Green Space Our Place - Our Volunteers Voice - Issue 39 - June 2023

Green Space Our Place

Front Page

The vine weeds can get big at Cattana Wetlands. Elaine and Sandy pictured after extensive work to pull this weed root from the ground.

Back Page

Hercules Moth up close at the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre.

In this issue:

From the Editor............................2

Mandala Garden makeover.....3

O N T E N T

Volunteer Comments................4

Basket weaving creates connection....................................4

120 Whitfield students visit The Green Space................................5

Hugelkultur gardening method a success.......................................5

The Green Space activities......5

Volunteers activities................6-7

Moths and their host plants...8-9

Flecker Gardens Guided Tours.....10

Catching up with Friends....10-11

Friends Bird Tours.......................11

Engingeering a better future for Raine Island Green Turtles..12-13

Our birds around the world....14-15

Feathered Friends.....................15

The Giant Burrowing Cockroach in Mareeba...................................16

Gapforce.......................................17

Tropical Fruit Trees....................17

SSmall Wonders: nature in miniature......................................18

The way we engage the younger ones.............................19

Editor - Volunteers Team Leader, Louisa Grandy

Proof readers - Michelle Walkden and volunteers Sandy Long, Jenn Muir

Contributors - volunteers Tom Collis, Annabelle Symes, Val Schier, Janice

Pichon, Jennifer H Muir, John Peter, Dr David Rentz AM, Fran Lindsay, Barry Muir and Bridgette Gower.

From the Editor

Welcome,

We’ve had a busy few months leading up to mid-year with construction of the Mandala Garden pathway in The Green Space education garden on Greenslopes St. This space is becoming popular with our volunteers and also a variety of groups including schools wanting to value-add to their lesson plans. We’d love to see you there, even for a chat. There is always something to learn and share.

We’ve recruited a new Nursery & Volunteers Support Officer, Melanie Constable, to support Ryan at the Stratford Nursery and volunteer groups. Welcome Mel!

Once again we have registered over 100 new volunteers this financial year and although we’ve seen some volunteers leave, we continue to accept new volunteers on a weekly basis across the groups, with an average yearly total of 400 volunteers engaged in the past couple of years.

Talking of volunteers leaving; we farewell Jill who contributed a lot of time, attending three groups per week: the Egrets at Russell St reveg site, the Esplanade Sandpipers and the Down ‘n’ Dirty Botanic Gardens volunteers. We will miss you Jill. All the best in your new adventure.

TheGreen

Space

Cookbook

The other news is we have placed a cookbook on our website to assist you in using the tropical food you grow or purchase. Visit Council’s website and search for the “Green Space Cookbook”.

Mandala Garden makeover

AFTER: The exposed aggregate path formalises the Mandala Garden. Winter planting season is underway.

With an increase in volunteer and visitor numbers at The Green Space education food garden, it was time to revamp the space with a new path.

Last year the Friends of Botanic Gardens, Cairns supported the enhancement of the space with a formal entry statement (gate and pathway). This year we continued the path into the Mandala Garden just in time for the winter growing season.

If you would like to visit or become a part of this ‘growing’ community, pop in for further details on a Wednesday between 9.30am and 3.30pm or Friday between 1.30pm and 3.30pm or call Volunteers Team Leader Louisa on 4032 6648.

BEFORE with blue metal path. Work in progress.

Volunteer Comments

Mel Schera

I joined the volunteering program soon after I moved to Cairns to give birth to my baby girl Luna. I was about 7 months pregnant when I started and it was a great opportunity for me to get to know people and get adjusted to the tropical lifestyle up here, while spending time in the greatest place of all in Cairns, the Botanic Gardens. It also helped me to keep active while doing one of the things I love, which is gardening. Plus it was wonderful to be able to somehow contribute to a place enjoyed by the entire community. The Botanic Gardens remain to this day one of the places I go to most often, to relax and enjoy nature. It will always be a lovely memory of the volunteering works done there every week plus lovely morning teas.

Thank you for welcoming me in your group.

Thank you once again Louisa, Sarah G and Sarah O for a lovely time in your groups. Wish you all the best of luck.

