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< PreviousBayside community h o p s t o h e l p f r o g s Tulip Street Pond Habitat Planting Day Photographs by Kerri ValkovaBy Kerri Valkova & Nykita Ivanoff Friends of Native Wildlife Inc You’d be excused for driving along Reserve Road in Cheltenham, and not noticing the small nature reserve obscured behind a wall of scrubby trees, at the corner of Tulip Street. Hidden here is one of Bayside’s only four good breeding locations for local frogs, the Tulip Street Pond. And recently the pond and surrounding reserve has undergone a major transformation, with thanks to Bayside Council, Citywide, the Community Nursery, and the tireless work of local volunteer group, Friends of Native Wildlife Inc (FoNW). Over the last couple of years, FoNW has worked with Council on plans for the new wildlife corridor and swale that connects the Tulip Street Pond Reserve to the Sandringham Golf Course (skirting the edge of the new basketball stadium) and work on these areas has recently been completed. Thishasprovided critical environment for the movementof native fauna between the pond and the golf course. A wetlandareaonthegolf course is another of the four good frog breeding locations in Bayside. Earlier this year, Council also completed works on the pond itself to remove the large timber wall along one bank, and grade the slope, ready for planting to improve habitat for frogs, insects, reptiles and other wildlife. Then, on a glorious winter’s morning in July, FoNW brought together over 40 members of the local community to assist with planting tube stock along the new bank. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm of locals, including families and children, eager to be involved with local conservation. Around 300 indigenous plants were planted in a very short time! Thanks go to Nathan and Aaron of Citywide for their leadership on the day. It was also great to have Banksia Bulletin | Spring 202310Council’s new Environmental Volunteer Support Officer, Anna Malone, helping out too. We do still have some way to go to improve the reserve as wildlife habitat and hopefully will see a few more planting days like this one, to increase the diversity and density of planting and add habitat structures like fallen logs. Frogs are sensitive to pollution in their environment so they make a good indicator species. Monitoring their numbers is an easy way to observe water quality and overall environment health. FoNW has been conducting monthly frog surveys at Tulip Street Pond (and two other Bayside locations) since the 1990s and has been pleased to observe a good number of species over recent years. It is hoped that the improvements to the pond and surrounding reserve will continue to be great for our frogs and other local native fauna. Banksia Bulletin | Spring 202311Frogs of Tulip Street Pond Take yourself down to the pond one evening during spring or summer and see if you can identify the three frogs that are most commonly seen there: Eastern Banjo Frog (Pobblebonk) (Limnodynastes dumerilii) LISTEN: A distinctive ‘bonk’ call, repeated every few seconds. Sometimes a large group will produce a rapid series of ‘bonk bonk bonk bonks’ and this has led to their nickname, the Pobblebonk. Males call between October and January, however, if the weather is favourable, they can call at any time of the year. • Can grow up to 9cm and live up to 10 years. Pobblebonk Park in Sandringham is named for this large burrowing frog. • This frog is not as dependent on water as some frogs and burrows into the ground when water is scarce. • The skin can be warty in appearance, causing Banjo Frogs to sometimes be mistaken for Cane Toads (hint: Both have warty skin but the toad is dry, while the frog is moist). Photograph by John Eichler Southern Brown Tree Frog (Litoria ewingii) LISTEN: Males can be heard making fast ‘cree cree cree’ sounds most of the year, although particularly between June to November, or when there has been heavy rainfall. • Can grow up to 4.5cm. • Being tree frogs, they are nimble climbers and jumpers, able to leap and snatch insects in mid-flight. Unlike most frogs, they can live away from water in drier areas. • They are common guests to suburban gardens in Victoria. Listen out for them calling after rains, from under logs, in low plants and amongst leaf litter. Photograph by The Blackthorn Orphans Spotted Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis) LISTEN: Single sharps sounds described as a ‘click’ or ‘plock’. They are most commonly heard calling from September to December, but can be heard throughout the year if