Pollination

The pollen of a flower contains the genetic material needed for reproduction of the plant. Pollen is made by the male organ of the flower, the stamen. Pollination is the distribution of the pollen to the female organ of the flower, the stigma.

The pollen from the stamen of one flower may be transferred to the stigma of the same flower – self-pollination – or to the stigma of a different flower – cross-pollination.

Very simply, once the stigma has received some pollen, fertilization of the ovules occurs and seed is produced, hence the plant can reproduce.

Plants use water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to produce sugars (food) and oxygen: photosynthesis. Life as we know it would not exist without plants. Pollination of plants could be viewed as the necessary ecological process that sustains all life.

Pollen may be transferred from stamen to stigma by gravity, wind, and rain, or by animals – birds, bats, possums, lizards, spiders, and insects. Bees, flies, moths, butterflies, beetles, wasps, ants are just some insect families that are responsible for transferring pollen from one flower to another. It is estimated that 70+% of plants rely on insects for their pollination.

The body of this hoverfly is covered in fine 'pollen-catching' hairs

Plants have evolved various strategies for attracting insect pollinators: by providing pollen and nectar for food; by using fragrances of volatile oils; by using visual clues such as colours and shapes. Some of these strategies are very specific. Some species of flowers, some orchids in particular, are ‘engineered’ to attract just one species of insect.

The long beak and tongue of honeyeaters are suited for reaching the nectar of plants such as grevilleas

The sugar-rich nectar is stored in the nectary, generally deep within the flower, requiring the insect or bird, etc. to scuffle about or to have a long tongue to reach it, ensuring pollen grains are attached to its body.

 

PS: One for the lexophiles (or is it the logophiles?); why is it pollination and not pollenation? Aaaahhh, retirement is fun!

 

Wonderful 'woodies'

The Wood Duck, or more correctly, Australian Wood Duck, is a common site in and around urban Drouin. At present, many of our wetland areas will have at least one pair of ‘woodies’ with a clutch of ducklings.

At Thomas Maddock Reserve

The Australian Wood Duck, Chenonetta jubata, (Chenonetta = goose or duck, and jubata = maned or crested) often called the maned goose or maned duck, is certainly a duck and not a goose. Geese have more bones in their necks than ducks and hence have longer necks. Geese are usually larger than ducks, have narrower bills, more elongated bodies, and are nearly always monomorphic. Geese tend to ‘honk’, whereas ducks nearly always ‘quack’.

Our Wood Ducks are grazing ducks, which is probably why they are sometimes referred to as geese.

At Bellbird Park

Woodies have adapted well to urban places – they love our parks, gardens, nature strips, and wetlands. They generally only appear on the water to rest or seek refuge from dogs and excitable children.

At McNeilly Park

Wood Ducks usually nest in a large tree hollow or the fork of a big tree. They will take to an artificial nest box at times. Like other duck species that nest high in a tree, the ducklings must face ‘jump day’ when the time comes to vacate the nest before they can fly – there are many wonderful videos of this amazing act of nature.

Wood Ducks are mostly a sedentary species with perhaps some dispersal occurring as a result of seasonal changes. They have benefited greatly from our farming practices and construction of urban wetlands.

Common, abundant, attractive up close, and welcome.

 

 

Arum Lily - a real problem plant

Calla Lily, White Arum Lily, Lily of the Nile, Egyptian Lily, Jack in the Pulpit, Florist’s Calla, Garden Calla, Pig Lily, Trumpet Lily, St Joseph’s Arum Lily, Funeral Flower, Death Lily are just some of the common names of this dreadful weed.

Arum is a large genus of flowering plants originating mainly from South Africa. It is thought they arrived in Australia with early settlers in the mid-19^th century. They were present in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens in 1858. The Arum Lily was a standard garden specimen and has a history of being a popular funeral flower.

Arum Lily populations in the wild are the result of escaping from gardens and are now an environmental weed found in wetlands, roadsides, forests, and urban reserves in all states of Australia. The Arum Lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica, is a listed environmental weed in the Appendix C of the Baw Baw Shire Weed Management Strategy 2020-2025. The Arum Lily is a widespread, invasive weed inour district – not to mention: Agapanthus, Angled Onion, Blackberry, Hemlock, English Ivy, Sweet Pittosporum, Tree Tobacco, et al.