Basket weaving creates connection

Workshops at The Green Space create connections across the various groups and provide a space to share skills. This two-hour small basket weaving and making cordage afternoon included volunteers from the Jabirus, Down ‘n’ Dirty, The Green Space, Pocket Gardens and Friends of the Gardens.

Sharyn Robyn Mandy

Jeannette Lyn

Robyn and Lyn busy weaving.

120 Whitfield students visit The Green Space

Whitfield State School year two students came to The Green Space in Term 2 as part of their excursion through the Botanic Gardens precinct. They had been learning about soils at school, so we talked about soil and how to enhance it for good plant growth. They checked out the compost system and the worm farm, although the worms got a bit shy with 120 kids looking at them, and disappeared into their castings after a while. The students also planted sunflower seeds in peat pots to take home, and made mandalas out of colourful leaves in the Jess Mitchell Park. It was an action packed morning and lots of fun.

The Green Space activities

Hugelkultur gardening method a success

A year ago we made a Hugelkultur garden bed and the vegies have been growing amazingly well ever since. The technique is a good way to save money, alleviating the need to buy lots of soil; saves watering because the rotting wood breaks down into humus and acts as a sponge; and everything breaks down slowly creating a compost rich soil.

To make it, you need a deep raised bed (you can also build a mound on top of the ground to create a swale as shown in diagram below). Fill the bed to halfway with logs (the more rotten the better), add leaves, small sticks, grass clippings and prunings chopped up small. Let this settle for a few weeks, adding more grass clippings and leaves as it shrinks. Give it some water to help it along. Top up with about 10cm of soil and plant straight into it.

Using this method, fungi slowly break down the logs, using less nitrogen compared with your compost bin which relies on bacteria. For this reason, don’t add food scraps or too many green prunings if you want to plant it out quickly. Lots of leaves, sticks and grass clippings will break down well.

Sarah Gosling

Mound layer method

Sarah and Ian use bamboo to create raised garden beds

Serah creates a garden for vines.

Brett working in the mini-orchard.

Serah, Seth (back) and Travis cutting green waste for composting.

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

Down ‘n’ Dirty Botanic Gardens

Following the wet season growth, the Down ‘n’ Dirty volunteers have been supporting the Botanic Gardens team to revamp the Freshwater Lake and Fitzalan Gardens through weeding, pruning and mulching.

Sandpipers Esplanade

Following the wet season, the Jabirus have been concentrating on weedy vine removal especially from trees as they impede growth.

Jabirus Cattana Wetlands

Catherine and Sandy weeding at Freshwater Lake Gardens.

Ric and Bernie

Newest recruit, Helena mulching the Nature Play garden.

New member, Miriam spreading mulch.

Jim and Chris pruning in the Muddy’s Playground gardens.

A team effort of weeders makes a quick impact at Cattana Wetlands.

Phil, the Jabirus’ latest recruit.

Kerry, Melanie and Dawn mulching the high-profile areas around the barbecues.

Dave disposes of an invasive vine.

Prue removing vines from young trees.

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

FriendsSugarworld & volunteers

Machans Beach

Heritage Tours

Our Heritage Tour Guides share their knowledge of the Tanks Art Centre and Botanic Gardens precinct every Thursday at 10am. This year they have also provided tours as a part of the Volunteers Information Sessions and other groups.

Tracks ‘n’ Trails

Keith Edwick Park

Howard pulling vines from native plants and (right) Deryk digging out Guinea Grass at the June working bee.

Russell and Hiromi installing steps and resurfacing tracks on Mt Whitfield’s Arrows trails.

Nicole and Graeme installing plant labels.

Myra and Jenny pruning in the Tropical Fruit Tree Orchard.

Moths and their host plants

In North Queensland there are several thousand species of moths; far outnumbering just a few hundred butterfly species. Although comparatively little is known about many moth species, they all depend on plants at some stage in their lifecycle.

Moths are much more diverse in their use of plants than butterflies, with a wide range of associations. For example, some moth larvae bore holes into trees (especially Eucalyptus) and feed on the inner side of bark. Adult FruitPiercing Moths (a pest in orchards) feed on ripe fruit. Other larvae eat the leaves of host plants and some adult moth species feed on the nectar from flowers during the day. Larvae of the bagworm moth or case moth select dead twigs to construct a protective home.

