Backyards for bees and butterflies

Come to this free public event, presented by Natalie Sanderson, of Backyards for Biodiversity SEQ Inc., on Thursday March 2, from 2 - 3.30pm, at the Arts and Ecology Centre, Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens, Tanawha.

This is part 1 of the 2023 Backyards to Biosphere program, and it will highlight the importance of pollinators, as well as threats that many species are facing.

“While I have a small garden at home, the community garden was far greater than my own ability to grow food,” she said.

“I have formed some wonderful friendships when nurturing my own mental and physical health. I may attend a morning working bee for an hour, or just pop in to check on some seedlings. That is the beauty of being a volunteer – it fits in with your program.

“We have many visitors, including young scouts, kindy students and some people with disabilities. They all get something out of their visit. It’s beautiful to see a young child realise where their food comes from.

“We enjoy attending monthly dinners on a Sunday evening after a gardening session and workshops at the garden where I have learnt about self-sufficiency, bush tucker, organic gardening and solving some of my own garden issues.

“Volunteering draws together people of different walks of life, cultures, ages, skills and personalities and blends them into a wonderful community for all to benefit. It is evident amongst our members that it works.”

Project manager Kay Nixon said people could choose to have their own plot or just join in for a very reasonable annual fee.

For more info email: contactsoil.soul@gmail.com or phone Kay 0412 539 020 or visit the Open Day on March 12 at 17-19 Hill Street, Palmwoods.

There will also be a discussion on ways of improving our gardens as wildlife habitat, starting with growing local plant species. Afternoon tea will be supplied during the discussion, and all are welcome with no booking required.

‘Biosphere’ means we don’t merely live in houses. We need to live in sustainable ecosystems… more biodiverse backyards, including yours! Let’s start making our backyards places for pollinators - bees, butterflies and other invertebrates, using local plants.

Organised by Friends of Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Gardens Inc. Email: friendsofMRBBG@gmail.com

Fruits of a native Garden for Wildlife

Often when people come into the nursery looking for beautiful bird-attracting plants, it is the vision of dramatic displays of colourful flowers that they have at the top of their mind. But what’s often overlooked are the benefits (and beauty) of a range of colourful native fruiting plants for wildlife.

Not only do fleshy fruits provide a wonderful food source for many birds (and other wildlife), they are also very attractive in a well designed native Garden for Wildlife.

In one of our member’s native Garden for Wildlife, splashes of colour from a range of fruiting plants can be seen throughout the garden through shades of green foliage. Of particular note, spectacular bursts of red berries can be seen on the Red Fruited Palm Lily (Cordyline rubra), and other plants providing different tones

Barung native Plant nursery and textures include the purple fruits of Velvet leaf (Callicarpa pedunculata), and Climbing deeringia (Deeringia amaranthoides).

Hairy psychotria (Psychotria loniceroides), has recently provided a feast for the King Parrots which cleaned up almost every fruit on the bush! But due to their deft harvesting, there was very little damage to the plant.

There is a variety of beautiful fruiting plants in the Barung Nursery at the moment, suited to a range of native garden designs. So if you are looking for the perfect species for your native gardening project, pop in and see the friendly team at the Barung Maleny Community Nursery.

Phone 5494 3151

Porters Lane Nursery opening times: Wednesday to Saturday 9am - 3pm

Following the devastating floods in Queensland, the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital was receiving green sea turtles found with ulcerated open wounds on their shells and flippers, often leading to the exposure of the underlying bone.

The veterinary team suspects that this is linked to diminishing sea grass availability, and due to low food supply, turtles are consuming a food source which normally contributes to a small part of their diet. In turn, this also causes severe gastrointestinal issues in green sea turtles.

Dr. Ludo Valenza, Hospital Supervisor and Veterinarian, said, “Since November 2021, we have received 76 green sea turtles affected by the disease, and the investigation into the cause of this disease is still underway.”

Most turtles currently in care are suffering from the soft-shell syndrome, and it can take months for the affected turtles to heal.

Every two to three years, a female turtle will breed and lay, potentially, hundreds of eggs. With only one in 1,000 turtles surviving to maturity, each nest is critical in the survival of this endangered species.

As one of the busiest sea turtle facilities in Australia, the Wildlife Hospital in Beerwah is continually providing the most specialised treatment and care to these animals to give them their greatest chance of survival.

The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, treating sick, injured and orphaned wildlife every day of the year.

To find out more about Wildlife Warriors please visit wildlifewarriors.org.au.

The Find a Frog in February volunteers found a new population of vulnerable species in their recent venture.

A band of 16 volunteers were observing the nighttime habitat along Obi Obi Creek after a frog workshop, delivered by Find a Frog in February coordinator, Eva Ford, from the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee, and held at Forest Heart Nursery.

The hot and humid evening was very uncomfortable for those present but was ideal for frogs who were enjoying the damp conditions following a few light showers.

Twenty-eight years ago the site was a grassy paddock alongside the creek; scant habitat value for more than grasshoppers. Barung Landcare carried out an intensive revegetation program in 1995 that is now selfsustaining due to the shade provided by the tall, dense rainforest canopy.

