Green Space Our Place Our Volunteers Voice
Green Space Our Place
Green Space Our Place
Snapshots 2020 and celebrations
‘The Green Space’ ISSUE 25activated DECEMBER 2019
Mapping Cairns trees
ISSUE 29 DECEMBER 2020
Front Page: Hiromi planting trees at Russell St Enviro Park. Back Page: Mucuna novo-guineensis, Flame of the Forest vine Graeme Masterman. In this issue: • From the Editor - Page 2 • Snapshots 2020 - Pages 3-5 • ‘The Green Space’ activities underway - Pages 6-7 • End of Year Celebrations Pages 8-11 • The nature and value of bark - Pages 12-13 • What to do with disused bunkers? - Pages 14-15 • A twitching caterpillar Pages 16-17 • Mapping the location and species of Cairns trees Page 18 • Catching up with Friends Page 19 • Did you know...? - Page 19 • Feathered Friends - Page 20 • Beautiful and bizarre - the Aroid family - Pages 20-21 • Tropical Fruits Sugarworld Page 21 • Australian Lorikeets - Pages 22-23 • In a balcony garden - Pages 24-25 • The world beneath our feet: Part 2 - Pages 26-27 • Contact information - Page 28
Editor - Volunteers Supervisor, Louisa Grandy Proof readers - Michelle Walkden and volunteers Sandy Long and Jenn Muir Contributors - Volunteers Barry Muir, Jenn Muir, Dr David Rentz AM, Tom Collis, Lorraine Smith, Val Schier, Janice Pichon and John Peter.
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Welcome,
I looked back at last December’s ‘From the Editor’ column and saw that I ended with “I wonder what we will create in 2020”. Considering the unusual year we’ve had, we’ve still achieved so much!
We began the year planting over 5000 trees in various locations! An amazing effort thanks to the volunteers. Following the suspension, we’ve registered new volunteers on a weekly basis and now have over 400 participants.
We found that people were wanting to be outside more than ever and socialising in a safe environment, while some were in between jobs and wanting to stay busy until they returned to work. There were also those who just wanted to give back to the community. We’ve been happy to support our community in this way and thank each and every one of you for taking part in the activities we provide to enhance our ‘green spaces’. There are new projects / programs underway such as Bramston Beach Melaleuca Creek Rehabilitation Group, the Bugeja Park Butterfly Project in Freshwater and Edge Hill’s Russell St Enviro Group that began last month.
We wish to congratulate those who have completed 5 years of service: Anne Griffin, Geoff McClure, Ingrid Clarke, Gary Abbott; and 10 years, Jason Lunson and Mike Denney. And also congratulations to our Down ‘n’ Dirty volunteer, Pat MacConnacher (pictured with the Aussie flags right) who became an Australian citizen this year. May you get to spend the festive season with your family and loved ones! We look forward to seeing you again in the new year.
Louisa
SNAPSHOTS 2020
Jabirus planting the new wildlife corridor at Cattana Wetlands.
Down ‘n’ Dirties Pat, Bernie, Lyn and Christopher digging out weedy tubers in the Botanic Gardens.
Catching up over morning tea, Down ‘n’ Dirties Alex, Wendy, Erica and Rhonnie.
Jabirus watering the new plantings.
Down ‘n’ Dirty Anne detailing garden beds.
Down ‘n ‘Dirties Joanne and Catherine pruning the Visitor Centre gardens.
Jabirus Prue, Fran and Jenny.
Down ‘n’ Dirty volunteers Sophia, Jo and Jenny digging out weedy tubers at Cairns Botanic Gardens. 3
SNAPSHOTS 2020
Bramston Beach Melaleuca Rehabilitation Group joined us this year.
Jalarra Park volunteers are making a difference with the creek revegetation project Hazel, Les and David.
Families supported the tree planting at Byron Terrace, Redlynch.
Patrick watering at the Russell St Enviro Park. 4
New group at Russell St Enviro Park preparing the area for tree planting in the wet season, from left, Pat, Jenny, Janice, Brigette, Raiza (front) and Jill.
Janice planting at the Russell St Enviro Park.
Meredith ďŹ lling the new Butterfly Garden bed.
A new group was formed at Bugeja Park, Freshwater with Meredith (left) instigating a Butterfly Garden project.
Salties Chris weeding at the Yellow Arrow trail head reveg site.
Omid weeding with the Salties group.
Sugarworld Friends president, Fran (centre), discussing fungi damage to citrus trees with Sarah (left), Wendy and Myra.
Raphael planting at the Salties reveg site.
Newly renovated, Stratford Nursery is attracting new volunteers. Council’s horticulturalist Ryan with Tanya. 5
‘The Green Space’ activities underway
Louisa Grandy
Green Space Our Place is branching out to create its own space at Jess Mitchell Park, Greenslopes St, Edge Hill, to provide learning opportunities for the program’s volunteers and eventually the public.
photo challenge. This attention and care for the volunteers proved successful with volunteer numbers increasing upon the program’s return.
The Jess Mitchell family was delighted to hear of the plans for the park saying, “Jess Mitchell was such an avid gardener and would love to have seen this park being used to support the community in this way.”
and parks, reserves, walking tracks and waterways, in activities such as gardening, revegetation, track maintenance and providing guided tours and support for visitors to the region.