The world’s largest moth, the female Hercules Moth (pictured above at the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre), is found in North Queensland and New Guinea rainforests. The female Hercules Moth lays eggs almost exclusively on the leaves of the Bleeding Heart Tree, Homalanthus spp. The blue-coloured caterpillars are voracious feeders and over several months reach lengths of 10cm. Adult Hercules Moths have no mouth and do not eat at all, surviving on stored reserves for less than two weeks. During this short life the female releases a strong pheromone to attract males from distances up to 2km away. After mating, she lays eggs on the host plant and the cycle continues.

Corky Bark, Carallia brachiata, a large rainforest tree closely related to several mangrove species, is host plant for the beautiful Four O’clock Moth. The caterpillars are bright yellow with rows of dark eyespots and eat the

leaves of Corky Bark. Unlike the Hercules Moth, Four O’Clock Moths have mouth parts designed for feeding on the nectar of many flowers including Paperbark Trees, Melaleuca. The moths are often seen late in the afternoon, hence the common name, Four O’Clock Moth.

The Zodiac Moth (or North Queensland Day Moth) is often mistaken for a butterfly. It is a large, colourful moth that is seen in gardens during the day seeking nectar from flowers of many species, both native and exotic. Large numbers are often seen resting (usually facing downwards) in shaded areas of the garden. The larvae of Zodiac Moths eat the leaves of the Day Moth Vine, Omphalea queenslandiae. Several rainforest Wattles, Acacia spp. are host trees for the Bag Shelter Moth. Several hundred caterpillars of the Bag Shelter Moth live in a large bag constructed of silky material. At night, the caterpillars emerge from the bag to feed on the leaves of the host Acacia. The caterpillars are covered with irritant hairs that cause a severe allergic reaction. Hundreds of caterpillars often move from tree to tree in a long procession, linked head to tail, giving rise to another common name for this species, the Processionary Caterpillar Moth.

Moths and their host plants are critical for a healthy environment. They pollinate many plant species. Moths and caterpillars are also a source of food for a variety of wildlife such as spiders, lizards, birds and bats. Moths are widespread and sensitive to changes in the environment and can act as indicator species like a ‘canary in a coalmine’. The Hercules Moth, for example, is regarded as a good indicator species for the health of the Wet Tropics Rainforest.

Tom Collis

Four O’Clock Moth caterpillar feeding on leaves of the Corky Bark.

Four O’Clock Moth sipping nectar from Melaleuca flowers.

Group of Zodiac Moths resting on leaves of a Mango tree.

Hawk Moth Caterpillar eating the leaves of its host plant.

Bleeding Heart Tree, food plant for caterpillars of the Hercules Moth (pictured on left).

Zodiac Moth feeding on nectar from the exotic Calliandra flower.

Fruit and leaves of Corky Bark, Carallia brachiata.

Mating pair of Wasp Moths, Euchromia spp. on a Foam Bark tree.

Flecker Gardens

Guided Tours

Annabelle

Symes

Catching up with Friends

Congratulations Del van Mierlo

We were delighted when our nomination of Del van Mierlo for an award from the Australian Association of Friends of Botanic Gardens (AFFBG) was successful.

This time of the year is a great time to visit the Cairns Botanic Gardens. The weather has cooled and there is less chance of rain.

Plants such as the Jade Vine, an extensive range of Medinilla plants and Gingers and Heliconias, are in flower at present providing a spectacular show.

Every weekday morning at 10am (except public holidays) there are tours of the Flecker Gardens led by the Friends knowledgeable volunteer tour guides. Tours usually take about one hour and vary depending on who the guide is, on the time of the year and what is in flower on a specific day.

The majority of tours this year have had less than 12 visitors attending. Smaller numbers often creates a closer interaction between the visitors and guides. It’s amazing how many visitors come from overseas and the wide range of countries that are represented. This year we have had visitors from Eastern and Western Europe, Southern and Northern America, Asia and New Zealand.

Throughout the year there are many visitors from Queensland, and interstate numbers tend to increase at this time of the year with visitors coming to enjoy our warm days.

Apart from the free tours on weekdays we also provide paid walking tours. This is when a specific group of people would like to do a private tour, often with a particular goal or direction. Further information on these tours can be obtained by contacting the Friends House, within the Flecker Gardens.

