Category Archives: Natives

Purple Copper Butterfly – Saving Our Species

Saving our Species are asking land managers to report any sightings of this rare species from private property.

One of Australia’s rarest butterfly species, the Purple Copper Butterfly, is only found in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. Its habitat is restricted to elevations above 900 metres.

The purple copper butterfly feeds only on a subspecies of blackthorn (Bursaria spinosa subspecies lasiophylla). It relies on a ‘mutualistic’ relationship with the ant Anonychomyrma itinerans, and the presence of blackthorn.

Community involvement is one of the key priorities in the purple copper butterfly conservation effort. Land managers of the butterfly’s habitat are being asked to help protect the butterfly through the upkeep of Bursaria often found in open eucalypt woodland on private property.

Saving our Species are also asking land managers to report any sightings of this species from private property. Reporting sightings will help to fill significant information gaps in the areas of population dynamics, habitat requirements, fire ecology and the nature of the relationship with the attendant ant. Learning more about this threatened species will help inform its recovery effort.

The purple copper butterfly is a small butterfly with a wingspan of about 2 centimetres. It can be identified by its collage of colours – bronze, green, blue, deep brown and of course purple undertones.

Butterflies are not only a beautiful insect but play several roles in the environment. They act as a pollinator; as a food source for other species; and are an important indicator of a healthy ecosystem.

To contact Saving our Species with any information or queries about the purple copper butterfly, please email savingourspecies@environment.nsw.gov.au.

Saving Our Species www.environment.nsw.gov.au/news/purple-copper-butterfly

To find out more visit Purple copper butterfly.

Celebrating 20th Anniversary World Heritage Blue Mountains

This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Greater Blue Mountains region being granted World Heritage status by the United Nations.

Blue Mountains City Council will mark this important milestone by celebrating the unique privilege of managing a City within a World Heritage Area.

From July to December 2020, Council will showcase how we help preserve an area of such special significance, including recognition of Traditional Ownership, protection of the environment and threatened species, water resource management and strategic planning.

Read more…..https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/WHA

AUGUST focuses on “Our Water Sensitive City”

Blue Mountains waterways are some of the most beautiful, iconic and highly valued in Australia. They sustain a unique diversity of animals and plants, hold great cultural significance to Traditional Owners, and provide huge opportunities for recreation and eco-tourism.

Our waterways also supply drinking water to over five million people, including residents of the Blue Mountains local government area.

SEPTEMBER will promote “Protecting and Restoring Biodiversity”

View information on Bushcare, Threatened Species and Weed Management. More information to come…..

Bushcare volunteers weeding at Carrington Park, Katoomba above the Great Blue Mountains World Heritage area Photo: Council

Major milestone: iNaturalist Australia hits 1 million

iNaturalist Australia is excited to say they hit 1 million observations in mid-April only six months after its launch. A grand effort thanks to all the keen Australian citizen scientists for uploading observations and the expert identifiers for verifying sightings.

iNaturalist Australia is proving to be a popular platform for insect and plant observations. From the recent City Nature Challenge results we can see that 28% of observations were insects and 42% plants.

The global iNaturalist network is one of the most successful citizen science platforms in the world, with instances in 10 different countries. The iNaturalist Australia community is very active with over 18,000 observers and over 8,000 identifiers

New look for iNaturalist Australia

The global iNaturalist brand has recently had a refresh and iNaturalist Australia has joined in too. The iNaturalist Australia logo now looks like this – so keep an eye out for bright green bird!

iNaturalist and the ALA

Collaborating with iNaturalist is a wonderful opportunity for the Atlas of Living Australia and our users. It provides an easy-to-use desktop and mobile platform, support for species identification, and tools for assessing data quality. All iNaturalist Australia data is regularly fed into the ALA.

Human observation data – individual sightings of species – are a valuable part of the ALA. This data helps to create a more detailed picture of our national biodiversity, and assists scientists and decision makers to deliver better outcomes for the environment and our species. iNaturalist Australia’s species identification features and data quality measures ensure individual sightings are more valuable than ever.

To start using iNaturalist visit How to create an account with iNaturalist

Citizen Science and Bushfire Recovery – CSIRO and ALA

Bushfire affected land and plant species in the town of Bilpin, NSW are beginning to regenerate. Credit: Australian Museum

CSIRO in collaboration with the Australian Citizen Science Association, has launched the Citizen Science Bushfire Project Finder to support Australia’s bushfire recovery.

June Gecko Newsletter – Winter 2020 Issue Out Now

The Gecko Newsletter is distributed quarterly.

Download the Winter 2020 edition

For more information or to subscribe to the mailing list please email bushcare@bmcc.nsw.gov.au.