This volunteer program is bringing Council and With the slogan “Connecting people with people, community together to enhance green spaces from and people with nature”, in time there will be Bramston Beach to Palm Cove. something to suit everyone. The volunteers are involved in their local gardens
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS: We’ve had our first few “How to Build a Wicking Bed” • The program seems to be filling a need within workshops and these proved successful, with a the community, especially this year, with waiting list for 2021. Volunteers are also supporting registrations occurring weekly. The program us in other ways such as turfing around the new gives people an opportunity to connect, to make shelter and donating plants for the gardens. a difference, work when they are in between jobs, or just simply wanting to spend more The aim of the ‘The Green Space’ is to create time outdoors with like-minded people. The opportunities, not only for the program’s volunteers, regular weekly supervised groups have steadily but other Council departments, our partners, Cairns increased in size and popularity. community and visitors alike. Next year plans include building a Mandala Produce • Over 6,000 trees were planted this year in areas such as South Side Mountain Bike Club, Garden inside the fenced area, along with a variety Kewarra Beach frontage, parks at Barron of wicking beds with interpretive signage for visitors. Waters, Stratford, Freshwater, Cattana Wetlands and Smithfield. 2020 Despite the unusual year, with the program being • New programs have been well supported Bramston Beach Melaleuca Creek Rehabilitation suspended for two months, Green Space Our Group; Bugeja Park’s Butterfly Garden project; Place volunteer numbers have continued to grow and the latest group, meeting on Mondays at with over 400 members now registered, contributing Edge Hill’s Russell St Enviro Park to revegetate. over 26,000 hours for 2020. The team continued to engage volunteers during • Stratford Nursery was renovated this year and has been gaining plenty of interest from our the suspension by making phone calls, creating volunteers since it reopened. a weekly email newsletter and running a garden 6
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Lyn and Sue
Elaine and Sharyn
Chelsea and Rosi
Program’s Support Officer, Sarah Gosling (left) leading the workshop, with Rosi.
Mary, Dawn and Alessandro with their finished product.
Raiza and Katherine
Raiza, Katherine, Sue and Lyn with their creations.
Myo constructing a wicking bed.
Sue and Sharyn with a planted out wicking bed.
Local residents continue enhancing their green spaces especially the McHugh St residents who transformed a large traffic island into a landscaped garden in their street.
PICTURED
‘How to Build a Wicking Bed’ workshops held in November proved popular with our volunteers, with a waiting list for 2021. We also had support from our Pocket Gardens have become increasingly volunteers to enhance the new shelter with some popular – growing vegies has proved to be a turfing. wonderful way to activate small green spaces Next year we will involve volunteers in building and build community connections. Popularity in the Mandala Produce Garden and wicking beds, growing your own vegies was one of the reasons compost stations and other gardening methods. ‘The Green Team’ decided to branch out at Jess Mitchell Park, ‘The Green Space’ to deliver If you would like to be involved in this new project workshops such as ‘How to Build a Wicking Bed’. please contact us.
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END OF YEAR CELEBRATIONS
We celebrated the year’s achievements with our volunteers at the new ‘Green Space’ at the Jess Mitchell Park.
Peter and Jenny
Elaine, Annette, Chelsea, Jeanette and Lyn 8
Sophia and Erica
Anne and Rhonnie
General Manager Community Sport and Cultural Services, Linda Kirchner (centre), with Councillors Rhonda Coghlan (left) and Kristy Vallely.
Dawn, Rodney and Sue.
Dorothy and Jackie
Council’s Parks Strategic Planner, Luke Jackson and Botanic Gardens, Dean Austin.
Graeme, Lyn, Bernie, Erica, Wendy and Janice
Lorraine and Irene
Mike, Hazel and Len
Council’s Supervisor Parks Maintenance Paul Wallace with Jabirus Geoff and Vito. 9
We were delighted with the support from Jess Mitchell family, from left, Jan Hampton (daughter), Gwen Cory (daughter), Gary Hampton (grandson) and Allan Mitchell (son).
Volunteer program Supervisor Louisa (left) with Alex, Ric and Wendy.
Jenn and Barry (front) with Cr Rhonda Coghlan and Chelsea and Jeanette (back). 10
Lyn, Bernie and Janice
Cr Rhonda Coghlan (centre) with Botanic Gardens Friends’ president, Val Schier and original Down ‘n’ Dirty member, Lee Ross.
General Manager Community Sport and Cultural Services, Linda Kirchner and Coordinator Leisure Services, Tim Dendle
Omid, Stephanie, Raiza, Chris, Alessandro and Katherine
Recognition of over 5 years of volunteer service, Anne Griffin, receiving her certificate from Green Space Our Place Supervisor Louisa Grandy and Coordinator Leisure Services, Tim Dendle (centre).
Recognition of 5 years of service, Geoff McClure, receiving his certificate from Coordinator Leisure Services, Tim Dendle.
Christopher, Sandy and Bernie
Alex (left) with dog, Taylor and Leslie - thanks Leslie for bringing a festive vibe to the end of year celebrations.
Thank you Tropic Spirit Catering team, Arnold, Nicole and Linda.
Councillor Amy Eden (left) with Chris, Prue and Rob 11
The Nature and Value of Bark
Beautifully patterned bark of Gossia lucida. Australian trees, shrubs and some vines have bark in a variety of colours and textures with a similar purpose – to protect the plant from the external environment. Bark acts like skin covering the trunk, branches, stems and even the roots, and protects the plant from insect attack, fungal decay and other plant diseases. The outer bark is mostly dead tissue, whereas the inner bark has living tissue and lies up against the woody part of the plant. In between the bark and the wood is the vascular cambium, the growing part of the plant that contains sap and this is where water and nutrients are transported up and down the plant. Plants such as the Paperbark tree, Melaleuca leucadendra, use bark for protection from fire. Its many layers of papery bark provide a thick barrier, with only the outer layers burning during a fire, thus leaving the inner bark undamaged. In the fire-prone savanna forests, Moreton Bay Ash, Corymbia tessalaris, has thick tessellated bark at the base of the tree to protect it from fire. The upper branches have smooth bark and in a moderate fire these do not need the protection provided by the thick bark at the base. In the rainforest where fire rarely occurs, thick protective bark is often replaced by smooth thin bark, and if fire enters the edge of a rainforest these trees are unlikely to survive. Many orchids, ferns, lichens and vines rely on bark as a base to establish themselves and grow. The Red Beech, Dillenia alata, for example, has red papery bark that is suitable for epiphytes, with many trees hosting dozens of orchids and ferns. In the rainforest, lichen is commonly seen growing on smooth-barked trees and the different colours and patterns 12
Tom Collis of various species look like the work of an artist. Like everything in nature there are always variations and some trees have very few vines and epiphytes. For example, the Lemon-scented Gum or Salmon Gum, Corymbia citriodora, sheds its bark each summer disrupting the growth of vines and epiphytes that might try to establish on the tree. Many microbes, insects, spiders, reptiles and even frogs live on or under the outer bark. Many species have cryptic colours that provide camouflage as they move about on the bark. In the Wet Tropics the common Prickly Katydid is rarely noticed and almost impossible to see even at close range. The Leaf-tailed Gecko imitates the colours of lichens that grow on bark blending in so well that the gecko remains hidden from danger. Some animals hide under the bark for protection from predators: for example, the Orangethighed Tree Frog is occasionally found under loose bark of Paperbark trees. Over the millennia people have found many uses for bark. Aboriginal people use the bark of the Stringybark, Eucalyptus tetradonta, for bark paintings. Bark was also used for shelters, canoes and to make rope. The bark of the Leichhardt Tree, Nauclea orientalis, was used as a fish ‘poison’: pieces of bark were placed in a waterhole reducing the amount of oxygen in the water, stunning the fish and bringing them to the surface. Early settlers extracted tannins stored in the bark of trees to treat animal skins, and in the horticultural industry bark chips continue to be used for mulch. Cork is another wellknown product from bark with a wide range of uses, and some bark such as cinnamon, is a spice used for flavouring. Bark has proven to be very useful for us as well as plants.