A big thank you to our volunteer guides; Zak, Bob, Susan, Kate, Barry, Carolyn, Del and Miriam.

Val Schier

Del travelled to Melbourne with Friends’ Vice-President Elaine Harrison to receive the Handbury Award on 5 May at the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens Herbarium. The award was established to recognise the exceptional contributions made by Friends’ volunteers throughout Australia.

Over 12 years, Del has been involved in most of the Cairns Botanic Friends’ activities including: training and rostering shop/information centre volunteers; locating suppliers and purchasing stock for the shop; acting as a guide for our weekly walks; liaising with various corporations and visitors to organise paid walks; being an active member of the Management Committee; counting receipts and banking; purchasing food and drinks for monthly talks and operating the bar; and working on trolley sales for the Gardeneers.

Well done Del; we’re proud of you upon your national recognition.

Del (centre) with President of AAFBG Linda Beveridge and secretary Bob Ducrou.

Australian Association of Friends of Botanic Gardens (AAFBG)

While attending the award event in Melbourne, Elaine and Del were pleased to have the opportunity to learn more about the AAFBG and BGANZ, Botanic Gardens of Australia and New Zealand. The home page of the Australian Association of Friends of Botanic Gardens has an information kit for all their members and overseas affiliates. The kit outlines how they support all Friends of Botanic Gardens throughout Australia and some overseas Friends groups.

There is also a map using their logo, which shows how many groups are members throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Stall at Ecofiesta

For the first time, the Friends had a stall at Ecofiesta on Sunday 4 June, sharing with the Green Space Our Place group. The idea was to provide information about what we do, promote the Friends and potentially recruit new members. We had lots of conversations and Jenn put together two documents for anyone who wanted more detailed information.

Big thank you to Miriam Henze for spearheading this initiative, setting up and dismantling and to Jenn and Barry, David, Elaine, Val and Sue who all did shifts on the day.

Friends Bird Tours

Cairns Botanic Gardens

tuesday morning free guided bird tours

Begin 7.30am at Friends House

Elaine was chuffed about her chat and photo op with Costa!

Friends of the Botanic Gardens, Cairns at Ecofiesta.

Photo: Jennifer H Muir

Engineering a better future for Raine Island Green Turtles

During my childhood, a favourite bedtime story was The Story of Sarli, the Barrier Reef Turtle, a captivatingly illustrated book romanticising a turtle’s journey just off our shores. Fast forward a halfcentury and Sarli’s life story rewritten today would be more fraught, never more so than at the headquarters for Green Turtles on the northern Great Barrier Reef at Raine Island.

Turtle hotspot

Raine Island is a vegetated coral cay sitting on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef, some 600km NNW of Cairns. In addition to being a significant seabird rookery, it is the world’s largest remaining nesting population of the endangered Green Turtle. Around 40,000 females lay eggs on Raine Island every year, with a record 20,000 mother turtles competing for a nesting space on a single night.

In the 1990s, lower nesting success and higher mortality of adults were observed on Raine Island. These worrying trends spawned an ambitious conservation project to give the turtles a helping hand. The Raine Island Recovery Project (RIRP) began in 2015 as a partnership between governments, scientists, industry and indigenous owners. Its mission was to protect and restore the island’s critical habitat to ensure the future of Green Turtles as well as seabirds.

Nesting nightmare

Researchers discovered that the nesting conditions for Green Turtles on Raine Island had become unfavourable. A change in the beach profile, as well as a reduction in suitable habitat available for nesting led to mother turtles struggling to find a spot to nest and disturbing previously laid clutches of eggs. Further, inundation of nesting areas during high tides made the sand unsuitable for incubating the eggs.

“Operation Sand Dune” was initiated to replenish sand to the nesting areas on the upper level of the beach. Subsequent reprofiling of the beach increased the sand depth and raised nesting areas above tidal influence. This engineering work required heavy machinery and the operations were closely monitored given Raine Island’s status as a scientific national park. Ultimately, about 40,000m3 of sand was relocated resulting in a doubling of suitable habitat for turtle nesting. The reprofiled areas have remained stable for five years, improving the chances for more and more offspring to be born on the beach in the future.