there has been enough heavy rainfall or flooding. • Can grow up to 4.5cm. • They can live along the wet coast or even in the dry interior of Australia – this frog is a survivor! • They are ground dwelling, and most active during the night. During the day they prefer to remain hidden. Photograph by John Eichler Other frogs that can be spotted in Bayside include the Striped Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes peronii), the Eastern Common Froglet (Crinia signifera) and the Peron’s Tree Frog (Litoria peronii) (only rarely seen). Banksia Bulletin | Spring 202312In Bayside, there are only four good breeding locations for frogs: Tulip Street Pond near Sandringham Leisure Centre Pobblebonk Park in George Street, Sandringham Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve, Elsternwick a small wetland on Sandringham Golf Course. There are a few other places where frogs may breed in Bayside in favourable years, such as the wetland off Avoca Street, Highett. Frog Watch and Microbats Date: Wednesday 11 October Time: 8.30pm Bring: a small torch Meet: park in Tulip Street and meet outside Tjilatijirrin Reserve Cost: free for members and $5 non‑members Limited places ‑ bookings essential via www.bayfonw.org.au/join Listening to frog calls is the best way to identify them. Learn how to identify local frog calls, and some of the places you may find them in Bayside. Our regular Frog Watch is part of Melbourne Water's Frog Census, a survey of the health of our local frogs. Banksia Bulletin | Spring 202313Orchids bloom in Bayside Upright Maroonhood (Pterostylis pedunculata). A colony of about 20 plants have appeared after the April burn. It is hoped that next year, together with a Dwarf Greenhood (Pterostylis nana), which is growing among them, there will be better specimens. Photograph by Pauline Reynolds Banksia Bulletin | Spring 202314A tiny Mosquito Orchid ( Acianthus pusillus ) at Balcombe Park. Photograph by Pauline Reynolds A beautiful colony of many Nodding Greenhoods (Pterostylis nutans) at Balcombe Park. Photograph by Pauline Reynolds By Belinda Raymond Citywide Bushland Crew Greenhood Orchids of Bayside For the past few months, l have been locating and surveying the colonies of orchids in reserves around Bayside and the foreshore. There are many different orchids that flower here in winter and spring, but one genus has been keeping me very busy – Pterostylis, more commonly known as Greenhoods, one of Australia’s largest groups of ground orchids. Winter hadn’t officially ticked over and already the rosettes were full and flowers were starting to bud. The first hooded flowers l started to see were the Nodding Greenhoods (Pterostylis nutans). The Nodding Greenhoods produce a single nodding flower with a rosette of 3-6 egg-shaped leaves with wavy margins, around the base of the stalk. By the beginning of August, the colonies were in full bloom, and the Trim greenhood (Pterostylis concinna) and Dwarf greenhood (Pterostylis nana) were also flowering. It took a little longer for the Maroon Greenhood (Pterostylis pedunculata) and Blunt greenhood (Pterostylis curta), but we started seeing flowers in mid-August. The different species show slight variations in shape, colour and size. These amazing little native plants have many survival functions, one being that they need pollination by insects, which are attracted to the nectar glands at the base of the flower. The insect on entering the hood is trapped and forced to brush past the pollen on exit, transferring it to the next hood it lands in. Another function is the overlapping rosette leaves which trap moisture and direct it to the root zone tuber below. Surveying the orchids allows us to not only track how they are growing but we get a small snapshot of plant diversity within the sites, the interaction of animal species evident, weather conditions each year and how all of this has affected the growth of the colonies. As they prefer to grow in shaded areasI have found them under and around many different native species such as Bossiaea cinerea, Hibbertia fasciculata, Leptospermum laevigatum, Olearia ramulosa, Lepidosperma concavum, Correa reflexa and more. Ihave also found some growing together with other colonies of orchids like Acianthus andThelymitra. A Tiny Greenhood (Pterostylis parviflora) was also sighted at Donald MacDonald Reserve. This is a rare find in Bayside and while it had wilted and a photograph was not taken, we all now know where to look for it. The Trim Greenhood ( Pterostylis concinna ) blooming in Donald MacDonald Reserve. Photograph by John Eichler The Dwarf Greenhood ( Pterostylis