Red papery bark of Dillenia alata.
Corky Bark, Carallia brachiata
Lichen growing on the bark of rainforest trees near Lake Eacham (and right).
Deciduous bark on a Salmon Gum, Corymbia citriodora.
Moreton Bay Ash, Corymbia tesselaris
Prickly Katydid
Orange-thighed Tree Frog on a Paperbark, Melaleuca leucadendra. 13
What to do with disused bunkers? New lives for wartime fuel storage tanks
The bombing of Darwin in early 1942 brought World War II to Australia’s shores and precipitated a rapid buildup of military infrastructure. In particular, Australia’s ability to defend itself became increasingly linked to the availability of fuel for its armed forces. The destruction of waterfront above-ground fuel tanks during the Darwin air raids highlighted a pressing need for safe and adequate fuel storage to be developed away from the coast and also from strategic targets like ports and airfields.
Janice Pichon
were used by the NSW Water Commission for storing oil, before being decommissioned and disappearing into the landscape, as vegetation recolonised the site. An enterprising local bought four bunkers several decades ago and renovated them as two-storey underground houses, one of which has been home to his family for 30 years. Recently, one of these converted bunkers located near the evocatively named Bunker Road was put on the market. Selling points included a year-round almost constant temperature of 20°C, due to the 30cm thick concrete walls, reducing the need for heating and cooling. Windowless and lacking neighbours, this tranquil home would be an ideal spot to ‘bunker down’. The house sold for $250,000, a tidy sum considering its origin as a concrete shell.
Burning fuel tanks after Darwin air raids in February 1942. Australian War Memorial
Such a high priority security imperative was addressed by the construction of a network of 31 inland storage depots for aviation fuel for the RAAF. Likewise, the Navy commissioned storage facilities for bunker oil sites, which were distanced from the wharves and concealed in their landscape. The Tanks Arts Centre was once such a wartime fuel storage installation. Built during 1942-1944, many of these wartime fuel bunkers were never used: by the time they were commissioned, they were no longer needed as the fighting frontline had moved further north of Australia. In the years, and sometimes decades, after the end of the war, they were decommissioned or privatised. Apart from their interest to historians and military enthusiasts, some of these often-forgotten WWII relics have been repurposed by inventive new owners who gifted them a second life. Unique home In rural Victoria, an inland aircraft fuel depot was constructed at Yelta to serve the Mildura airfield. It consisted of several 8m wide concrete-encased circular steel bunkers which were excavated into a low hill and covered with soil.
Yelta bunker house. Darren Seiler
Tourist attraction The city of Darwin’s answer to safe naval fuel storage was in the form of bunkers tunnelled into a hillside. Concrete tunnels up to 184m long were lined with welded steel panels. Unfortunately, they all leaked and were never Following post-war disposal by the military, the bunkers used during the war. 14
These bunkers have since served a number of roles. Firstly, the fire brigade appropriated them as a training ground for simulating smoke-filled environments. They were even used for commercial mushroom growing, a trial which had to be abandoned because of snakes. Today, the oil storage bunkers are exploited as a tourism site, with two tunnels housing photos of wartime events in the city. They can also be hired out as a function venue with guaranteed underground privacy!
Possum Park motel unit. George Hatchman
Darwin’s gallery tunnel. Lance Vanlewen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Forgotten but not gone The majority of the RAAF inland fuel bunkers have long since disappeared - demolished or assimilated into agricultural and grazing lands. The facility at Northam in Western Australia consisted of three aboveground 12-metre high tanks which were undoubtedly camouflaged during wartime. Today they sit incognito in a rural paddock and are mistaken for grain silos, rather than a heritage reminder harking back to more worrying times when the area was earmarked as an evacuation centre for Perth.
Heritage park The Cootamundra aviation fuel depot in central NSW served a minor role in WWII and was actively used postwar for fuel storage by commercial operators until 1995. Today, the intact site is heritage listed with its five large fuel tanks in fair condition. It belongs to the local council which has developed a public park with heritage trails. Quirky accommodation In addition to fuel, ammunition also required safe storage and depots for explosives were established across the country during World War II. The Kowguran facility near Miles in Queensland had 20 underground concrete bunkers, each excavated tens Northam’s abandoned bunkers. of metres into a hillside and overlaid with up to 4m of Erldenmile, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons concrete and soil. After they were abandoned, a few isolated ventilation shafts emerging from the hillside Converted bunkers spotlight military history were the only indication of what lay beneath. As these few examples illustrate, new owners have been Used after the war to store hay and grain in dry conditions, inspired to transform disused storage tanks into novel they were transformed by a local grazing family in the living and leisure spaces. The Tanks Arts Centre belongs to this eclectic group of repurposed wartime bunkers 1980s into motel accommodation called Possum Park. that have been given a second career. In redeveloping They have repurposed several of the bunkers into selfthe original WWII site in Edge Hill, the trimmings of contained units including one as their home. Like the its military past were intentionally retained and today the bunker homes at Yelta, they offer a cool stable climate centre has become a place to enjoy the arts, as well as to but unfortunately not particularly good mobile phone discover wartime heritage. reception! 15