Fateful falls

In seeking a free spot to nest, turtles were venturing into the centre of the island to lay. On their return to the sea

in the dark early morning, the exhausted mothers were becoming entrapped by, or falling down the metre-high phosphate rock ‘cliff’ that separates the beach from the island’s central platform. Ending belly up, the weary turtles were unable to right their 150kg torsos and inevitably perished. Each nesting season, this death trap claimed up to 2000 turtles.

The RIRP tackled the problem of beach mortality in two practical ways. Firstly, as a reactive approach, stranded nesting turtles are assisted to reach the water. However, Raine Island is uninhabited, and rangers or scientists are only infrequently present. A more proactive approach was needed, consisting of building a low fence along the cavernous clifftop to prevent falls. On their return to the sea after laying, tired mother turtles are prevented from falling by the safety barrier. They navigate along the fence line to exit from where they arrived the previous night, by sandy corridors where the treacherous rock walls are absent.

To date, 1.7km of turtle fencing has been installed and 700 stranded turtles rescued. Regular monitoring has established that these two interventions are reducing the number of females lost to beach accidents. Given that each mother lays a clutch of about 100 eggs up to six times in a single breeding season, minimising beach deaths will contribute in the longer term to the sustainability of the turtle rookery.

“It takes a planet to raise a green turtle”

Now in its ninth year, the success of the RIRP would give a modern-day Sarli a better chance of laying a healthy clutch of eggs and returning safely to the ocean. Indeed, it is estimated that 640,000 additional hatchlings have emerged from nests on Raine Island, with an extra 4.6 million baby turtles expected over the next 10 years.

Alas, for the tiny hatchlings, the lottery of life has only just begun. Clambering out of the nest, they must run the gauntlet of the waiting predators on the beach and the shallows of the reef flat. In fact, only about seven per cent survive to swim safely offshore.

While conservation projects such as the RIRP are making a difference to successful nesting locally, the future of Sarli’s descendants still looks bleak. Female Green Turtles reach sexual maturity at 25-35 years old when they migrate back to their natal beach for nesting. In those intervening decades, they can spend significant time in other territorial waters and open seas where turtle protection safeguards can be quite limited. Actually, only one in a thousand hatchlings that reach the sea survives to mate.

Furthermore, the sex of a turtle hatchling is determined by nest temperature with warmer sand temperatures resulting in more females being born. Last year, it was estimated that 99 per cent of the hatchlings on Raine Island were born female. Such skewing of the gender ratio is an invisible impact of environmental change and feminisation of turtle populations threatens the longevity of the species.

JANICE PICHON

In addition to the existential threats in the sea where turtles spend most of their lives, their short but crucial nesting phase on land at their natal beach makes them highly vulnerable to changing environments. Ground-breaking ventures like the RIRP are playing their part to secure the future of Green Turtles.

Rush hour for turtle nesting at Raine Island. © The State of Queensland 1997–2023

Turtle hatchlings reach the sea. © The State of Queensland 1997–2023

Installing turtle-proof fencing. © The State of Queensland 1995–2023

Rescuing stranded turtles. © The State of Queensland 1995–2023

Turtle casualties from cliff falls. © The State of Queensland 1995–2023

Heavy machinery reprofiling the beach. © The State of Queensland 1997–2023

OUR BIRDS AROUND THE WORLD

When we talk about migratory birds we’re often referring to those flying from one region to another with the change in seasons, frequently because they breed in one place and rest (‘holiday’) in another when not breeding. The remarkable shorebirds, including Eastern Curlew and Whimbrel (see Our Volunteers Voice Issue 38 March 2023) which migrate between the northern and southern hemispheres are excellent examples.

However, some bird species that are permanently resident in Australia are also resident in other countries of the world. These species do not migrate between the northern and southern hemispheres, or between continents.

Some species are nomadic within their continent, and some are actually sub-species of, or different races from, our species in Australia. Their nomadic wanderings are determined by environmental boundaries, such as wetlands or deserts, forests or heathlands, mountains or coasts, rather than man-made boundaries, such as international borders.

In this article, we’re going to look at some of our Australian birds that are also found elsewhere, such as in Africa, Asia including South-east Asia, Europe, and New Zealand (NZ).

