It’s important to identify and report any infestations of fire ants on your property. These ants are a serious threat to our environment and to our way of life.
The Queensland Government is actively involved in measures to prevent the spread of these introduced pests.
See here for further details, including how to identify fire ants and what to do if you find an infestation.
The spectacular Richmond birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera richmondia) is the largest butterfly in South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales.
The colourful male has a wingspan of 12-13cm, with a black body, brilliant green stripes and spots on both sides of its wings, green patches on its hind wings and a bright red splash on its thorax.
© Paul Wright
Sadly the numbers of this strikingly beautiful insect have been in decline since the late1880’s. Its numbers and its geographical range have contracted alarmingly. In Queensland it is now listed as a vulnerable species.
The reasons for its decline are both man-made and natural. The ideal habitat for these butterflies is in lowland subtropical rainforests where the birdwing butterfly vine (Pararistolochia praevenosa and P. Laheyana) is available to support the butterflies during their immature stages as larvae.
Birdwing butterfly vine © RBCN
The destruction of habitat to make way for forestry, agriculture and urban development has decimated wide areas of habitat for these butterflies, particularly in south-east Queensland.
Pararistolochia praevenosa has been displaced by many exotic vines but one exotic in particular has had a devastating effect on local populations.
The Dutchman’s pipe vine (Aristolochia elegans) is an exotic species introduced from South America. It is similar in appearance to Pararistolochia praevenosa and attracts the female butterflies who lay their eggs on its leaves. Those leaves are highly toxic to any larvae which emerge. Sadly Dutchman’s pipe is more attractive to female butterflies than Pararistolochia praevenosa. Despite efforts to eradicate it, Dutchman’s pipe continues to thrive in gardens. It has escaped and now proliferates many bushland and waterway areas. It is very prevalent in the western suburbs of Brisbane.
Periodic instances of prolonged drought have also damaged habitat, reducing the availability of soft leaves for food and denying essential moisture from growing pupae. The net result has been the isolation of a number of viable Richmond Birdwing Butterfly populations, leading to in-breeding due to population decline. In many areas, local populations have become entirely extinct.
For the past thirty years or so, a group of conservationists led by Dr Don Sands have quietly been tracking South East Queensland Richmond birdwing butterfly populations, re-establishing Pararistolochia praevenosa vines and removing Aristolochia elegans. Their efforts have paid off with a resurgence of the butterfly in the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast hinterland regions.
Now the focus is on Brisbane. In an outstanding demonstration of collaboration many conservation groups and local residents have united with Brisbane City Council and the Richmond Birdwing Conservation Network (RBCN) in a determined effort to save the Richmond birdwing butterfly from extinction within the Brisbane environs.
In 2017 the “Bringing the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly Back to Brisbane” project was launched.
This is one of several projects which aim to systematically map the spread of Aristolochia elegans, map the current range and future range of the Richmond birdwing butterfly as a result of climate change, as well as co-ordinating plantings of Pararistolochia praevenosa in “corridors” throughout Brisbane.
The intention is that these “corridors” will allow separate colonies to breed and thrive, encouraging the likelihood of mating between non-related insects to produce stronger, more viable populations. Several corridors have been identified as being critical to the survival of the Richmond birdwing vine and butterfly. These include sites in the Gold and Sunshine Coast hinterlands and in the western suburbs of Brisbane.
The MCCG and residents of the catchment are contributing greatly to help establish these corridors. The aim is to join up with current and future plantings in other council areas both north and south of Brisbane.
Cody Hochen is a Wildlife Conservation Partnerships Officer with Brisbane City Council. He has provided the MCCG with a wonderful description of the project, its goals and successes so far (January 2019).
To read Cody’s article, please click here: Bringing back the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly
There are MANY things you can do to help bring back the Richmond birdwing butterfly.
You can plant Pararistolochia praevenosa vines to attract larvae and remove Aristolochia elegans in your own garden or you can volunteer to join bushcare groups who work in wider areas. Pararistolochia praevenosa requires moisture, so there is often a call out for volunteers to water vines during dry spells.
There are a number of species you can plant which will attract adult Richmond birdwings as well. For more info, please see the following guide produced by the Richmond Birdwing Conservation Network: Australian Nectar Plants for Adult RBB
Other activities you can join include:
The Richmond Birdwing Conservation Network has a wealth of information to help you find you a part to play. Call them on 3844 0129 or visit their website or Facebook page (highly recommended!)
Or, for starters, refer to the following fact sheets:
Specific local butterflies need specific native plants – not for themselves as beautiful flower-sipping adults, but for their caterpillar leaf-munching stage.
You can attract butterflies to your garden simply by selecting the right plants!
Some butterflies, like the Chequered Swallowtail, have only one local host plant, while others have more options.
