News

The Autumn Newsletter is out now!

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Get your cuppa and sit down and enjoy this jam packed Autumn issue with a focus on Floods, Birds and Trees!

Click on the Newsletter Link to read all of the below and much more … including solving the mystery of what these strange objects pictured are that appeared in many places after the flood!

An Industry of MCCG Secretaries (p6), Birds Queensland Survey Report (p7-8), Bush Bite (p5-6), Chairman’s Report (p2),Congratulations, Jenny (p6), Flood Reports (p3-4), If its Flooded, Forget It? (p4), MCCG ‘Photo Comp’ (p6-7), Registering a Significant Tree & National Trust Registration (p9), Seeds & Weeds (p8).

As always a massive thank you to Cathi for all her efforts in putting together another excellent newsletter and to all the contributors.

Bushcare Working Bees ‘ON HOLD’

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Habitat Brisbane has requested we do not commence works on our Bushcare sites until they have been assessed by Habitat Brisbane staff. The safety of Habitat Brisbane volunteers is the main focus at this time.

Along with the obvious hazards of flood debris and unstable surfaces, the flood waters across Brisbane were contaminated with sewage overflow, chemicals and fuel from cars and machinery.  Floodwaters can also contain disease organisms such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Salmonella, etc.  Soil and silt deposited by flood waters may retain these contaminants for some time, significantly increasing the risk to bushcarers working on-site.

With more rain predicted this week, including the possibility of severe thunderstorms, there is also the chance that flood debris caught in trees may be dislodged, or that large trees with roots systems weakened by erosion or waterlogged soils may fall over.

The Habitat Brisbane program will make every effort to assist us to recover our bushcare sites when it is safe to do so, and they are preparing resources and information to assist with this e.g. lists of plant species that we can stand up again and which are better left as they are. They aim to view and assess all damaged sites as soon as possible, however many Habitat Brisbane staff are currently being redirected to other emergency activities.

As soon as we are able we will commence bushcare working bees again.

Rowena St bushcare site following Feb/March 2022 floods.   Photo: Alex Berghuis

Wildlife Matters! Where have all the native geckos gone?

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Six native species and one invasive gecko are found in Brisbane. Of the natives, dubious dtella (Gehyra dubia) are common in outer western suburbs of Brisbane and look like Asian geckos (Hemidactylus frenatus). Dtella geckos have irregular darker mottling which becomes pale and almost pattern-less when hunting at night. Asian geckos also become pattern-less at night but are distinguished from dtella by a series of spines that run along the edge of the tail and lower back and their toes have claws.

There are three species of velvet geckos (Oedura species), the zigzag (O. rhombifer), robust (O. robusta) and spotted (O. tryoni) geckos. The robust velvet gecko is the most abundant of the three species, while the zigzag velvet gecko and spotted velvet gecko are uncommon. Stone geckos (Diplodactylus vittatus) and thick tailed (Underwoodisaurus milii) geckos can also be found in Brookfield but are uncommon.

At home, geckos were in most rooms in the house, running up walls and across ceilings. Leaving their tell-tale droppings behind pictures and occasionally on pillows. No problem, as they fed on insects in the house. However, late last year I was aware that I hadn’t seen a native gecko for a while, but started to hear the chuck-chuck-chuck sound of an Asian gecko, calling outside the house. I posted on the local Upper Brookfield Facebook page “Where have all the (native) geckos gone”? A quick survey from the local community produced a snapshot of some of the six species of native geckos described in “Wildlife of Greater Brisbane”. The most common were the velvet geckos, followed by dtella and the Asian gecko. The numbers described, ranged from “millions” to a few. So why are some folks knee deep in geckos and I’m just hearing one or two Asian geckos and no longer seeing any natives. The Asian gecko is a successful invasive reptile. The female lays two eggs every four to six weeks and can breed all year round. Once established they frequently become the most prevalent and widespread species, often at the expense of native species. Some of our community members seek out the Asian geckos at night and remove them so the native geckos can re-establish. Some studies suggest that the Asian gecko is a benign threat and unlikely to become an environmental pest, but others claim they can spread to bushland habitats and throughout Australia.