First, let’s look at one of our feathered cousins in NZ. Our Australian common and nomadic Purple Swamphen, Porphyrio melanotis (previously Porphyrio porphyrio) is also widespread in NZ, and known there by the Maori name ‘Pukeko’.

In Australia and NZ, they are mainly found in swamps, marshy paddocks and urban wetlands, foraging in and adjacent to water, especially reed-beds. They readily walk on floating vegetation, and bend tops of reeds to form roosting platforms over the water. Australia’s Purple Swamphen is also seen along river and estuarine habitats.

In both countries, they eat a wide variety of plant material, particularly succulent bases of reed and rush stems which they sever and strip with their huge bill, then grasp in their foot to eat. Many parrots also grasp their food with their (usually left) foot.

In NZ, although Pukeko are mainly vegetarian, it has been suggested that they also eat live animals such as small fish, birds and mammals which they actively stalk during the breeding season, particularly for their chicks. They also eat carrion from dead animals. With agricultural development in NZ, the Pukeko has expanded considerably into pastures and croplands in high-rainfall areas. In the past, Pukeko were considered a pest in agricultural areas and shot during hunting seasons, though they were regarded as poor eating.

Purple Swamphen pair-bonding behaviour for breeding is quite delightful. They engage in bill-nibbling, mutual preening, mock mounting and occasional courtship feeding, which can be very appealing to the human onlooker.

A variety of Porphyrio species, similar to those found in Australia, have been recorded in Africa; southern Europe; Asia including India, south China, Indonesia (Sumatra, Borneo and Java); and some Pacific Islands. In Eurasia and Africa they’re known as the Purple Gallinule.

Now let’s mention the White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Haliaeetus leucogaster. Resident in Australia, it is found on inland and water-bodies such as large rivers, fresh and saline lakes, reservoirs and islands. Also resident in Asia, it prefers rocky coasts, islets, and sometimes larger inland water bodies up to 1,400m above sea level, although it breeds in lowlands.

Besides Australia, it is also found in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, south-east China, the Sundas, Philippines, Wallacea, New Guinea region and

Australia’s Purple Swamphen on the Murray River Foreshore in Berri, South Australia. Note that it is holding its lunch in its left foot.

Bismarck Archipelago. It is a scarce to uncommon coastal resident in South-east Asia.

In the air, it glides and soars with wings in a ‘V’ shape. It soars to great heights: its graceful, buoyant flight powered with deep wing beats. Its aerial courtship display includes acrobatic somersaults, side-slipping and stoops.

During the day, it patrols beaches and inshore habitats, including coastal reaches of rivers and large inland water bodies, often traveling some distance inland to feed. A carnivore, it swoops in a shallow dive to snatch prey in its massive, powerful talons, mostly taking fish from the water surface. But it also scavenges and eats large waterbirds, turtles, rabbits and flying foxes.

The White-bellied Sea-Eagle is a large, handsome bird with its clean white head, neck and underparts plumage, and grey wings and back. Note the hooked bill and powerful talons, typical of a large raptor.

And last, but definitely not least, is the Beach Stone-curlew (Esacus magnirostris). Its current common name is appropriate as it’s a coastal bird. In fact, besides being Australian residents, Beach Stone-curlews occur along the coastlines of much of South-east Asia, including the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, the Philippines, and New Caledonia. They’re uncommon, sedentary, and occasionally nomadic.

Although a little similar in appearance to the well-known Bush Stonecurlew (Burhinus grallarius), the Beach Stone-curlew is only distantly related to the Bush Stone-curlew. They are not even in the same genus.

Its previous common name (Beach ‘Thick-knee’) is a misnomer, as their knees, that look like they are bent the wrong way, are actually their ankles with the long part of the foot, the tarsus, leading to the toes (effectively most birds stand on their toes like ballet dancers. Many have elongated toes for perching and catching, collecting, or scratching for, and sometimes holding, their food.) Note its huge bill (much larger than that of the Bush Stone-curlew): it also has more obvious black and white markings on face and wings. Beach Stone-curlews prefer open, undisturbed beaches with estuaries or mangroves nearby. On large intertidal mudflats, sandflats, sandbanks and sand-spits exposed by low tide, they forage for crabs and other marine invertebrates. They seem to prefer crabs, hammering them open and sometimes washing them before swallowing. They also frequent river mouths, offshore sandbars at coral atolls, reefs, rock platforms, and coastal lagoons. Beach Stone-curlews have been recorded around the north coast of Australia and associated islands from near Onslow in Western Australia to the Manning River in New South Wales, but they have largely disappeared from the south-eastern part of their former Australian range, and are now rarely recorded on ocean beaches in New South Wales.