Colonising Plant Species

Article by James Bevan

The Concept

Plant species which establish after environmental disturbances events are known as “colonisers” or colonising plant species. Following 2019-20 summer bushfires and floods, colonising plants are germinating from seed into the ground layer vegetation stratum. These autotrophic organisms (which produce their own energy as carbon from photosynthesis) are currently superabundant, capturing carbon for ecological communities across the Blue Mountains. This process is known as secondary ecological succession.

The below photo shows a local example of secondary ecological succession dominated by ground layer species Sigesbeckia orientalis and Australian Basket Grass (Oplismenus aemulus).

Clearing with ground colonised by ground layer species — Colonising plants initiating secondary succession at Carlons Creek, Blue Mountains NP. Photo: James Bevan

Interestingly, many colonising plant species are related members of certain plant families, such as the Grasses (Poaceae), Daisies (Asteraceae), Nightshades (Solanaceae), Peas (Fabaceae), and Mints (Lamiaceae). Some of the colonising species which are currently abundant post-fire and rain are listed in the Table below (Table 1).

Table 1: Examples of Colonising Plant Species

Family	Colonising Plants
Poaceae (Grasses)	Right Angle Grass, Wiry Panic (Entolasia marginata)
Poaceae (Grasses)	Weeping Grass (Microlaena stipoides)
Poaceae (Grasses)	Australian Basket Grass (Oplismenus aemulus)
Poaceae (Grasses)	Panic Veldtgrass (Ehrharta erecta*)
Asteraceae (Daisies)	Sigesbeckia orientalis
Asteraceae (Daisies)	Fleabane (Conyza* spp.)
Solanaceae (Nightshades)	Kangaroo Apple (Solanum aviculare)
Solanaceae (Nightshades)	Blackberry Nightshade (Solanum nigrum*)
Fabaceae (Peas)	Hickory Wattle (Acacia falcata)
Fabaceae (Peas)	Dusky Coral Pea (Kennedia rubicunda)
Fabaceae (Peas)	Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius*)
Lamiaceae (Mints)	Cockspur Flower (Plectranthus parviflorus)

NB. * indicates introduced species

Practical Application – Revegetation

Planted colonising species often have high survivorship rates on revegetation sites. Succession planting describes using colonising plant species during the first stage of revegetation, similar to the process of ecological succession. As our climate continues to change, plantings can expect to be exposed to extreme heat, longer summers and long periods between rain events. Planting colonising plant species with a high survivorship and fecundity may improve the efficiency of long-term ecological restoration.

For example, widely distributed native colonising species that may be suitable for revegetation include Right Angle Grass (Entolasia spp.), Weeping Grass (Microlaena stipoides), Australian Basket Grass (Oplismenus aemulus), Sigesbeckia orientalis, Kangaroo Apple (Solanum aviculare), Hickory Wattle (Acacia falcata), Dusky Coral Pea (Kennedia rubicunda) and Cockspur Flower (Plectranthus parviflorus). The ecological communities found on your local Bushcare site will support locally adapted colonising plant species. Your local Bushcare Officer may be a good source of further advice on this topic.

Chiloglottis – Wasp Orchid

Article by Karen Hising, Jan Allen and Keith Brister

Jan Allen, a very observant Bushcare volunteer from the Upper Mountains, found this beautiful Orchid. From research, we were not sure of the full identification, but we have been advised that it may be Chiloglottis seminuda – other experts may offer an opinion.

*Chiloglottis* species – front view Photo credit: K Brister

The genera Chiloglottis is also known as Wasp Orchid. The common name comes from the “callus” – the glands on the labellum, which resemble the body of a female wasp. Instead of being attracted by the general offer of nectar or pollen, many Orchid species, such as the native Chiloglottis genera, use sexual deception to attract male wasp pollinators. These Orchids emit an odorous pheromone very similar to the sexual pheromone produced by females of the pollinator species, thereby luring the male to the flower with the false offer of sex.

*Chiloglottis* species – rear view. Photo credit: K Brister

Pollination occurs when the male wasps attempt to copulate with structures on the Orchid labellum that mimic the wingless, ant-like female. The high degree of specificity between sexually-deceptive Orchids and their pollinators indicates that there must be subtle, but important, differences in the pheromones produced among even closely related Orchids.

References:

Uncovering The Sexual Tricks Of Orchid Flowers (Abstract) – Julianne D Livingston http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/n1676/pdf/ch04.pdf

Memoirs Of The Museum Of Victoria 56(2):461-466 (1997) Hidden Biodiversity: Detection Of Cryptic Thynnine Wasp Species Using Sexually-Deceptive, Female-Mimicking Orchids (Abstract) – Colin C. Bower and Graham R. Brown https://museumsvictoria.com.au/media/4804/jmmv19975639.pdf

http://peonyden.blogspot.com/2011/01/wasp-orchid-chiloglottis-reflexa-comes.html

CLICK below to read the book review – Orchids of the Blue Mountains by Sabine Hanisch and Ben Jasiak; how their daughter discovered a long lost orchid and also about the multi-billion dollar Bush Blitz project – a project finding thousands of new species.