2. Caterpillar covered in lichen. The caterpillar measures approximately 18mm.
A twitching caterpillar For several years I have been observing little elongate creatures on or near patches of lichens and algae on tree trunks (1) in our rainforest. It turns out that the creature was a caterpillar covered with the lichens scraped from its habitat (2 above). When disturbed, the caterpillars twitch from side to side. They move with an arching gait (a hint that they are probably in the moth family Geometridae) and travel up and down the trunk over about two metres per day. They seem to return to approximately the same place after their forays. They do not seem to be bound to any single type of tree. If a palm has a growth of algae and lichens, then it is possible to find these caterpillars. They are also on the trunks of Kuranda Quandong, Elaeocarpus bancroftii, and other large trees that have patches of the lichens and algae.
Dr David RentZ AM
Enispa, probably the species prolectus (Turner) (5). This moth is common and shows up at my light sheet regularly. Ian Common (1990) provided an observation of a related species, E. plutonis (Lucas). The caterpillars of this species live in spider webs where they feed on dead leaves and the left-overs the spiders do not consume. The caterpillars of this species do not cover themselves with detritus and the pupa just dangles from the web suspended by its anal hooks. I offered a glimpse of this caterpillar and moth on my blog: (http://bunyipco.blogspot.com/ search?q=lichen+caterpillar). Don Herbison-Evans also included this observation in his Australian caterpillars site: http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse. com.au/acon/prolectus.html A lot can be learned from casual observations around one’s garden. In these times of confinement due to the Coronavirus, it can be rewarding to see what is happening in your gardens. Even with some of the commonest moths, we have never seen the caterpillars.
The caterpillar’s mouthparts are completely concealed under the mass of scrapings that they cover themselves with. It seems that they feed on the lichens and algae but this has not been determined with certainty. Ants and other potential predators wander past the feeding Thanks to Ted Edwards for the moth identification or sedentary caterpillars and do not molest them. and Barry Muir for asking Patrick McCarty to have a Efforts at keeping the caterpillars alive in a jar were look at the lichens. He thought it might represent a partly successful. They were offered scrapings from species of Pertusaria. their habitat which they ate and eventually formed a distinctive cocoon (3). Additional cocoons were Literature: spotted on the tree trunks. Each was on a stem and Common, IFB. 1990 Moths of Australia. Melbourne slightly dangled due to gravity but did not touch the University Press. Pp. 1-535. tree trunk (4). This might be significant in helping to Bunyipco: http://bunyipco.blogspot.com/ prevent predation by ants or other insects. Australia: http://lepidoptera. Eventually a moth emerged from the cocoon. Ted Caterpillars of Edwards determined it to be a geometrid in the genus butterflyhouse.com.au/acon/prolectus.html 16
3. The cocoon dangling from its pedicel.
1. Patch of lichens on tree trunk. Look carefully! There are at least four caterpillars in this patch.
4. Cocoon on tree trunk positioned so that it does not touch the trunk itself.
5. The adult moth Ensipa prolectus (Turner). It is a small moth, measuring approximately 20mm. 17
Mapping the location and species of Cairns trees Feel like branching out into citizen science?
It will also assist in identifying and documenting trees Council will soon be inviting residents to help plot trees of significance and cultural value and facilitate the in the Cairns region as part of the activation of a new, engagement of residents in the process. interactive online mapping tool for street and park trees. “This database will be a valuable tool for Council in More than 32,000 trees have already been logged in an managing trees, help with planning and development, online database called TreePlotter by Council’s arborists, as well as give residents and visitors the chance to easily locate trees on our website to find out more details volunteers and contractors. about those trees,” Cr Manning said. Once live, Cairns people will be able to use TreePlotter to log the location, species and condition of trees on Council presently uses a number of methods to update and add new records to the database through: Council-managed land. Council arborists It is the most comprehensive tree cataloguing system • ever used in the region and Council aims to eventually mark in all street and park trees on Council land – a project that Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said could take the next two decades to complete.
• Council crews recording trees and maintenance works as part of normal day works
• Arboricultural contractors and horticultural contractors attending to tree related CRMs and planting “This a is long term project that will help Council new streetscapes manage one of its most important assets – our trees,” • Consulting botanists/ecologists providing Cr Manning said. updates. “A number of other local government associations in Council started development of a tree database seven Australia have undertaken similar cataloguing systems, years ago but has now transferred that accumulated but none with as many trees as us. data onto a web-based system, which provides increased “Cairns has the largest Urban Forest in Queensland, functionality, including the ability of the public to be with estimates that there could be well over 500,000 involved in mapping trees. trees on land currently managed by Council. Council is also working towards making aspects of “With the enormity of the task at hand, mapping anywhere from 500,000 to a 1 million trees, Council is concentrating its efforts on initially cataloguing areas deemed of higher significance.”
The database can provide a record of the tree’s location, species, dimensions, condition, management options, calculation of eco-benefits and even a valuation of the asset. 18
the database available to the public and also allow for additional information to be uploaded through crowdsourcing.
“Through the crowd-sourcing function, interested people and groups will be able to provide updated information on existing trees and also register additional trees; all of which will add immensely to the value of the database,” Cr Manning said.