Feathered Friends

JOHN PETER BirdLife Australia

Although the Striated Heron, White-faced Heron and the Great Egret are widespread and common around Cairns, there’s another heron — the Pied Heron — that often flies under the radar. Rarer than the others, Pied Herons are usually seen around Cairns during the wet season, mainly around the ponds in the Botanic Gardens and along the Esplanade, but seldom elsewhere around town. Nevertheless, they’re found across much of northern Australia, as well as in New Guinea and Indonesia.

Generally quiet and unobtrusive, Pied Herons are usually seen singly or in small, loose flocks, but they often congregate to roost communally at night, perching together among the mangroves, then, in the morning, dispersing to feed.

Pied Herons usually forage in shallow, freshwater lagoons, estuaries and ponds, as well as on tidal flats and among mangroves. Their main feeding method is to stalk prey in the shallows or stand and wait for a frog or fish to come into range before spearing it, but they may also peck rapidly at insects in the foliage of wetland vegetation, and sometimes disturb aquatic prey by stirring up muddy water.

They nest during the Wet, often within colonies of other waterbirds, including other herons, spoonbills and ibis but — although there’s a breeding colony further south at Ayr — they don’t breed in the Cairns district, even though they occur here during the wet season. After the Wet, some of their number migrate north to New Guinea, returning late in the year.

Pied Heron

White-bellied Sea-Eagle

Beach Stone-curlew.

The Giant Burrowing Cockroach in Mareeba

And that’s where they belong! Many locals are not aware that one of the world’s largest cockroaches can be found in Mareeba. The Giant Burrowing Cockroach, Macropanesthia rhinoceros, has a fairly broad range in eastern Australia and that includes a population near Mareeba. Adults are large, 60mm and 30g in weight. They are wingless and dark brown in colour.

Giant Burrowing Cockroaches require compact soils in fairly arid lands. The populations are disjunct. That means they are not continuous or contiguous but occur just where the conditions are perfect for their development.

The area around Granite Gorge Park, near Mareeba, is one of the few local sites where these cockroaches can be found. At certain times of the year males venture forth and can be seen crossing roads. They are subterranean most of the time and make winding burrows under eucalypts, casuarinas and acacias. The burrows are unbranched and can meander for a metre or more underground. At the end of the borrow is a ‘nursery’ where the young reside and where the mothers provide a supply of their food — dry eucalypt and other leaves are stored. Often there is a bit of dry grass, presumably as a sort of nesting material.

The forelegs of the cockroach are modified for heavy digging and if you are in the right place at the right time, you can see soil being flipped out of the hole while the cockroach digs. The fore part of the thorax serves as a type of shovel. Once you know what to look for, you can spot burrows by the characteristic appearance of the entrance hole.

Mothers attend the young cockroaches for a time and adult males may occupy burrows with subadult females. Females produce up to 20 young that take about three years to mature.

November and January are times to check for the wandering roaches. The “wanderers” are almost always males looking for burrows harbouring females. During the dry season, the roaches stay in their burrows and feed upon stored leaves.

The Giant Burrowing Cockroach can produce a hissing sound caused by forcing air out of its spiracles. Adults can live for up to seven years and since they feed only on dry leaves, they make ideal pets since they harbour no diseases and live for a long time. They are easy to care for and appreciate a bit of apple to provide moisture. They are frequently sold in pet shops.

The Giant Burrowing Cockroach would not be able to find its way into your kitchen and if it did, it would likely perish from dehydration. They have few natural enemies but feral pigs have a fondness for these insects and often ravage burrows.

DR DAVID RENTZ AM

GAPFORCE - May international group

The May Gapforce international volunteers supported our volunteer programs at Cattana Wetlands, Sugarworld, Botanic Gardens and the Russell St and Aeroglen revegetation sites. We are always happy to have a few extra hands to weed, mulch and help out with general gardening.