I live in hope of the tell-tale signs on our pillows!

Phil Bird

Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) ©photo Qld Museum

 

Dubious Dtella (Gehyra dubia) photo ©Qld Museum, Jeff Wright

New date for the MCCG AGM – Tuesday February 15th

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Please join us for the rescheduled 2021 AGM

Tuesday 15th February 6.30pm for 7pm (finish 9pm)

Brookfield Hall (Showgrounds)

Welcome our incoming Chairperson Alexander (Sandy) Pollock with Zoe Bishop-Kinlyside as Secretary and Chris Bruton as Assistant Secretary.
Our guest speaker is Gordon Grigg who will introduce the Old Gold Creek Sawmill Forest Walk.
Doors open 6.30 for 7pm.
COVID changes: no refreshments (sorry), the meeting will also be on Zoom (please lookout for the zoom link via email)

Wildlife Matters

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Grass invaders! Sighted in local creek!

Invasive grass species are causing environmental havoc all over the globe. In fact, you don’t have to look too far to find one running amuck in your own backyard. Pictured here for instance is an area near Gold Creek, heavily invaded by the grass Guinea Grass, Megathyrsus maximus, a common invader of creek lines and shaded areas.

Guinea Grass near Gold Creek

But what makes a grass invasive and why are they so problematic?

When we say the term invasive it means the species is firstly, not native to Australia and secondly is having a negative impact, whether it be environmental, economic or otherwise. For example, Guinea Grass is considered invasive because it is native to Africa and has been associated with both negative environmental and economic impacts, including declines in native plant and animal species, more frequent and intense fires, and losses to crops.

Guinea Grass, like many of our invasive grasses was deliberately introduced for pasture to feed livestock in the early 1900s. When choosing plant species to introduce for pasture, agricultural scientists would conduct trials, looking for species that produced abundant yields of tasty feed (often tall, bulky grasses), were drought and disease resistant, could grow, reproduce, and spread quickly, and were resilient to grazing. These traits are indicative of both, a productive pasture, and a very successful and damaging invasive species. Many of these non-native pasture species were and continue to be selectively bred to enhance these traits, producing a ‘super pasture’, or looked at in another light, a ‘super invader’. Invasive grasses are consequentially very good at spreading and dominating native ecosystems, because that’s exactly what they were introduced to do!

So, how can we manage these pesky pasture grasses in natural areas? Well, it’s complicated and differs with the grass and the situation. Generally, however managing a grass invasion usually involves a combination of grazing or mowing, manual or mechanical removal, herbicide, and sometimes fire. Planting trees and shrubs and reducing light to the understory can also reduce grass cover and increase the number of native species. In fact, thanks to hard working local Bushcare groups, there has been some great success in reducing Guinea Grass along our creek lines. Here is a picture of a non-planted (left) and planted (right) area along Cedar Creek, upper Kedron.

Planting with natives to control Guinea Grass – before and after

Words and photos by Gabrielle Lebbink

 

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Know Your Wildlife!

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How well do you know the local wildlife? You are invited to meet the Wildlife Identification Challenge!

CAN you identify these invasive weeds using the MCCG Digital Field Guides?

Which of them was introduced to Australia as fodder for cattle in times of drought?

1.

2.

3.

 

ANSWER:

  1. Cat’s Claw Creeper (Dolichandra unguis-cati) Photo Jim Pope
  2. Glycine (Neonotonia wightii) Photo Jim Pope
  3. Madeira Vine (Anredera cordifolia) Photo Jim Pope

Glycine (Neonotonia wightii) was introduced to Australia as fodder for cattle in times of drought.

 

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Wildlife Matters! Predator and prey – Common Glider Dragonfly

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Dragonflies are primitive animals that have successfully survived since Gondwana times.

