests from Cooktown to Eungella is bound to come upon a fairly large bluish grey moth, Bracca rotundata (Family: Geometridae; Ennominae; Boarmiini). The moth is rarely seen during the day unless it is on a wall or near a lamp-post. Bluish moths are rare and this one is particularly attractive with a pleasing combination of colours and patterns. In contrast to the rest of the insect the abdomen is bright yellow. I have noticed that in running insect-attracting lights for many years, moths remaining on the light sheet in the morning are gathered up by hungry birds. However, Bracca moths remain untouched. Although large, measuring more than 50mm across, these moths remain motionless on the light sheet often for an entire day. The birds avoid them. The disturbance caused by the moth-eating birds does not seem to affect Bracca. So why are they overlooked by the hungry birds? The shape of the moth is not unusual so it’s probably not the search image that protects the moth. They perch, wings out-stretched just like most other moths. The answer may be in the colour of the moth, and, perhaps, its odour (if it has one). These moths may be distasteful
to birds and other vertebrates. They could be toxic or poisonous. The Bracca caterpillars are equally impressive. They are black, orange and white, very distinctive and move about in typical inch-worm fashion as do most caterpillars in the family Geometridae. The late Murdock de Baar discovered that the host plant of the caterpillar is a rainforest vine, Austrobaileya scandens. It is said to be a primitive vine up to 15m in height (although ‘scandens’ would suggest a ground dwelling plant). The vine is the only member in its family and is endemic to northern Queensland. The host plant may be involved with the moth’s success in not being consumed by vertebrates. The plant may impart toxic chemicals into the physiology of the caterpillar and, eventually, the moth. As far as I know, no one has experimented along these lines to determine if this is the case. I have never seen the plant nor the caterpillar but it must be common since the moths are regular visitors to all light sheets in rainforest areas. Perhaps the vine could be grown in the Botanic Gardens to enhance the survival of the moth. Literature: DeBaar, M. 2008. Life history notes on Bracca rotundata (Butler) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) and Oxycophina theorina (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Thyrididae). Australian Entomologist 35: 141-143. 23
Hort. Notes
Inf lorescence arrangement
This issue of Hort. Notes will cover infloresences the arrangement of flowers on the plant.
An inflorescence is a flowering shoot that carries more than one flower. The following is an introduction to the basic terms used to describe the arrangement of flowers.
Racemose Inflorescences -smallest sphere represent the youngest flowers
Solitary Flowers Flowers are said to be solitary when the plant bears only one, or when single flowers appear on the ends of lateral branches that are remote from one another.
Head Head
Racemose inflorescences Racemose inflorescences are characterised by a pattern of branching termed monopodial. The main axis continues to grow, producing lateral buds, which become flowers or shoots that repeat the same pattern. The youngest buds are nearest the apex.
Spike
Terms: Spike - flowers arranged on a single axis, individual flowers lacking stalks. Corymbose panicle Panicle
Raceme - flowers arranged on a single axis, each flower stalked. Panicle - flowers produced in much branched complex structures resembling the branching pattern of a tree. It is important to realise that panicles can incorporate other basic inflorescence patterns such as umbels and cymes.
Cymes
Corymb - flowers arranged so that they are on the same level more or less in the same plane. Umbel - flowers arising from one point at the apex of a stalk, each flower on its own stalk. Fascicle - flowers arising from one point on a twig or branch, each flower with or without a stalk (corymbs are stalked ie peduncle). Head - flowers produced in definite structures where the flowers (often without stalks) are densely packed in various ways without any obvious branching pattern.
Fascicle
Diagram excerpt reprinted with permission Name That Flower, Clarke & Lee Melbourne University Publishing, 2003 24
Cymose inflorescences In cymose inflorescences, or ‘cymes’, the growth of the main axis is terminated by a flower. One or more lateral buds behind that flower then devleop until their growth is in turn stopped by the production of flowers.
Gapforce
Gapforce international volunteers, the final group for 2018, took part in a variety of activities within the Green Space Our Place program. Top: Guin, Chris and Joe repairing steps on Mt Whitfield’s Red Arrow track. Above: Relaxing after the final day at Sugarworld, where they spread 150m3 mulch, are from left Chris, Joe, Guin and Chris. Right top: Digging out bamboo on the Red Arrow. Right: Getting ready for their second day of spreading mulch at Sugarworld, from left Chris, Conor, Joe, Lauren, Chris and Guin. 25
Rhynchostylis gigantea
Orchids and wasps
Barry Muir
I was prompted to write this article after a chance observation in my garden. I was checking out my specimen of the orchid Rhynchostylis gigantea, a very attractive little orchid from south-east Asia, when I noticed a male flower wasp enthusiastically mating with one of the flowers. He seemed to be enjoying himself so much that I made a dash for my camera, but, of course, he was gone by the time I returned. Nonetheless, from my limited knowledge of wasps and a bit of research, I think he was a flower wasp of the Family Tiphiidae, possibly Campsomeris species.
step further. Part of the flower looks like the female wasp (pictured below). When the male grabs “her”, intending to fly off, the flower swings over on a little hinge and bangs the male’s head against the pollen structure. He then flies off to try his luck elsewhere, carrying the pollen with him.