The Orchard Swallowtail, for example, uses a wide range of native and exotic citrus trees and does particularly well on all the Flindersia species in our area. The Blue Triangle also has choices in local laurels such as Cryptocarya species and Neolitsea dealbata.
Some plants host more than one butterfly species. A good example is Native Mulberry, Pipturus argenteus, a small tree which supports a lot of wildlife including Speckled Line Blue and Jezebel Nymph butterflies.
Surprisingly, the small herb, Love Flower, Pseuderanthemum variabile, hosts quite large butterflies – the Leafwing and Varied Eggfly.
So, planting local native plants is a great way to entice colourful butterflies into your garden or bit of bush!
Below is a short list of some local native plants with the colourful butterflies they attract:
| Scientific Tree Name | Common Name | Butterfly |
|---|---|---|
| Alphitonia | Pink ash, Soap Tree | for Small Green-banded Blues |
| Breynia oblongifolia | Breynia | for Large Grass Yellows |
| Citrus australis | Native lime | for Dainty Swallowtails |
| Cryptocarya triplinervis | Three-veined laurel | for Blue Triangles |
| Cullen tenax | Emu foot | for Chequered Swallowtails |
| Flindersia australis | Crows Ash | for Orchard Swallowtails |
| Lomandra longifolia | Lomandra | for Splendid Ochre Skippers |
|
Pipturus argenteus |
Native mulberry | for Jezebel Nymphs & Speckled Line Blues |
|
Senna acclinis |
Brush Senna | for Yellow Migrants |
For more information about butterflies see:
For information about free plants for MCCG members, please visit our Nursery page.
Butterflies and moths belong to the scientific order of Lepidoptera, which means “scaly wings”.
The Latin name originates from thin scales which cover the insects’ bodies and wings, giving rise to their spectacular colours. It is thought that the scales have evolved as protection against spider’s webs. Both butterflies and moths have six legs and the three main body parts of head, thorax and abdomen.
Butterflies and moths undergo metamorphosis during their lifetimes. What we know as caterpillars are generally butterfly larvae. This is followed by the pupal stage of development,often characterised by a cocoon for moths and chrysalids for butterflies.
Adults generally have two pairs of wings and tubular-shaped mouthparts which have evolved to enable the insects to drink flower nectar, sap and various liquids to maintain their energy stores.
Although butterflies and moths are closely related, there are some differences between the two:
It is said that moths are more dull than butterflies. If you take a look at our online Butterfly Field Guide, you may wish to differ!
A Heliotrope moth © Ed Frazer
With the dry so bad I have been concentrating my wildlife photography to the two large holes of Gold Creek that border our property.
Of course, the Platypus are the main interest, and now that the pups are growing I am finding the mothers are out feeding frantically through the day. One was out at 2pm in the second week in November!
Now is definitely the time to go watching Platypus!
Find the best spots by looking at the locations where they’ve been sighted in our annual Platypus Survey. Take a chair and just sit quietly and wait! Early in the morning or the last hour before sunset are the times you are most likely to see them.
Watch out for lots of bubbles rising to the surface and often a stream of mud being brought up from the bottom of the creek. I find they surface about every 45 seconds while they are feeding.
If you are lucky one will stay on top of the water to chew on the creatures it has stored in its cheeks.
But there is plenty of other life up the creek!
We have several Sandpaper Figs hanging over the water and one very old one has a huge crop ripening at present.
Every few minutes a ripe fig will fall into the water and it can be a torrent of figs falling when a flock of Fig Birds and Orioles start feeding in the tree.
Under the water are a number of Eel-tailed Catfish and I think one has a nest there too. I am not sure if the fish eat the ripe figs or the creatures attracted by the figs.
Another that hangs around the same area is a good-sized eel. They are ultra-designed and can move with the slightest effort.
The creek has a large number of Water Dragons.
Each has a territory and there are frequent standoffs between territory owners. The area “owned” is relative to the dragon’s size and I think the males get a bit more as they appear to be more aggressive.
The Water Dragons were not to be seen as they were hibernating until late August and then they were mostly sitting on the banks or in branches of trees sunning themselves. Now it has heated up they spend much of their time in the water with just their heads poking out.
Just occasionally I see a Water Snake, a Keelback, swimming by.
They are beautiful to watch and the ones around here have a bluish tinge. They are quite an aggressive snake when encountered around the house, but they are not poisonous. They eat skinks and frogs and I have heard young cane toads but I have not seen that happening.
Something must though, as millions hatch, but clearly they don’t all survive.
Dragonfly larvae are one of the most important food for Platypus and they must be in short supply this year as the number of adults is way down this year.
The adults of most species catch midges and other small insects on the wing and they must be short of food and consequently few are laying eggs in the creek.
One species that is still around and spends all its life cycle at the creek is the Australian Emerald. It never seems to stop flying and is very hard to photograph and I took my best shot of it waiting for the Platypus to appear.
