It's fungi time!

Noticed a few fungi in the parks and gardens lately? Fungi tend to wait for the dry and heat of summer to be over before they spread their spores for reproduction (fungi do not have seeds like plants). Autumn and early winter rain is usually the signal for the fungi to produce their fruiting bodies containing the spore.

Armillaria sp - Uralla Trafalgar

The array of size, shape and colours of fungi never ceases to amaze. It is almost certain that in any patch of bushland the number of species of fungi is far greater than the number of plant species. It’s worth remembering too that probably 90% of plants rely on fungi for their survival.

Clavaria sp - Rokeby

Because fungi do not use photosynthesis for making nutrients, they don’t rely on sunshine for their growth. As a result, fungi are often found growing in dark places such as under shrubs and logs.

Tremella sp - Nangara Jindivick

In our district, we have some great nearby locations for seeing these remarkable organisms – Thornell’s Reserve Longwarry Nth, Labertouche Bushland Reserve, Nangara Reserve Jindivick, Rokeby-Crossover Rail Trail, Mount Worth State Park, etc. Some interesting fungi can often be found just on roadsides. Horse-dung Fungi, Pisolithus arhizus, is often found in the middle of walking tracks and bush roads.

Pisolithus sp - Labertouche

Fungi are essential for a healthy environment. We should appreciate and conserve the presence of fungi in the environment just as we do the plants and animals.

 

Winter-flowering natives

One of the nicest things about living in our corner of the planet is the change in seasons. While we might bemoan the sudden chill in the air at this time of year, many native trees and shrubs welcome the lower temperatures and have adapted to survive and even bloom during the colder months.

There are many forms of the beautiful Correa.

Indeed, many of our natives actually come into flower at this time of year – correas, epacris, hakeas, lechenaultias, various eucalypts, acacias, banksias, grevilleas and others, can all put on a great floral display during autumn and winter. Who doesn’t enjoy the wonderful sight of the beautiful scarlet, pink or white Common Heath (epacris), in our forests at this time of year?

Common Heath is Victoria's floral emblem

Many native insects, mammals and birds benefit from a nectar and protein source during winter and many plants and animals have evolved to be mutually beneficial to one another at this time of year – the animals have a food source and the plants are pollinated.

Tetratheca or Pink Bells is often seen flowering on roadsides in the bush in winter

Winter flowering plants will often form seed earlier than plants that flower later in the year. In this way, the winter-flowerers get a head start on the others when it comes to germination as the temperature rises and any young seedlings have less competition as they grow.

Many of our Hakea species are happy to bloom profusely at this time of year

Winter flowering eucalypts are vital for the survival of one of Australia’s rarest birds, the critically endangered Swift Parrot. Swift Parrots breed in Tasmania in spring and in late summer they fly to Victoria and parts of SA and NSW to spend winter feeding on blossom, nectar and insects in our flowering eucs.

'Swifties' rely on winter-flowering eucs for their survival

There’s a lot going on in our bush at this time of year.

"Endangered"

In March this year, the wonderful Gang-gang Cockatoo, Callocephalon fimbriatum, was added to the list of  endangered birds in the Commonwealth Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Gang-gangs were recently recorded at Longwarry North during the FoDT bird surveys

The Gang-gang was added to the ever-growing list of threatened species due to its decline in numbers from 1999 to 2019. It is estimated that in those 20 years, the population of Gang-gang Cockatoos declined by 69%. This decline was recorded BEFORE the 2019-220 bushfires when around 30% of the bird’s natural range was impacted. Researchers estimate the fires reduced the population of Gang-gangs by a further 10% at least.

The Gang-gang Cockatoo is endemic to south-eastern Australia where its preferred habitat is temperate eucalypt forests and woodlands. Gang-gangs feed on flowers, seeds and fruits of a wide range of native trees and shrubs from the families of eucalypts, acacias, hakeas, etc. They are also known at times to eat seeds and fruits of non-native plants in urban parks and gardens.

Gang-gangs rely on fairly large tree hollows for nesting. The same family of birds will often use the same hollows for several years in a row before moving to a different set of hollows for several seasons and returning to their original trees later on. This procedure is thought to be a means of avoiding nest parasitism.

From the EPBC Act Conservation Advice: “Gang-gang Cockatoos are adversely impacted by a range of threats including habitat loss, wildfire, climate change and competition for suitable nesting hollows.”

Female Gang-gang

The ongoing loss of suitable tree hollows due to land clearing (timber harvesting, urban development, pastoral enterprises), wildfire and inappropriate fire regimes is considered the principal cause of the decline in Gang-gang numbers.

A decision has been made at Government level to produce a recovery plan for the Gang-gang Cockatoo. This promises to be an involved and lengthy process. In the meantime, at the local level WE NEED TO SAVE OUR BIG TREES!