Catching up with Friends
Val Schier
We’ve come to the end of this very strange and unexpected expenditure on plants for the new dry area garden behind year and it’s time for an update on the Friends of Cairns the Jade Vine; a pump for the newly landscaped pool in Botanic Gardens’ activities. the Fitzalan Garden; and a new seat in the Gondwanan Garden. We have given conditional approval to several Peter Shanahan memorial ideas to improve the orchid display in the Conservatory We liaised with Peter’s family to find a time that suited and also the vertical garden. them to come to Cairns for a tree planting in memory of Peter. Sadly, Covid restrictions meant that we could not Friends Shop extend an open invitation to all members who would have Del Van Mierlo organised the shop roster again at the liked to pay their respects. Peter’s family were very pleased end of June and guided walks have been happening every with the small event and said they would treasure the folder week day since September. Interstate tourists and school of letters given to them by Ann Chalmers from the Visitor holiday visitors have increased the numbers and lots of Centre. One of the classes of school children who had people came to see and photograph the Jade Vine. Shop been given a guided tour by Peter wrote him letters when sales have picked up but donations in the Conservatory are considerably down on last year’s total. he was ill. A few tears were shed. The tree, a butterfly attractant, Melicope elleryana, was planted Monthly Talks/Moth Night in the Fitzalan Garden, across the road from the Botanic We have missed the monthly talks as it was not possible for people to safely attend; however, we proceeded with a Moth Gardens Visitor Centre. Night in August as this was held outside where it’s easier Gardeneers and plant sales to keep a distance. People brought their own drinks and As Carnival on Collins was cancelled, we held a big plant snacks, recorded their details and used the hand sanitizer sale in conjunction with the Tanks Market in August available. Unfortunately, there were disappointingly few and as usual people were queued up an hour before moths to be seen, possibly because the area in the Fitzalan sales commenced. Trolley sales have also resumed every Garden had been sprayed previously for mosquitoes. Wednesday and $2000 was taken at the first sale. The Starry Nights Cinema Gardeneers have welcomed two new members his year. We completed a detailed Covid plan for Council and the Committee meetings first Starry Nights cinema showing, Flickerfest, was held After learning new skills by holding Zoom meetings from on a magnificent night in October with a sellout crowd of May until August we resumed face-to-face meetings in 300. Half of the profits from the film nights come to the September, socially distanced of course. We approved Friends.
DID YOU KNOW...?
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Australia is quite rich in birds. Australia-wide, around 940 species were recorded between R e1940 and 2017. Of these, o p Eurasian Hoo over 450 species were in North Queensland’s Wet Tropics, at least 14 of which are endemic (not recorded anywhere else). The term, ‘Australia-wide’, refers to Australian mainland and Tasmania; numerous offshore islands such as Ashmore Reef; Cocos and Christmas Islands; Heard, Lord Howe, and McDonald Islands; Macquarie and Norfolk Islands; and Torres Strait and Coral Sea islands.
JENNIFER H. MUIR
Of the 940 total, about 750 were breeding residents or regular annual migrants; about 30 were introduced; and 160 were vagrants (strays) that arrived in Australia accidentally. One of these vagrant species was the unusual Eurasian Hoopoe, Upupa epops (pictured). The accidental arrivals include: East Asian migratory land-birds normally in South-east Asia during non-breeding that overshot, or were blown here in a cyclone; wandering land-birds from New Guinea that visited Torres Strait islands; pelagic (oceanic) birds, eg petrels, possibly blown into Australian waters during storms; and disoriented, confused birds that may have flown in the wrong direction. 19
Feathered Friends
Beautiful and bizarre Looking for plants that provide an instant tropical feel for your garden? The Araceae or Aroid family, often referred to as the Arum family, are among the most striking of the foliage plants and consist of a wide variety of beautiful and even bizarre forms that will suit most tastes.
Photo: Hidetoshi Kudo
Yellow-breasted Boatbill When foraging among the dense foliage of the canopy in tropical rainforests, the diminutive Yellow-breasted Boatbill is heard more often than it’s seen, with its whistled whee whee calls often the only hint that it’s there. When people first see a boatbill, they’re immediately struck by its yellow, black and white plumage — radiant even in the half-light of the forest. But that’s not its most characteristic feature. The beak of the Boatbill is like no other. Instead of the dainty mandibles of a thornbill or the sturdy bill of a pardalote, it’s broad and flat, with a slight hook at the tip and a distinct ridge along the upper mandible, which resembles the keel of a boat, giving the bird its name, as well as its alternative name of ‘Wherrybill’ (a wherry being a barge). This unique beak is used to glean insects from the surface of leaves, usually while the bird is fluttering or hovering. They forage at all levels of the forest except on the ground, and although they usually forage alone, sometimes boatbills join feeding flocks of other insectivorous birds of the rainforest. In Australia, they’re confined to two distinct regions: Cape York Peninsula and the Wet Tropics, though they’re widespread across New Guinea. Boatbills build delicate, cup-shaped nests, and their clutch of two pearly white eggs is often visible through the nest’s thin walls. The eggs are incubated by both parents, and both also feed the nestlings. They nest in the Wet Season, so keep an eye out. JOHN PETER BirdLife Australia 20
The Aroids are a family of herbaceous monocots with about 3700 species in 104 genera; their highest diversity occurring in the New World Tropics. Aroids are suited to both indoor and outdoor culture and are very popular as indoor plants. Many are grown for cut flowers, cultivated for food and even medicine. When names such as Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum), the edible Taro (Colcasia esculenta), Flamingo Flower (Anthurium andraeanum) and Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera deliciosa) are mentioned, a look of recognition usually crosses people’s faces. However, due to their very different life forms and leaf morphology many people do not realise they come from the same family.
DAVID AM Despite this diversity, membersDR of the family areRENTZ easily recognised by their unique inflorescence, which is a combination of a single modified leaf, known as a spathe, and a spadix (a fleshy spike like a finger), on which grow bisexual or unisexual flowers.
Aroids have evolved into many weird and wonderful species and due to this diversity can be grown just about anywhere. There is a huge range of terrestrial species that can handle low light conditions to full sun. Others grow epiphytically (on other plants) and some prefer to be in ponds, submerged or freefloating. Aroids can be beautiful and even bizarre, with some even emitting an unpleasant smell when the inflorescence first opens to attract their pollinating flies and beetles (for example the Amorphophallus titanum). Its pollinator-attracting scent smells like rotting flesh and to enhance the diffusion of the scent, the spadix warms up to an astonishing 36 degrees Celsius. Pictured: 1. Amorphophallus titanum, 2. Anthurium andraeanum, 3. Alocasia, 4. Cyrtosperma, 5. Diffenbachia, 6. Philodendron, 7. Caladium, 8. Amorphophallus bulbifer, 9. Aglaonema.
1.