Orchids of the Blue Mountains Book Review

Week 3: Native Birds of the Blue Mountains Crossword Puzzle

Exciting news…the continuation of the Blue Mountains crosswords series is here featuring Native Birds found around our Bushcare sites. All answers can be found in Birds Of The Blue Mountains by Margaret Baker and Robin Corringham.

And remember, for all you fledging crossword creators send your ideas to Karen Hising on khising@bmcc.nsw.gov.au

Instructions

CLICK on the link below and follow the instructions to either fill in online or print a hard copy.

Week 3: Native Birds of the Blue Mountains Crossword Puzzle

To FILL IN ONLINE

CLICK on the clue listed under Across or Down – and this will highlight the corresponding boxes (purple) to fill in on the crossword.
To TYPE in the answer CLICK on the purple highlighted box in the crossword and start typing your answer (a correct answer turns the boxes green). If your answer was incorrect then use the backspace to delete then try again for this answer only!!
To RESET ANSWERS (all answers) scroll down the screen‚ below the crossword and CLICK Reset Answer (red button)

To PRINT a Hardcopy scroll down the screen below the crossword and CLICK Print My Puzzle (purple button)

Answers are below: Week 2 Native Plants of the Blue Mountains Crossword Puzzle

Across 1. Gleichenia 2. Bottlebrush 6. Shrub 8. Boronia 9. Lambertia 11. Actinotis 12. Mistletoe 14. Sword 15. Climber 16. Cassytha 18. Lomandra 19. Hopbush 20. Leptomeria 22. Goodenia 23. Deanei 26. Acmena 27. Sundew 29. Pittosporum 30. Wombat 31. Kangaroo 34. Prostanthera 35. Doryphora 36. Grevillea 37. Angophora

Down 1. Geebung 3. Tasmannia 4. Spinulosa 5. Melaleuca 7. Hardenbergia 10. Blechnum 13. Ceratopetalum 17.Telopea 21. Oreades 24. Isopogon 25. Turpentine 28. Wombat 32. Acacia 33. Doodia

Birds in Backyards – Autumn Survey

Greetings Backyard Birders, While spending most of our time at home can be frustrating, it also gives us a great opportunity to be #BirdingAtHome. As we head into the long weekend we wanted to let you all know of a couple of opportunities we have for you to do just that!

Autumn Surveys

We have just a few short weeks left for our Birds in Backyards Autumn Surveys. A huge thank you to those of you who have done your 20 min count already. With the recent fires AND the normal migration of many birds at this time of the year, there is likely to be some unusual visitors showing up in your space! If you do see something out of the ordinary, please flag it with us. There is a note section for each bird you record, so let us know there.

Want to participate in this Autumn Survey then you can read the instructions or watch the video here.

http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/content/article/Autumn-Birds-Backyards-Survey

Also check out What’s New on Birdlife Australia

It’s time to have a #CuppawiththeBirds Submitted by Holly on 09 Apr 2020.

While spending most of our time at home can be frustrating, it also gives us a great opportunity to be #BirdingAtHome. Over the next few weeks, we invite you to take just 10 mins for yourself whenever you can. Get away from the TV and the news, make a cuppa and do a 10 min bird count at home. Share your list of birds using the tag #CuppawiththeBirds.Read more

Keep your kids chirpy at home with these activities! submitted by Holly on 26 Mar 2020.

Hello parents, carers and kids! Are you looking for at-home activities to keep everyone chirpy? Here at BirdLife we have lots of resources that are fun AND you can learn about amazing birds and places Read more

Photos – Backyard Fungi Foray

Our Bushcare Team members are already taking photos around their homes and we came across these small bright red fungi showing Cruentamycena viscidocruenta (left and centre photos) growing on the wood pile and this strange red tentacle fungi – Aseroe rubra (right photo).

These fungi have important roles in the landscape including erosion prevention, forming mycorrhizal relationships with plants, food for animals and invertebrates, and the breakdown and recycling of nutrients from wood and other dead plant material.

What do you need? Armed with just a camera / mobile phone with the flashlight and a keen eye – these small, yet inconspicuous fungi can show a veritable range of brilliant colours and shapes.

So how can we identify these fungi? Our Bushcare volunteer ‘fungi expert’ Liz Kabanoff says by using inaturalist you can upload your own photo and it will try and work out what it is. If the picture is good, it works very well. Also take note of the substrate the mushroom is growing on (soil, woodchip, rotting wood, living wood, moss, insect etc) which will help rule things out. Other people may comment on your specimen and offer an ID.

Check Liz’s inaturalist project – Fungi in the Blue Mountains to see the incredible range of fungi that you may find. CLICK the link below.

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fungi-in-the-blue-mountains-nsw-australia?tab=observations

Why not try this yourself to see what fungi lives around your home?

Remember to send in your photos .

Bushcare Blue Mountains

News and tips for volunteers and friends