Tropical Fruit Trees

FRAN LINDSAY

Lemon Drop Mangosteen

Native to Central America, this short tropical evergreen fruit tree, usually 3-5m, is fairly fast growing for a Garcinia, fruting within 2 to 3 years from seed.

The small, greenish-white or ivory flowers, densely clustered below the leaves, makes it an attractive ornamental tree, especially when in fruit.

The small yellow fruits can be eaten fresh (skin included) and have a tart lemony flavour. The translucent pulp is used to flavour beverages, jams and jellies. This little tree would be ideal for a small garden and is suitable for containers. It can be grown in part-shade to full sun with regular watering.

The tree is generally propagated from seeds, though it can be grafted. If propagating by seed, it cannot be allowed to dry out.

The heartwood is rose-yellow and valued in construction because it is nearly immune to insects. It is also used for tool handles, fenceposts and temporary railroad ties.

Small Wonders nature in miniature

Barry Muir

This edition features three tiny marvels that you can find in the Cairns Botanic Gardens. Look closely.

Daintree Pine (Gymnostoma australianum) – it is not a pine – occurs mostly between the Bloomfield River and Noah Creek near Cape Tribulation. It is sometimes called an “Oak” but, like its relatives the Sheoaks, is only very distantly related to the Oaks of the northern hemisphere.

Gymnostoma is the most primitive group within the “Sheoaks” and the spiky green, leaflike structures are not actually leaves but are modified stems. The leaves are minute whorls of spikes surrounding the stems at joints (called nodes) along the stems. Male flowers form spikes near the tips of leaves while female flowers form further down the branches and result in these reddish spiky nuts.

Among one of the best camouflaged critters that you can find in the Cairns Botanic Gardens are these masters of disguise, the Lichen Huntsman Spider (Pandercetes gracilis).

These awesome spiders hide in plain sight with their long, hairy tufted legs and patchy colouration creating an invisibility cloak around them. They have also evolved to be almost flat, so, unless they are lit from the side, like this one, they do not show any obvious body shape while they sit in ambush on tree trunks. The best time to see these spiders is at night when you can pick up their eye-shine with a torch. They can be found in the Gardens all year round and are often seen on the same tree trunk for months.

This Lichen Huntsman occurs in Sulawesi, New Guinea and Australia, but there are other species in South-east Asia.

Often going unnoticed because of their dark colours that blend into their shady environment are these fungi commonly known as Dead Man’s Fingers. They are in a huge genus of fungi, many of which are scientifically undescribed. Almost all grow on rotting wood and are one of the rainforest’s best recyclers. Others grow on dead palm fronds and there is another that only grows in the empty shells of Black Bean Tree (Castanospermum australe) seed pods. We are lucky to have several re-occurring clusters that appear regularly in the Cairns Botanic Gardens.

Bridgette Gower

Barry Muir

The way we engage the younger ones through nature play and activities

Little Sprouts

Kindy kids program

Singalong and story time

JOIN THE FRIENDS

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 naturebased) by first week of August for the next quarterly publication in September.

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

Little Taccas nature activities program

Green Space Our Place

• Tuesdays - Cattana Wetlands Jabirus 9am to noon

• Tuesdays - City Sandpipers, Tuesdays 9am to noon

• Wednesdays - Botanic Gardens Down ’n’ Dirty volunteers 9am-noon

• Wednesdays - Tracks ‘n’ Trails 9am to noon

• Thursdays - Stratford Nursery volunteers 9am to noon

• Thursday (once a month) - Sugarworld Friends & Gardeners 9am11.30am

• Fortnightly Thursdays - Children’s Nature Activities Program - Little Taccas

• Fortnightly Thursdays - Kindy kids program - Little Sprouts

• Heritage Tour Guides - Thursdays 10am

• The Green Space education food garden - Wednesdays 9am to 3.30pm / Fridays 1.30 to 3.30pm

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

Clay pressings

Bridgette connects with a Little Tacca.

Jeannette helping with the landscape placemat activity.

A grassy slope provides easy nature play and connection.

Nature treasure hunt activity

Tanya and Helen (blue shirts) engage with Little Sprouts and their parents in The Green Space.

Memory games