- the Aroid family
Louisa Grandy
Tropical FeatheredFruits Friends Sugarworld STAR APPLE Chrysopyhllum cainito
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The round fruit of the Star Apple, Chrysophyllum cainito, is from the West Indies and can be purple or green depending on the variety, and between 4cm and 8cm in diametre. The Star Apple is an attractive tree with the underside of the leaves featuring a bronze tone. When the fruit is cut in half there is an attractive star pattern. The flesh is sweet and tastes very smooth and aromatic. The ripe fruit should give slightly when gently squeezed.
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The skin and rind are inedible and when opening a star apple, do not allow any of the bitter latex of the skin to touch the fruit’s edible flesh. Star apples make a pleasant drink when mixed with orange and are excellent in milkshakes. The tree at Sugarworld Botanic Gardens is situated on the western fence line toward the Gardener’s Shed.
FRAN LINDSAY President, Friends of Sugarworld Botanic Garden Inc. 8.
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Australian Lorikeets
Red-collared Lorikeet Trichoglossus rubritorquis Australia is rich in parrot species, including Cockatoos, Corellas, Fig-Parrots, Lorikeets, Ringnecks and Rosellas. In north Queensland, we have Palm Cockatoo (northern half of Cape York); Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo; Sulphurcrested Cockatoo; Galah; Little Corella (in patches); Eclectus and Red-cheeked Parrots (restricted to a small area of Cape York’s north-east coast); Australian King-Parrot; Red-winged Parrot (in drier country); Golden-shouldered Parrot (Cape York: endangered); Double-eyed Fig-Parrot (in patches); Pale-headed Rosella; and six lorikeets, three of which I’ll discuss here. What are Lorikeets? Lorikeets are smallish, usually brightlycoloured arboreal (tree-living), swift-flying parrots adapted to feed on nectar, pollen and soft fruits. Those that feed on nectar have brush-tipped tongues. Some lorikeets, such as the Rainbow and Red-collared Lorikeets, often hold their food in their foot (I’ve only seen these and other parrots using their left foot). If it’s a flower, they often nip off the upper part to reach the nectar. Most lorikeets also take insects as a protein source. Insects are near the bottom of the food chain, and some might say get ‘a raw deal’ as they are eaten by so many other animals. Unfortunately, because of climate change, insect numbers are seriously declining throughout the world, which in turn adversely affects the numbers of animal species that feed on them. As individuals we may, on a very small scale, be able to help slow this insect decline by providing suitable 22
JENNIFER H. MUIR habitat for at least some species in our gardens. Many of you are also helping in Cairns with revegetation of areas in the Green Space Our Place Program. In this article, I’ll talk about Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, and the closely related Red-collared (of northwest Qld, NT’s Top End and WA’s Kimberley). In 1774, the Rainbow Lorikeet was the first Australian bird to be illustrated in colour. The reason is obvious: Rainbow Lorikeets are bright and very colourful, making them very attractive and appealing to most people. Easily identified throughout its range, the Rainbow Lorikeet is our largest and best known lorikeet. Sexes are alike, and adults and juveniles are very similar in appearance, but adults have red-orange bills and red eyes, while juveniles have brown-orange bill and dark brown eyes. The distinctive underwing pattern is also very colourful as can be seen in the photo (top right), which I took in Townsville of one begging to the other. Both have the redorange bill but the chest on the lower bird may not be fully adult plumaged, so it may have been still dependent on parents and begging for food. Rainbow Lorikeets are found in small numbers, or noisy belligerent flocks, from the northern tip of Cape York down Australia’s east coast through Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and eastern half of Tasmania. They were introduced to Perth, WA in the
1960s, where they have become a pest, competing with local species for nest hollows and food. They are abundant in many towns and cities, and ‘hang out’ in most types of forest, woodland and heath in coastal and sub-coastal northern and eastern Australia. They are also recorded in New Guinea, Indonesia, Melanesia and Micronesia often in coconut plantations as well as forests. A little smaller than, but closely related to Rainbow and Red-collared Lorikeets, is the Scaly-breasted Lorikeet. Scaly-breasted Lorikeets are mainly green with a diagnostic green head (instead of the blue of Rainbow and Redcollared Lorikeets). Adult Scaly-breasteds have scattered yellow ‘scales’ on hind-neck, breast, flanks and thighs. The underwing has a broad pale red band that is quite stunning in flight (see below). Their bill is red-orange and their eyes orange. And like the juveniles of Rainbow and Red-collared Lorikeets, juvenile Scalybreasted Lorikeets are like their parents but have brown-orange bills and dark brown eyes. Scaly-breasteds often mix with Rainbow Lorikeets. I’ve seen the two species together in our Whitfield garden feeding among Callistemon flowers, though the Rainbow Lorikeets usually out-numbered the Scaly-breasteds, including in noise. Closely related and at first glance similar in appearance to the Rainbow Lorikeet, is the Red-collared Lorikeet found from WA’s Kimberley across the northern half of NT into north-west Queensland. Over the years, Red-collared and Rainbow Lorikeets have been considered the same species, then separated, then re-merged. Currently, they are separate and as far as I know, the two species don’t overlap in their ranges (the areas in which they occur).
Rainbow Lorikeet (and above) Trichoglossus moluccanus
However they do interbreed in zoos, resulting in hybrids. Thus, are they the same species or different: what do you think? If you compare the photos of the adult Red-collared (main photo left) and Rainbow (right) Lorikeets, you can see that the Red-collared has an orangered collar, rather than the yellow-green of the Rainbow Lorikeet. The Redcollared also has a blue band bordering its orange-red collar, where the Rainbow has green below a yellow-green collar. The Red-collared’s throat and chin are blackish where the Rainbow’s is blue; and the Red-collared’s belly is blue-black/green-black, where the Rainbow’s is blue. When courting, male and female Red-collared Lorikeets bow to each other and play together, rolling over with their bills and feet locked. So when you see what looks like fighting, it may in fact be romance for making eggs. There’s more to birding than meets the eye, so to speak. This is the advantage of binoculars in the field. You can see the differences much easier than with the naked eye. It’s definitely desirable to correctly identify the birds we see.