1-Longwarry  2-Alex Goudie Park  3-Flower

The Arum Lily likes to grow in swampy, degraded, neglected areas where it completely outgrows native species. In places it forms stands so dense that it blocks the flow of creeks and drains. All parts of the Arum plant are toxic to humans and stock.

Although rare, there are cases of humans dying from Arum Lily ingestion. The plant contains high lvels of calcium oxalate a common component of kidney stones, and coniine, a toxin that inhibits the nervous system leading to suffocation. 

1-Roberts Ct Bush  2-Bellbird Park  3-Soccer Fields

Despite the significant detrimental effects on the environment by this weed, the Arum Lily is still sold in nurseries, is a popular garden plant, and is used extensively in the florist industry.

 “One man’s flower is another man’s weed” 

The value of stand-alone trees

It is not unusual to sometimes consider a single tree standing on its own in a paddock to contribute little and for there to be minimal consequence if removed. A stand-alone tree has values way beyond those ascribed to it by farmers as shelter trees for stock.

Just like a tree in a forest, or a woodland, or a copse, or a roadside/creekside corridor, a stand-alone tree still sequesters carbon, produces oxygen, filters the air, helps to lower ambient temperatures, and provides habitat.

Because of their isolated positions, paddock trees are exceptional ‘water pumps’; they transpire water into the atmosphere more efficiently and reduce the risk of salinity.

Many stand-alone trees are old remnant relics that are full of habitat hollows for wildlife. Research has shown that a single paddock tree can contain an ‘ecological zoo’ of hundreds of different species; birds, mammals, reptiles, invertebrates, bacteria, moss, lichen, fungi, etc. A lone paddock tree will often provide a ‘stepping stone’ for wildlife in search of suitable habitat.

Scattered paddock trees contribute to farm productivity by providing shelter for stock, fertility to the soil, reducing erosion, and lowering acidification of the soil.

Even a lone dead tree can contribute significantly to the biodiversity of a region.

Like King Cnut, we are more or less powerless to turn the tide of development in our region, but is it too much to ask for greater consideration be given to the conservation of those magnificent paddock sentinels – the stand-alone trees?

 

Birds and biodiversity

Birds are not on this planet just for birdwatchers to enjoy or for twitchers to make lists. The benefits of birdwatching are well documented: it connects us with nature, reduces stress, makes us aware of our environment, gives us exercise, provides sensory and cognitive stimulation, and more. Birdwatching is very accessible and can be done around the world or in our own back yards.

Birds though, are not just useful for our cultural, emotional, or physical benefit. Birds play an essential role in keeping our natural environment healthy and productive, and they are good bio-indicators.

Birds help control pests. The Straw-necked Ibis and Australian White Ibis are often referred to as the farmer’s friend for their appetite for locusts. The Black-shouldered Kite is an excellent rodent hunter. Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike populations irrupt when there is a plague of caterpillars. Pardalotes, thornbills, whistlers, and other foliage species help to keep leaf-eating insects under control.

L: Australian White Ibis. R: Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

Many birds are effective pollinators as they inadvertently transfer pollen from plant to plant. Nectar eaters, the honeyeater families, are particularly good at this – New Holland Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebill, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, the wattlebirds and dozens more, are good examples. Healthy plant communities rely on pollination for reliable reproduction and genetic vigour. Even insectivorous bird species – thornbills, wrens, flycatchers, etc. – will at times act as pollinating vectors because their insect diet is often obtained within the vicinity of pollen-bearing flowers.

L: New Holland Honeyeater. R: Little Wattlebird

Fruit and seed-eating birds are often responsible for the natural distribution of many plant species. Plants cannot migrate and so must rely on the wind, water, birds, or other animals to spread their seeds. Birds can travel large distances in a short time and so become a plant’s best friend when it comes to seed dispersal. Pigeons, bowerbirds, parrots, Silvereyes, Mistletoebirds, are all well-known seed dispersers.