They are important insects that are both predator and prey and feature in the food chain of many of our most important aquatic animals. The adults are very strong hunters eating insects often taken on the wing and eaten in flight. They feed on moths, mosquitos and flies. Their aquatic larvae are voracious feeders that have an extendable lower jaw. They eat fish as large as themselves and feed on mosquito wrigglers, worms and shrimp. In turn, locally, they are a large part of the diet of Platypus and Eel-tailed Catfish that are adapted to detect them with the Platypus’s electrical detection ability and the Catfish’s whiskers. Dragonflies are such strong fliers that they can even evade capture by swallows. The only bird species I have photographed with a dragonfly is a Restless Flycatcher.

The Dragonfly  illustrated is a Common Glider Tramea loewii. After changing from a final stage nymph at the water’s edge it flies well away from the water to feed on mainly flying insects. If it is a male, after it has fed for a few days, it returns to find an area of the slow stream or pond where it established itself on a favourite twig where it can observe the patch of water it defends waiting for females to arrive. It defends its’ patch ferociously which is evident by the damage to the wings of the one in the photo. The females also bulk up away from the water and return when they are ready to mate and lay their eggs singly in the water. They lay about 1000 eggs which quickly hatch and go through 10 or more nymph stages before they emerge as adults. The time from egg to adult varies due to temperature of the water and food supply and can be as short as three months to more than a year.

Ed Frazer

Common Glider Dragonfly (Tramea loewii) – Photo Ed Frazer

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Bush Bites with Ed Frazer

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Lacewings are a diverse and interesting group that are an important part of the insect fauna in the Moggill Creek catchment area.

They are equipped with highly effective “fangs” and are vicious predators of a wide range of insects including many pests.

The eggs are unusual in that the are usually laid in rows under leaves hanging from slender stalks.

Lacewing Eggs  Photo:Ed Frazer

The hatched larvae vary enormously. One group, the Ant Lions live in dry areas, such as under the eaves of a house, where they build an inverted cone in the soil with steep sides. Ants that fall into the cone struggle to get out and are captured and eaten by the Ant Lion, which lies concealed at the bottom of the cone.

Another group of species attach objects to their backs and move around on the ground or on the stems of plants, well camouflaged as they track down aphids and larvae of other insects.

Lacewing lava with camouflage  Photo: Ed Frazer

A primitive group of Lacewings that is now only found in Australasia is the Split-footed Lacewings. These relatively large sized lacewings are known outside this area only by fossil records. While some of their larvae adorn their backs with camouflage litter others live openly on the undersides of leaves, usually in the vicinity of creeks feeding on anything they can trap with their fearsome jaws. The larva look so different from their beautiful green winged adults it is hard to believe they can make such a transformation when they pupate and metamorphize into their winged stage.

Larva of a Green Spotted Lacewing – one of the Split-footed Lacewings  Photo:Ed Frazer

Adult Lacewings range in size from about 1cm to 5cm. All have in common translucent heavily veined wings. Most are highly predacious in both the larval and adult stages and have very efficient jaws. Little is published on the life history of this interesting group, which is well represented in this area.

Small lacewing about 1cm feeding on minute insects on a leaf of grass  Photo: Ed Frazer
Split-footed lacewing the size and appearance of a dragonfly  Photo: Ed Frazer

New Survey Dates for Creek Health Monitoring Project – January 2022

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Due to bad weather last year the Creek Health Monitoring Project survey events have been rescheduled to January 2022.

Saturday 15th January 

Brookfield General Store (MC4)

Tuckett Street Park (MC5)

Saturday 22nd January 

Gold Creek (GC3 and GC1)

 

Sign up

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/181590541197

Event page

https://www.facebook.com/events/164879605828609/?event_time_id=164879605828609&ref=newsfeed

The Summer Newsletter is out!

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In the summer newsletter… We say goodbye and a huge thank you to our outgoing Chairman for the last four years – Jim Pope and welcome our new nominee for the Chair position Alexander (Sandy) Pollock. Beck Bain gives a wrap up of the 2021 photo comp, sharing photos from the winners.  Read about the Old Gold Creek Forest Walk that was established in 2021 spearheaded by Gordon Grigg.  There is information on weeds (Creeping Lantana) and seeds (native Witch-hazel) and an excellent article on the Nursery and our fabulous volunteers.  And so much more.  Check out the summer newsletter here.

MCCG Nursery Volunteers – Photo: Ed Frazer