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus 23
In a balcony garden Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), according to an old English superstition, grows for the wicked but not for the just. That saying probably originated from someone who had no luck in growing it. For those of us who live in Cairns parsley is one of the easiest herbs to grow, the Italian variety (Petroselinum crispum neapolitanum), that is, as far as I am concerned. I have had no luck with the traditional curly variety, but my Italian ones gallop ahead, almost as if they are on steroids. According to a book on herbs I have, the ancient Greeks used parsley medicinally but did not eat it as it was said to have grown from the blood of Archemorus, the harbinger of death. Another source says it was dedicated to Persephone, Queen of the Dead, and used in funeral rites. Understandably, the Greeks did not see it as a culinary herb. When I lived in London, I remember hearing about a visitor staying in a hotel in the wilds of Scotland who absent-mindedly nibbled the parsley adorning her meal, only to hear the waitress call out, “Dinna ye eat the decoration.” Parsley, indeed, has many uses. It can even be used in a facial steam said to aid dry skin. Chop up a couple of handfuls of parsley and cover with 1.5 litres of freshly boiled water. Put a towel over your head and breath in the steam. I call myself a frustrated gardener. Frustrated because I live in a unit and can only dream of growing masses of flowers. When ones garden space consists of two balconies, one of which gets a lot of sun and the other a lot of wind, I have had to accept there is a limit to what can be grown. And that limit includes herbs. The recipe calls for coriander and chilli. Or maybe parsley and mint. No problem. They all grow well here in pots, most of the time that is. Use a good quality potting mix and figure out by trial and error how much water each herb needs. When their leaves droop, they need watering! And don’t forget to feed them. One of those slow-release fertilisers is the most convenient. Apart from mint, all need plenty of sun if they are to thrive. Mint can be problematic. Some years mine looks good enough to enter Cairns Show. Other years it is miserable. There are several varieties of mint but I have pots of both ordinary mint (Spearmint - Mentha spicata) and apple mint (Mentha suaveolens), the latter purely for its pretty variegated leaves. The mint family originated in the Mediterranean area, which is probably why it can be temperamental in Cairns. Mint has been used extensively in cooking and medicine since earliest times and was always one of 24
Lorraine Smith the herbs grown in medieval monastery and convent gardens. Like parsley, mint has many uses. It is an essential ingredient in many Middle Eastern and North African recipes, from tabbouleh to mint tea. In Moroccan markets one sees barrows laden with mint, most of which will end up in sweetened mint tea. Mint was used in the 14th Century for whitening teeth and is still a common ingredient in toothpaste. Going back further in history, it is mentioned in the Bible as one of the tithes paid by the Pharisees. Other herbs that are easy to grow are dill, basil and chilli, the latter actually a spice. Equally easy to grow in pots and planters are those other flavoursome plants, chives and spring onions. Coriander can be tricky in that it is inclined to bolt far too quickly. The feathery dill (Anethum graveolens), also known as dill weed because it grows so easily, is used frequently in Greek recipes, often together with feta cheese. Its name comes from the Nordic dylla which means to lull or soothe. The ancient Greeks were said to have put dill leaves on their eyelids to help them sleep. And according to the medieval herbalist Nicolas Culpepper, dill “strengthens the brain”. Another very useful herb. Basil (Ocimum basilicum) next. This one originated in India. One of my books says in India it is sacred to Krishna and Vishnu and regarded as the protecting spirit of the family. Herbalist Culpeper said basil is “a herb of Mars, under the Scorpion” and claimed that it would draw poison from stings or bites of venomous creatures. Not an idea I would like to put to test. But to most people it is considered an essential ingredient in certain Italian dishes. Pesto sauce for one. Basil, an annual as are many herbs, grows easily from seed so don’t pick all the flowers from your plant. Collect the seeds when they dry out and plant them for the following season. A side note: bees are attracted to the flowers. Chilli belongs to the capsicum family of plants, native to the tropical Americas, and is often an ingredient in Mexican cooking and probably appears as often in dishes from South American countries. The name chilli derives from a Greek word meaning to bite. Although we tend to associate chilli with Indian curries and fiery Thai dishes, the spice was not introduced to Asia until taken there by Portuguese explorers in the 16th Century. In “Chillies – The Prime Spice – a History”, Indian university professor Dr Indu Mehta said Christopher Columbus carried chilli seeds to Spain in 1493. From there they spread throughout
Confusingly, coriander is both a herb and a spice. The leaves, ‘cilantro’ as they are also known, are the herb and the seeds the spice. Each is used in entirely different types of dishes. Technically, it is a member of the parsley family and now a commonplace ingredient in cuisine of many countries. To stop coriander bolting and quickly starting to go to seed, keep cutting the leaves back. And when the first flower stalks appear chop them off at the base. The dainty little flowers look pretty in a vase, but two days later their miniature petals will be everywhere and a mess to clean up.
much of Europe and later reached India, courtesy of Vasco da Gama. It is thanks to Columbus that the term ‘chilli pepper’ came into being. Columbus had set out to find the East Indies and take spices, including pepper, back to Europe. Instead he ended up half a world away and came across what he thought was pepper.
My latest addition to my collection is oregano (Origanum vulgare), that herb so popular in Italian cooking and first cousin to the milder flavoured marjoram. To be honest, what caused me to buy it was the description saying it has pretty little pink flowers. These are still to appear. As you can see, if you only have a very small space to devote to plants and you enjoy cooking, there is nothing to stop you having your own herb ‘garden’. There is nothing more satisfying than picking a couple of sprigs of herbs whenever needed. And there is none of that waste when you have to buy a whole bunch of something when you only need very little.