L: Crested Pigeon. R: Mistletoebird

Scavenger species like eagles, kites, hawks, ravens, currawongs, etc., help prevent the spread of disease by breaking down the carcasses of dead animals and returning their nutrients to the environment. Scavengers help keep roadsides, farmlands, parks, forests, etc., free of carrion and detritus.

L: Wedge-tailed Eagle. R: Pied Currawong

Nowadays, birds are frequently used to monitor environmental conditions. Bird monitoring and bird surveys are frequently carried out to assess the habitat value, evidence of pollution, effects of climate change, outbreak of disease, degradation due to human interference, biodiversity, etc.

Not just beautiful. Useful too

Trees and heatwave morbidity

 

Credit: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimated that this year’s heat waves across Europe resulted in an estimated 16,500 extra deaths. “The study covered cities representing about 30% of Europe’s population, meaning the true death toll is likely to be far higher.”

Credit: Australian Climate Service

In November 2023, the federal government’s Australian Institute of Health and Welfare published a media release titled “Extreme weather is leading to more injury hospitalisations, with heat being the main cause”.

Native forest - Mt Worth State Park

The Albanese government’s Net Zero Plan released just this month states, “Land based abatement, particularly reforestation, is the most cost effective abatement to help reach net zero emissions in 2050”.

Precious urban woodland - Elizabeth Cl Drouin

Indisputably, we are not going to achieve net zero without reducing emissions. It is equally indisputable that protecting and enhancing our native forests, woodlands and urban tree cover will go a long way toward combatting the effects of global warming.

 

Open space or ecological desert?

Based on community surveys, a summary of needs for open spaces across Baw Baw Shire, was developed in 2011. In 2023, further community consultation was performed. The 103 page Draft Open Space Strategy 2025/35, full of beautiful images, tables, graphs and lots and lots of inspirational and aspirational statements, is currently available for downloading.

The vision for the Open Space Strategy for Baw Baw is, “.. to create an equitably distributed network (of open spaces) that is liveable, high-quality, and promotes a healthy lifestyle, while also enhancing biodiversity to strengthen the resilience of the Baw Baw community.”

Mown grass is costly to maintain and provides very few benefits to the environment

The open space assessment for Drouin predicts a 22% reduction of open space from 73m² per person in 2025, to 57m² per person in 2035! The percentage of the dwellings within desired walking access to a park in Drouin is 87%. The optimum figure is 95%.

It is worth noting that two of the very highest priorities listed by the community were to increase tree planting dramatically and to focus on enhancing the biodiversity of our urban spaces.

An urban garden with some native plants is sometimes all it takes to see nature

In addition to the Draft Open Space Strategy, the Baw Baw Shire is currently developing a Nature Plan which aims to, “provide a long-term strategic document to guide how we protect, enhance and connect with nature in Baw Baw.”

Let us hope that elements from both the open space strategy and the nature plan come to fruition. (I hope I can live long enough – Ed).

 

Urban birds

According to the Australian Government’s Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (April 2025), about 73% of the human  population live in our major cities. 25% live in inner and outer regional areas and the remaining 2% live in remote places. 90% of Australia’s population occupy less than 1% of our land area. Australia is one of the most urbanised nations in the world.

Continued population growth and the unbridled sprawl of urban areas resulting in significant environmental decline, greatly influences the diversity of bird species. Urban birds must cope with alterations to their habitat, threats from increased human density like increased traffic, noise and light pollution, domestic cats and dogs, etc. Some birds adapt well to urban areas and some are seriously threatened by it.

These birds mostly thrive in urban situations. Clockwise from top left: Masked Lapwing, Little Corella, Magpie, Noisy Miner, Rainbow Lorikeet and Pied Currawong.

The list of urban birds that reside permanently or seasonally in Drouin is extensive. The Friends of Drouin’s Trees bird surveys regularly report 20 to 40 species at their monitoring sites in and around the town. Our list of birds of Drouin is well over 100 species.

Research by Latrobe University suggests that birds in urban areas are either ‘adapters’ or ‘exploiters’, and some are outright ‘avoiders’.