Thick leaf-litter and logs scattered on the forest floor along with naturally regenerating plants now provide refuge from predators for small creatures. The whole system creates a microclimate of cool, humid air and shade over the water.

The group was pleasantly surprised to find a large population of one of our vulnerable and very charismatic frogs; the Giant barred frog (Mixophyes iteratus).

“We were so excited,” Eva said. “I and other members of the group have looked for frogs at this site in the past and not found this species.

“The effort and patience that is needed to bring back ecosystems has paid off at this site and others, with real benefits for our biodiversity.”

The Giant barred frog is a stream specialist and a good indicator of healthy stream systems.

“Waterways are far more than a channel with water flowing along. Healthy water needs well-structured forest along the margins for bank stability and to support the myriad of cycles and interdependencies that support our living beings,” Eva said.

The Find a Frog in February volunteers are critical to increasing our knowledge of frogs throughout the program area, from the Sunshine Coast to Burrum Heads and beyond.

Koala Awareness Event

Join Hinterland Bush Links on Saturday March 18 at their Koala Education and Awareness event, presented by Vanda Grabowski from Koala Action Inc. and Queensland Koala Crusaders.

Learn about the threats that our local koala populations face, from habitat fragmentation to the impacts of invasive species, and become empowered to take actionable steps to improve koala habitat on your property and care for our koala populations from an expert in koala conservation.

Registration is essential, book via eventbrite.com. au and type in Koala Education and Awareness Presentation to the search bar.

About That Tree

4Paws Animal Rescue provides refuge for homeless dogs and cats on the Sunshine Coast. They are a not-for-profit organisation run entirely by volunteers.

4 Paws Animal Rescue cannot survive without foster families who take in animals, giving them unconditional love, training, nursing and rehabilitation so that they are ready for adoption. All 4 Paws animals are vet checked, microchipped, wormed, flea treated and de-sexed.

Here is one of their beautiful cats who needs your help! Introducing Gypsy! A sweet, gentle young two-year-old lady who is curious and likes to inspect anything new. Very playful, Gypsy likes a game of hide and seek, peek-a-boo and chase a string.

In the Wild

Finding the sunniest spot in your house she will bask in the sun or will sit in the window and watch the world go by.

Whilst she is not necessarily a lap cat right now she is still extremely friendly, smoochy and loves her human family. Rub her tummy and chin and she will be your friend forever.

Gypsy is an indoor cat and is currently with a foster carer however unfortunately their circumstances have changed and Gypsy needs a new furever home urgently.

Could you give Gypsy that loving new home she so desperately needs? Please visit 4pawsanimalrescue.org.au for more information.

Gypsy needs a loving home

with Spencer Shaw

Hope for Habitat

AsI sit here trying to type this month’s column, I can’t help but be distracted by the bird life darting, soaring, flitting, bounding, gliding and roosting in our gardens and revegetation areas. The heat of the last few weeks has eased, and the recent rain has refreshed the flora, and in turn, the fauna.

If I look out the office window for just a few seconds I can see Satin Flycatchers, Eastern Rosellas, Satin Bowerbirds, Currawongs, Noisy Mynahs, Swallows, Pardalotes, Red-browed Finches and Magpie Larks. Our place has become a veritable hive of activity for the local birds and it’s great to know that the habitat that we have established provides a place for so many critters to live and breed!

“Spencer that sounds amazing, how can I also create a paradise for my feathered friends?” I hear you ask? Well I hope a few of you are asking that question, I even hope a few of you are even nodding your heads in agreement because you are already creating a paradise for yourself and the local wildlife.

As always, a fundamental part of habitat restoration is a connection to the habitat you are trying to restore. The distance that you live from a patch of native bush or rainforest, will directly affect the amount of wildlife that will be able to colonise or move through your plantings.

The area of habitat available for fauna and flora directly affects the number and diversity of species (in this case birds). Small patches will only have a few species, large well connected patches will have maximum diversity. This is why we need to be revegetating; species are becoming locally extinct all the time, due to a lack of habitat and connection of habitat.

A key to re-establishing is a diverse mix of plants. For speedy shrubs, some local examples are Kangaroo AppleSolanum aviculare, Velvet Leaf – Callicarpa pedunculata and Native Mulberry - Pipturus argenteus, they can fruit within 12- 18 month!

Don’t forget to plant trees and shrubs such as Bottle Brushes (Melaleuca spp), for the Honey Eaters and Laurels such as Brown Bollygum - Litsea australis for the Pigeons.

The family of plants we often forget in our revegetation planting is the grasses, to attract seed eaters early in your restoration works you can’t go past planting species such as Kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra), and Bamboo grass (Austrostipa spp.).

All of these suggestions are of course just a taster, so many more with over 2000 species of plants native to the Sunshine Coast.

The great thing about creating a habitat garden is that they start to look after themselves. Birds in your backyard will spread seed, control insects, and their song and beauty, well that’s priceless!