Sometimes just watching the combination of wind, reflections and sunlight on the water with it changing like a Kaleidoscope is worth a photo or two.
I still get to do a bit of bird photography. My biggest challenge is to get a good photo of the resident Grey Goshawk, which almost every time I’m at the creek flies very fast under the canopy of the trees lining the creek. With the low light because of the closed canopy and the speed the bird goes it is still a challenge.
Equally fast just one metre above the water is the Azure Kingfisher. However, it likes to perch on horizontal branches over the creek, so I have added to the ones naturally there – strategically placed with a suitable background.
Around the creek are two very interesting ground birds. One is spectacularly coloured, the Noisy Pitta, and the other is highly cryptic, the Russet-tailed Thrush. The Noisy Pitta just visits in the cold weather and returns to nest along the Scenic Rim at higher altitude.
The Russet-tailed Thrush stays all year and nests at the base of a tree in a tangle of vines.
Both are in serious trouble from cats, which are rampant in the Catchment.
With the Grey Goshawk patrolling and cats along the banks, the creek is a dangerous place for ducklings. There are water rats with their distinctive white tipped tails the size of cats and a vicious predator too.
Yet one very disciplined duck family visits regularly and I have never seen a clutch of chicks move so fast and stay so close to mother. They posed beautifully on a log behind mother before they took off.
Another predator is the Nankeen Night Heron.
It is a highly under-rated ambush hunter that I think gets up to a lot of mischief at night. It roosts in the trees along the creek during the day and while the books say it eats frogs and fish.
I think it does well on ducklings and other young birds. We have Australasian Grebes nesting on most of our dams and I think the Nankeens take all their chicks up to about March when the Nankeens move off to the north.
There is a lot more going on than is obvious and its well worth the effort to put on some insect repellent and take a chair and sit and watch early one morning or just before dusk. It’s some of our Moggill Catchment fauna and flora at its best.
There has been plenty of discussion about recovery options on offer for those affected by our ongoing bushfire crisis.
But what does bushfire recovery mean for birds?
For humans, animals and plants alike, the slow road to recovery is very much tied up in initially finding a safe and well resourced haven to call home.
Sadly, this will be a slow journey. How long will it take for bird life to recover from the devastation?
For an informed answer from our resident birder Jim Butler, please head to our Feather Fascination page and check out the January 2020 issue.
You will also find some great articles on this subject on the Birdlife Australia website.
Please be aware the Section 11 working bee scheduled for Saturday 1st February has been put back a week to Saturday 8 February.
The group will meet at their Mabb St site and they will be working across the creek from Belford Street.
Start time is 2.30pm.
Best to park at the end of Belford Street (UBD Map 177, K7). Turn to your right and walk upstream, cross the bridge and head downstream and you will soon find the crew.
Bring protective clothing (long-sleeved shirts, jeans, sensible shoes/boots), gloves, drinking water, hat and sunscreen. Refreshments are provided!
Please come if you can – new members are always welcome and they’d love some help!
For more info please contact Bryan Hacker on 3374 1468.
The Huntington/Tuckett bushcare has changed the date of their next working bee. It will be put back by a week to Sunday 1st March, instead of the previously advised 23 February. Start time is 8:30am.
The group, led by Jim Pope, has hit the new year at full speed!
Last year their Habitat Brisbane bushcare section was extended from Tuckett Street Park down to the footbridge at the bottom of Branton Street. This encompasses the riparian zone on the western side of Moggill Creek, opposite Kensington Circuit at Brookfield.
The group’s first working bee was held at Kensington Circuit on Australia Day, and the objective was to clear the area to make way for new plantings.
With eight new volunteers turning up on the day, the group made great progress and the difference was notable! What a great start to 2020!
Jim extends a warm THANK YOU to all his wonderful volunteers, old and new!
If you’d like to get involved, please contact Jim on 3374 4181.
Great progress on Australia Day – next step: planting!
Although the rain has fallen it will take resilience and time to recover from our catastrophic Summer break. There are many lessons to be learned.
The SEQ Fire & Biodiversity Consortium’s annual Fire Science Forum may be of interest to many. Topics include prescribed burning, smoke, fire ecology, infrastructure risk, fire weather and an overview of Queensland’s 2019/20 Bushfire Emergency
The event will be held at the Queensland State Library on Tuesday 17, March.
For more info and to purchase tickets, please head to Eventbrite.
“The harvest we have sown is today emerging from the smoke haze.”
These words are taken from Jim Butler’s first issue of Feather Fascination for 2020.
It is a thoughtful and beautiful piece of writing, contemplating the complexity of our relationships with birds and our dependence on them to continue their vital role in maintaining our very existence. The article sends a powerful message about human behaviour, gently delivered around a poem and painting about a robin.
Please click here to read on.
Pale Yellow Robin © Ed Frazer 