The Eastern Rosella, Eastern Yellow Robin, Grey Butcherbird, Superb Fairy-wren, Kookaburra and Grey Fantail all tolerate urban places but in truth, probably orefer undisturbed bush.

Some urban birds are scavengers and they feed on our scraps. Some are here in winter because it is too cold in the alps. Some come here in spring and summer to breed. Most of Drouin’s birds are here, often year-round, because of our magnificent tree cover (at present), native understory (at present), and our wetlands. The habitat is suitable (at present).

These avians tend to shun urbanization: Crested Shrike-tit, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Golden Whistler, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Scarlet Robin and Grey Currawong.

If we value nature in our urban spaces, if we want to attract native wildlife, native birds, mammals, etc., we should be preserving, protecting, and increasing our native trees and shrubs. At a domestic garden level, we as residents can help by planting natives, adding a water bowl, and locking up our cats!

At a local government level, development approvals need to consider natural environment elements much more seriously. Offsetting is proven mostly not to work and should be replaced with onsetting: focus instead on local and community-based environment projects that deliver urban environments that have habitat value. Corridor connectivity should be elevated to a much higher status in urban design.

We could and should be doing a whole lot more for our urban birds.

 

What is natural capital?

At the recent Australian Government Economic Reform Roundtable, policy topics that were covered included: banking and finance, budget, business and industry, consumers and community, housing, economy, taxation and more similar. The stated aim of the event was, to build consensus on ways to improve productivity, enhance economic resilience and strengthen budget sustainability.

Natural capital was virtually ignored. Once again, our national health and wellbeing was being measured in terms of a budget bottom line and productivity.

Natural capital – the values of our natural environment – is essential to a prospering economy. The natural environment provides us with goods, services and amenity value that too often are ignored.  A healthy, functioning natural environment is the foundation of sustained economic growth, prospering communities, and personal wellbeing.

Many governments around the world critically and decisively include natural capital in their economic analyses and budget decision making. It’s time we did too!

 

Further reading:

Office of National Statistics UK – Natural Capital Accounts  

Environment EU – Natural Capital Accounting

Environment and Heritage NSW – Natural Capital Explained

World Bank Group – Natural Capital

State Government Victoria – Accounting for the Environment

Nodding Greenhoods at GWR

The Nodding Greenhood, Pterostylis nutans, is one of Victoria’s most common terrestrial orchids. (Pteron = winged, stylos = pillar or column, nutans = nodding or drooping). The Nodding Greenhood is an abundant and widely distributed species. It usually flowers from mid-winter to late spring, depending on local and seasonal conditions.

Typical Nodding Greenhood colony

Nodding Greenhoods are often found in a variety of habitats; sandy-rocky, moist-dry, etc., but nearly always shady. Sometimes they may only be a few centimetres tall, or you might come across some as tall as 10-20cms or more.

All native terrestrial orchids are a highly evolved plant species that have a symbiotic relationship with other plants, fungi and insects. Consequently, terrestrial orchids play a significant role in determining the ecological importance of a particular habitat and their presence - or not - can be an important indicator of the health of an ecosystem.

Ground-hugging leaf rosette

Nodding Greenhoods die down through summer and their ground-hugging leaves, stems and flowers completely disappear. Their energy though is stored within underground tubers, and come next winter, they begin to appear above ground again, ready for the next stage of their evolvement.

Showing the labellum with hairs

Most pterostylis species depend on a fungus gnat for their pollination and fertilization. The insect is lured to the orchid flower by a pheromone where it is momentarily trapped within the hood by the labellum ‘snapping’ upwards. Pollen is transferred to the insect as it struggles to escape. Upon release, the gnat flies to the next flower, so transferring the packets of pollen it has inadvertently collected, ensuring healthy cross fertilization of the plants.

Unusual double-headed flower

While checking the nest boxes (5x Ringtails, 1x Kreft’s Glider and 1x Antechinus - we think) at the Golden Whistler Reserve in Drouin recently, the ‘bird nerd’ team ticked about a dozen colonies of Nodding Greenhoods with probably a total of several hundred plants in flower – including a rare ‘double-header’.