nana ) flowered at Cheltenham Park. Photograph by Pauline Reynolds Banksia Bulletin | Spring 202315The city supporting a sanctuary By Sue Forster Convenor, Friends of Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary Just as a village is needed to raise a child, Bayside’s conservation reserves need all the support of a city. Mungo Harris (Citywide Bushland Crew) thinning Twiggy Daisy‑bush in Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary’s 2022 burn section with Mike Forster and Michael Ruyg, July 2023. Like all Friends groups, the composition of the Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary Friends group fluctuates widely. In the 2022/23 fiscal year, 28volunteers contributed a whopping 264 hours to working bees at Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary. Ourmaximum attendance was 14 people in August and October, while in June this year we had six – still a good number albeit our smallest group of volunteers in that year. Volunteers planted around 600 tubes in the public section of the sanctuary and at the eastern end of the site where an ecological controlled burn was undertaken in 2022. The plants all camefrom Bayside Community Nurserystock. Our Friends group enjoyed the planting sessions, but it was a challenge keeping pace with exotic grass regrowth Banksia Bulletin | Spring 202316L to R: Cam Arden (former Citywide Bushland Crew) finishing a planting session with Michael Ruyg, Karen Fitzgerald, Anthony Kurth, Chris Buntine, Laura Paterson, Kerry Eldred, Mike Forster, Taina Ryder and Deb Marks, April 2020. in the public section. It grew back as fast as we could pull it out! As a result, Citywide Bushland Support Crew is now mulching these areas before we plant, which we hope cuts down on repeat weeding. In 2022, the Sanctuary hosted Spring Open Days on seven Sunday afternoons, requiring 14 guides and an estimated 44 volunteer hours including training sessions and extra time for set-up and pack-up. We noticed some Sundays were particularly quiet so, in 2023, we commenced trialling five fortnightlyopenings for the Wildflower Wanders, which began on 27 August. We would like to thank Friends of Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary who were active in 2022/23: Rosie Bates, Chris Buntine, Pauline Clancy, Brenda Cullen, Anne Dennis, Kerry Eldred, Elspeth Ferguson, Karen Fitzgerald, Mike Forster, Justin Gooderham, Paul Gooderham, Jason Hall, Annie Inglis, Marg Johnson, Anthony Kurth, Aphrodite Mandikos, Deb Marks, Lindsay Marquardt, Alison Murnane, Michael Norris, Pam O’Brien, Alaska O’Leary, Laura Paterson, Jasmina Prosenica, Michael Ruyg, Taina Ryder, Helen Van Der Nagel, Helen Williams. We also thank our volunteer guides who took part in Spring Open Days (2022) and the current Wildflower Wanders (2023): Anne Dennis, John Douglas, Karen Fitzgerald, Jason Hall, Valda Jenkins, Marg Johnson, Laura Paterson, Pauline Reynolds, Rob Saunders, CrFiona Stitfold, Jenny Stitfold, Judy Treloar, Janina Wierzbicki, Helen Yandell. Since the start of August 2023, Friends of Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary have been able to hone their knowledge through monthly bird surveys, occasional mid-week walks to learn about flowering plants and fungi, and by contributing photos to our iNaturalist project site. The surveys are led by Bayside Birdlife president Tania Ireton and our data can be viewed on the Birdata website. From these surveys we know that, despite aggressive Noisy Miners, small birds like Brown Thornbills and White-browed Scrubwrens are still resident, Eastern Rosellas are present most months, and Eastern Spinebills and Red Wattlebirds still visit seasonally. We hope it stays that way. As of 16 August 2023, iNaturalist data showed 1,043 documented species for Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary, contributed by 21 observers. Local naturalists ‘nomennudum’ and John Eichler submitted most of the images. Species include: • 630 insects • 75 arachnids • 5 reptiles • 24 birds • 5 mammals • 12 ‘other fauna’ • 142 plants (including weed species) • 135 fungi • 9 slime moulds. The Sanctuary’s new Citywide Bushland Crew, Matt Grover, with Annie Inglis, Taina Ryder and Laura Paterson planting tube stock in the public area of Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary, August 2023. Farewelling Cam Arden (Citywide Bushland Crew) at his last Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary working bee, June 2023. L to R: Mike Forster, Aphrodite Mandikos, Cam Arden, Rosie Bates, Taina Ryder, Marg Johnson, Anne Dennis, Chris Buntine, Michael Norris and Bayside Environmental Volunteer Support Officer Anna Malone. Banksia Bulletin | Spring 202317Book Review By Sue Forster This extraordinary self-published book was 17 years in the making. It is ‘intended for anyone interested in southeastern Australia’s landforms and geological foundations as integral components of the natural environment.’ Assuming readers may lack geological knowledge, it effectively comprises three highly illustrated books in one. The first part (Chapters 1 to 6) explains geological disciplines and Earth’s geological evolution. It establishes a time-scale story for dating land formations through descriptions of the physical and chemical properties of rocks and biological basis of fossils. The second part (Chapters 7 to 19) introduces modern geomorphology and the processes that alter rocks, particularly crustal forces and the effects of water and wind. The last two chapters explain topographical, geological and geophysical mapping in detail and provide practical suggestions for teaching others to interpret localgeology. The last part (Chapters 20 to 27) provides a series of detailed, illustrated field trips around Victoria. Bayside formations are explained in Chapter 20 ’Around Port Phillip’, particularly Section 20-6 Brighton to Mentone Coast (pp. 330-331), although references to Sandringham Sandstone and the Beaumaris Monocline also appear elsewhere. Of local note, the authors explain that Black Rock Sandstone and Red Bluff Sandstone were in 2016 reassigned as Sandringham Sandstone (an earlier name) as they are now considered to be one unit (p. 312). Author Alfons (Fons) VandenBerg, who worked for Geological Survey Victoria, was instrumental in this reassignment. VandenBerg is a much-awarded geologist with impeccable credentials, but co-author Leon Costermans was this book’s initiator in 2005. Costermans’ first degree was in geology, but he is better known for his botanical publication Native Trees and Shrubs of Southeastern Australia. He also designed Stories beneath our feet and produced most of its excellent maps and diagrams. Costermans turned 90 this year, putting the lie to any misconception that age may be an impediment to clarity of thinking, teaching skills and quality production values. The authors consulted widely to ensure that published information was current, correct, and accessible to readers. Supplementing the book’s three main parts are a glossary, tables of stratigraphic units ordered by periods and name, a table of the main economic minerals in Victoria, summaries of peaks and other distinctive physiographic features, maps, geological reports for map areas, online resources, references, and indexes to plant species, localities, and features. Why should you buy and read this book? Firstly, it is an amazing compendium of useful geological knowledge with a great deal of specific geomorphological information about our region. Secondly, a great deal of thought has gone into its structure, and it is laid out clearly in a way that aids practical learning through observation. Thirdly,itsdesign is excellent, and it represents great value for money. Stories beneath our feet: exploring the geology and landscapes of Victoria and surrounds by Leon Costermans and Fons VandenBerg Published in 2022 by Costermans Publishing, Frankston, Victoria. Hardback, 667 pages, 1,870 high quality photos, digital images, geological maps and diagrams. ISBN 9780959910551. RRP $84.00. 18Local MP visits nursery Bayside Community Nursery welcomed Federal Member for Goldstein Zoe Daniel MP at its August Gala Day. Zoe met with volunteers and Citywide staff to view the plants and learn more about our valuable local nursery, and its important role in providing vegetation for local reserves and the foreshore. (L-R) Zoe Daniel, Convenor Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary Friends Group Sue Forster, Convenor Cheltenham Park Friends Group Val Tyers, Electorate Officer Lerna Gulluyan, Citywide Nursery Co-ordinator Julie Valentine, and customer Steve Owens. Date: Saturday 14 October Time: 10am-1pm Venue: Bayside Community Nursery, 315-317 Reserve Rd, Cheltenham Do you want to know more about how to assist our vulnerable local wildlife to seek out suitable habitat, shelter and food sources? Bayside’s Gardens for Wildlife is designed to encourage and assist residents to dedicate a patch of their gardens, patios, balconies, or nature strips for vulnerable local wildlife. Habitat gardening can also provide a valuable link to habitat nearby, providing green corridors or stepping stones for wildlife to travel between. Banksia Bulletin | Spring 202319Next >