At first chilli was grown as a botanical curiosity in monastery gardens in Spain and Portugal. But monks experimented and discovered its pungency offered an inexpensive substitute for black peppercorns. Chillies are tough and the only thing that seems to trouble them here is white fly. But a good spraying with pyrethrum helps keep the pest under control. My plants are prolific and, fortunately, they are decorative because there is no way I could use all those bright red chillies. One year I grew purple black chillies from a plant bought at Carnival on Collins, but I haven’t come across this variety again. Spring onions are also tough and forgive infrequent watering. They are one of the few in my edible ‘garden’ that thrive planted in a trough. Drainage is the problem here. It is easy to see if you have given something too much water if it is in a pot sitting in a saucer. You cannot do that with troughs and planters. Lovers of Thai food will be very familiar with coriander (Coriandrum sativum), native to southern Europe, and one of the most ancient herbs. Seeds have been found in tombs 5,000 years old. Coriander is mentioned in the Bible and in Sanskrit literature. It was used by Hippocrates and other Greek physicians chiefly as a stimulant to the system and to settle the digestion. More exotically, it was employed, along with other herbs, as an incense to conjure up spirits.
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The world beneath our feet: Part 2 - Soil bacteria Barry Muir
In the last article about the world beneath our feet I briefly discussed the soil itself – that mixture of minerals, water and life on which we depend. Before going on to look at what lives in that soil, it is interesting to get its living components into perspective by having a look at the lower end of the soil food web. About 90 per cent of the living organisms in soil are fungi and there have been numerous articles on them, so I won’t go any further into their role in decomposing waste, causing or preventing disease or forming mycorrhizae; those fungi on which all plant life depends. The other 10 per cent of living organisms in soil is made up of bacteria, protozoa and a host of tiny animals and some larger animals such as earthworms, insects and so on. Let’s have a look at these non-fungi critters by starting with bacteria. Soil bacteria and soil fungi are the bottom of the food web that supports other important organisms such as worms and the functioning of a healthy soil which, in turn, supports all our fruits, vegetables, timber and pasture plants. Bacteria are single celled, and there may be trillions of bacteria in a single teaspoon of healthy soil. Populations of bacteria can boom or bust in the space of a few days in response to changes in soil moisture, acidity, soil temperature or carbon availability. Some bacteria species are very fragile and may be killed by slight changes in the soil environment. Others are extremely tough, able to withstand severe heat, cold or 26
drying. Some bacteria are dependent on specific plant species in the same way as are mycorrhizal fungi. Just like fungi, there are several types of soil bacteria: • Decomposers play an important role in the early stages of breaking down organic materials (in the later stages fungi tend to take over); • Nitrogen fixers extract nitrogen gas from the air and convert it into forms that plants can use. They can add the equivalent of more than 100kg/ha per year of nitrogen to the soil. These specialised bacteria usually live in special nodules on the roots of their host plant. Examples of plants with nitrogen-fixing bacteria include soybeans, peanuts, peas and beans, and many wattle species and rainforest trees; • Disease suppressors release antibiotic substances, similar to those made by fungi, to suppress competitor bacteria. Several bacteria have been commercialised to produce antibiotics for disease suppression in humans, animals and plants. Streptomycin and Tetracycline are examples of bacterial rather than fungal antibiotics; • Actinobacteria are specialists that help to break down humus in soils. They prefer non-acidic soils, i.e. neutral to slightly alkaline. These bacteria can be encouraged by the addition of garden lime if the soil gets too acid – a condition that sometimes happens during the wet season when soils are water-logged or too much non-composted (green) mulch is added;
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Sulphur oxidisers are specialised bacteria that can covert sulphides (common in soil minerals but largely unavailable to plants) into sulphates, a form plants can use; and • Aerobes and anaerobes: aerobic bacteria need oxygen and dominate in well-drained soil. They comprise a whole suite of bacteria doing a thousand useful things. Anaerobic bacteria, in contrast, do not need oxygen, and favour wet, poorly drained soils. They can produce toxic compounds that limit root growth, predispose plants to root diseases and give the soil a sour smell. Though largely unaffected by cultivation and gardening, bacteria populations are depressed by dry conditions, acidity, salt build-up, soil compaction and lack of organic matter. If populations of soil bacteria are too low, it is probably because conditions are unfavourable. Managing acidity of soil is critical to controlling carbon and nutrient availability and the solubility of metals. Similarly, the composition of fungi and bacteria in both forest and agricultural soils is largely controlled by soil acidity. Effective approaches to support healthy soil bacteria are to address problems of acidity (by adding lime if necessary), reducing compaction by not walking on garden beds, ensuring good ground cover, and building organic matter content by adding well-rotted mulch.
fixers are the crucifer family (mustard, canola, broccoli), the chenopods (spinach, beets, saltbush), and Proteaceae (banksia, macadamia). These plants reduce fungi and bacteria in the soil. Tillage (turning the soil) also has a disastrous effect on bacteria by drying them out and on fungi as it physically severs the hyphae and breaks up the mycelium. Broad-spectrum fungicides and pesticides are toxic to most fungi and damage beneficial soil bacteria and result in a decline in both. RIGHT: Soil bacteria occur in many forms such as rods, spheres and spirals. (Mammoth Microbes internet picture)
BELOW: Nitrogen-fixing root nodules on peanut roots. (Internet image b2380064-800px-wm Science Photo Library)
As I have discussed before, you can encourage beneficial bacteria and fungi in your soil by providing food (organic matter), water and minimal disturbance of the soil. Growing garden plants or vegetables that support mycorrhizal fungi allow fungi and bacteria to increase in the soil. Examples of plant groups that do not form associations with mycorrhizal fungi and are not nitrogen Green Space Our Place
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Friends of the Botanic Gardens, Cairns Membership details - 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 February 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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Mondays - Russell St Enviro Park 9am-noon Tuesdays - Cattana Wetlands Jabirus 9am-noon First Tuesday of the month - Friends of McLeod St Pioneer Cemetery Wednesdays - Botanic Gardens Down ’n’ Dirty volunteers 9am-noon Thursdays - Stratford Nursery 9am-noon Thursdays - South Side Mountain Bike trails 9am-noon Thursday (once a month) - Sugarworld Friends and volunteers Fridays - Saltwater Creek ‘Salties’ 9am-noon Wednesdays and Fridays - Tracks ‘n’ Trails 9am-noon Children’s Nature Activities Program - Little Taccas Visitor Enhancement Volunteers - rostered hours to suit History Tour Guides - Tuesday and Thursday 10am
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