Trees and lightning

Lightning is created by the buildup of electrical charge within a cloud. The static electricity is created by the particles of ice and water droplets rubbing against each other. Positive charge is created at the top of the clouds and negative charge at the bottom.

Credit: Bureau of Meteorology

A large voltage difference is created as the charges build within or between clouds, or between the clouds and the ground. Eventually, a rapid discharge occurs – a massive electrical spark. The lightning bolt heats the air around it – to something hotter than the surface of the sun – which causes it to expand rapidly creating a shock wave which we hear as thunder.

When the discharge occurs to the earth, it usually seeks a tall structure such as a building or tall tree for conduction to the ground. Some trees, especially those of high moisture content, are ideal electrical conductors. As the current passes down the tree, enormous temperatures cause any moisture, sap, etc., to vapourize and expand rapidly – the tree can ‘explode’. When the charge reaches the ground, the surrounding root systems may be compromised and the tree may take several months to eventually die.

Depending on the species, moisture content, location, etc., the effect on the tree can vary considerably. The tree may be destroyed, ultimately die over time or the strike may have no effect at all. Most eucalypts seem to survive lightning strikes rather well, even multiple strikes.

Climate scientists tell us we can expect more thunderstorms as the climate heats up. Around the world, there is an estimated 8 million lightning strikes each day. Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is the most thunderstorm-prone place in the world with about 300 storms a year. Darwin has about 80 thunderstorms each year.

 

Where will all the houses go?

Last year, 177,000 houses were built in Australia – the target set by the National Housing Accord was 240,000. To achieve the target, the NHA estimates an extra 34 km² of land will be needed – each year for the next 5 years.

Drouin Fields, Gardner & Holman Rd 670+? lots

Under the NHA, each state has a set of commitments and implementation schedules they have agreed to achieve. The Victorian Government has committed to:

            “introduce planning controls around select activity centres to deliver addition homes”

            “clearing planning backlogs at councils”

            “streamlining the planning approvals assessment process for housing development”

“reduce the need for planning permits for housing developments including permit exemptions for secondary dwellings”.

“continued work on Precinct Structure Plans by the Victorian Planning Authority.”

 

Hamilton Heights, McGlone Rd, 900+? lots

Drouin has an area of just over 50 km². The current ‘built up’ area of Drouin is less than 20 km². The current Precinct Structure Plan for Drouin covers an area of about 8 km² and is designed to accommodate 7,400 new dwellings.

Highfields Estate, Buln Buln Rd, 470+? lots

Perhaps we should be concerned for our town being impinged by developmental sprawl even further than it currently is. And, dare one hope that future development will be a little more sympathetic to our natural environment than current practices?

Autumn bird survey - DWWTP & Amberly Bush Reserve

Drouin waste water treatment plant Settlement Rd

The DWWTP is Drouin’s hot spot for birds. Our surveys there over several years consistently yield the highest number of species and certainly the highest number of individual birds of all our core sites.

Gippsland Water kindly gives the Friends of Drouin’s Trees bird surveyors permission to enter and survey the ponds and surrounding woodland. The diversity of habitat draws a wonderful variety of waterbird, bushland and grassland bird species. There is a purpose-built hide for public use just west of the main entrance in Settlement Rd.

On the 25^th March, 49 species of native birds were recorded and on the 15^th April, 34 native species. Highlights included a flock consisting of several hundred Pink-eared Ducks, huge rafts of Eurasian Coots, Chestnut Teal and dozens of Hoary-headed Grebes. As is nearly always the case, wetland habitats are often attractive to raptor species and Black-shouldered Kites, Brown Goshawks, Swamp Harriers and Whistling Kites were all seen.

 

 

Amberly Bush Reserve Billabong Cl

A small headwater of Whiskey Ck runs parallel to Main Neerim Rd on the northern edge of Drouin. Just before the creek goes under the freeway, there is a tiny bush reserve that contains remnant and planted native vegetation. Some of the Swamp Gum species in this reserve are quite old and contain numerous hollows for wildlife.