Rhynchostylis gigantea orchid flowers have a little platform on which the wasp can land and a conspicuous centre to the flower. Pollination by sexual deception is known for many Australian ground-orchids from drier climates.
Interestingly, many of the “mating-method” orchids are inconspicuous or dull coloured, with little or no perfume detectable by humans. This is because they are using insectscent, not food, to attract the male wasps so they don’t need to advertise with large, showy flowers.
The flower produces a scent that is very similar to the perfume emitted by female wasps to attract a mate. This is particularly important for wasps of the Family Tiphiidae, because the female wasps are wingless and the perfume helps any males flying downwind of the female to track her down. The majority of flowering plants offer a reward to their pollinators in the form of pollen or nectar. This also applies to most orchids, but there are about 10,000 species of orchids that use either female sexual attractant perfumes or a false promise of food by showing bright colours and strong sweet scents. These masters of deception don’t provide pollen, nectar or a mate! Male wasps attempt to mate with the flower and in doing so they get pollen on their bodies and then move to another flower where they deposit the pollen and achieve pollination for the orchid. These curious little orchids from south-west Australia go a 26
There are at least nine genera of ground orchids in Australia that use the sexual-deception approach, but I could find little information about overseas (there is one European orchid that does) or epiphytic (tree-growing) orchids like Rhynchostylis) using the method.
Considering the huge variety of orchid flowers, one wonders how many of the Asian or South-American orchids we grow in our gardens attract male insects by using sexual-deception. The insects will be different here in Australia, but maybe some of the perfumes are sufficiently similar that they attract Australian male insects.
Resident volunteer enhances Council land
V
olunteer Paul Clark, in Greenock Way, Brinsmead has transformed two Council easements adjoining his land. Council fficers no longer need to include two grassy slopes into their weekly maintenance schedule as Paul has volunteered to spend his time maintaining these areas, transforming them with mulch and flowering plants. The amount of mulch he has spread is staggering well done Paul! Paul has done this under the Green Space Our Place
program and is registered as a volunteer. The plants and mulch were supplied by the program. If you would like to enhance adjoining land to your property or a local park in your area, contact us. JOIN THE FRIENDS Friends of the Botanic Gardens, Cairns Membership details email - phone 4032 3900 or email info@botanicfriendscairns.org.au After joining you can support the Friends in many ways; as a committee member, in the Friends Shop, as a tour guide or assisting with events.
Friends of Sugarworld Botanic Gardens Contact Fran Lindsay frantastic10@bigpond.com
Newsletter Contributions: Please submit articles (must be volunteer or nature based) by first week of January for the next quarterly publication in March. Email: l.grandy@cairns.qld.gov.au Please note articles are subject to editing.
Like us on Facebook to keep up to date with all events or visit our websites: - Green Space Our Place - Cairns Botanic Gardens - Friends of the Botanic Gardens
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Green Space Our Place
Tuesdays - Cattana Wetlands Jabirus 9am-noon Tuesdays - Esplanade ‘Sandpipers’ 9am-noon Wednesdays - Botanic Gardens Down ’n’ Dirty volunteers 9am-noon Thursdays - Stratford Nursery 9am-noon Thursdays - ‘Weedbusters’ 9am-noon Thursdays - History Tour Guides 10am Thursday (once a month) - Sugarworld Gardeners & Friends Fridays - Saltwater Creek ‘Salties’ 9am-noon Wednesdays and Fridays - Tracks ‘n’ Trails 9am-noon Children’s Nature Activities Program - Little Taccas New groups - Visitor Enhancement, and History Tour Guides
Interested in becoming involved with your local park, reserve or tracks in your community? Contact us to register as a Council volunteer and be involved in beautifying your park (enhance planting, weed management, litter clean-up), reporting on issues (graffiti and vandalism, anti-social behaviour, maintenance issues) and building community participation (networking activities) 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 4032 6648 or email greenspaceourplace@cairns.qld.gov.au 27