Our surveys here this autumn yielded 26 species of native birds on 27^th March and 19 species on the 29^th April. King Parrots were inspecting tree hollows on both days. However, the Bell Miner (Bellbird) population here seems to be expanding – Bell Miner Associated Dieback of eucalypt woodlands is a significant issue in our district.

Autumn colour

The change of season is upon us – have you noticed? Extra blanket at night, shorter days, fungi popping up, and many trees changing colour – the deciduous ones anyway.

We can thank early settlers and the Victorian Acclimatization Society for some of the beautiful autumn colour we experience at this time of year. In 1857 and 1858, Victoria’s first Government Botanist, Ferdinand von Mueller, is said to have distributed over 7,000 plants and more than 20,000 seeds to various gardens and parks throughout the new colony. Mind you, some introductions turned out to be a bit disastrous, like rabbits, and von Mueller championed the introduced blackberry as a source of food for the bush and for erosion control!

Trees from northern climates such as the oaks, planes, maples and birches in our streets and parks, have evolved to endure long, cold winters. The shorter hours of daylight is the main trigger for the introduced trees to enter a state of dormancy by dropping their leaves.

Less sunlight means less energy to drive the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis takes place within the tree’s leaves and is the means by which the trees obtain their nutrient. The photosynthesis equation looks like this: carbon dioxide + water (with sunlight and chlorophyl) = glucose (food) + oxygen.

As the hours of daylight shrink, the trees begin to break down the chlorophyl in the leaves and store it for the winter. The leaves lose their green pigment and other chemicals within them begin to provide the reds, yellows and purples of autumn that begin to dominant: carotenoids produce yellow and orange shades; anthocyanins produce reds and purples.

Well, who really cares about all that? It’s just a nice time of year to celebrate the wonderful change of season that Mother Nature provides. We will soon be looking forward to the joys that spring brings. In the meantime, stay warm.

 

Our new minister for the environment and water

The new Labor Government ministry has been sworn in. Tanya Plibersek, the previous Minister for the Environment, has been moved ‘sideways’ and the new Minister for the Environment and Water is Senator Murray Watt.

His official web page has information on his background, qualifications, positions held, etc., and where you can make contact! His Facebook page is where you can keep track of his recent movements.

Murray Watt is a Queensland Labor Senator. He has a law background and “… specialised in employment law and ran class actions for farmers, shareholders and consumers against governments and big corporations.”

Being a Queenslander, it might be interesting to see how his ministry approaches the illegal land clearing that continues in that state to this day.

Autumn bird survey – McNeilly Park

The Friends of Drouin’s Trees conducts bird surveys of seven core sites in and nearby Drouin. The sites are surveyed twice a year – spring and autumn. Each site is surveyed twice per season to help ensure the best capture. Survey teams consist of a minimum of two surveyors, often more, with considerable experience. Each survey takes about 2 hours. The results are uploaded to BirdLife Australia’s BirdData website. A ‘hard’ copy of each survey is filed and uploaded to our own bawbawbiodiversity site.

The following few blog posts will be a summary of this year’s autumn surveys.

McNeilly Park wetland and environs

McNeilly Park, Jackson Dr, is a public park with a lake wetland system that captures town and spring run off. The area contains some remnant eucalypt species – Strzelecki Gums – and abundant wetland and riparian planting. The park and wetland is now surrounded by urban development.

McNeilly Park recently - birds were tricky to see at times

McNeilly park was surveyed on 20^th March (33 native species of birds) and 24^th of April (30 native species). The usual suspect introduced species – Common Blackbird, Starling, Myna, Spotted Dove and House Sparrow were present also.

Interestingly, the first survey in March yielded no Superb Fairy-wrens but they were abundantly present in the April survey – the reason why two surveys a season are conducted at each site.

Black-shouldered Kite - a raptor that 'specialises' in rodents

A Black-shouldered Kite seems ever present at McNeilly Park and have been recorded nesting in the Strzelecki Gum canopy. During the survey on 24^th April, a flock of White-throated Needletails were observed drinking on the wing.

Native Swamp Rat seen during a recent bird survey at McNeilly Park