Banksia Bulletinautumn 2021 John Eichler receives Bayside’s 2021 Environment Award Working bee updated Bayside Community Nursery now openFrom the Mayor Welcome to the Autumn edition of Banksia Bulletin. It is wonderful to be out and about in Bayside, seeing familiar faces and enjoying our natural environment once again. A huge ‘welcome back’ to the Bayside Community Nursery, where a fantastic gala event was held on Saturday 27 March to mark the opening of the 2021 season. It has been nearly 18 months since the nursery has been open to the public. Thank you to all the volunteers who have been busy in the preceding months preparing our indigenous plant stock for sale. Joining me at the opening were Cr Hanna El Mouallem and Cr Fiona Stitfold. I’m looking forward to planting the Eucalyptus viminalus I purchased at Fairway Aged Care as part of a planning regulation, very soon. I had the pleasure recently of joining 23 environmental groups at the Bayside Environmental Groups’ Listening Forum. The idea to hold this event came from Caroline Lawton, President of the Beaumaris Conservation Society, who had the brilliant idea to bring all the environmental groups together to share their priorities with Council. Over the course of the morning, we listened to representatives from each group as they presented many ideas. These ranged from introducing a program to plant replacement Banksia integrifolia trees on the coast to ways we could better protect and expand Bayside’s tree canopy. Many groups shared ideas about how to best recruit, train and retain volunteers. Council listened as environmental volunteers spoke passionately about how their groups play an important role in protecting and enhancing our local environment. We heard about some of the challenges we face such as maintaining Ricketts Point as it continues to grow in popularity as a destination for visitors from far and wide. Thank you to my Councillor colleagues who also attended including Cr Clarke Martin, Cr Alex Del Porto, Cr Fiona Stitfold and Cr Jo Samuel-King. Thank you also to the Council Officers who helped organise the event and for showing their interest in listening to our community by joining the conversation on a Sunday morning. Council is considering the ideas that were presented and looks forward to progressing some of these in the near future. Cr Laurence Evans Mayor Bayside City Council Mayor Laurence Evans OAM speaks to the crowd at the Bayside Environmental Groups’ Listening Forum.Australian Emerald Dragonfly (Hemicordulia australiae) by Pauline Reynolds In this issue Special features 6 IN MY GARDEN 8 PEAS IN A POD? 10 CONGRATULATIONS JOHN EICHLER BAYSIDE 2021 ENVIRONMENT AWARD WINNER Other articles PLANTS OF BAYSIDE 4 ATTRACTING BUTTERFLIES 4 BAY ROAD HEATHLAND SANCTUARY 5 BAYSIDE COMMUNITY NURSERY IS OPEN 12 AUTUMN BIRD COUNT 13 WHAT ARE THE BUSHLAND AND NURSERY CREWS UP TO? 14 MCRP BEACH PATROL 3193 15 WATER – THE LIFEBLOOD OF LIFE ON EARTH 16 HOW TO PUT ECOSYSTEMS BACK TOGETHER WITH A POLE 17 VOLUNTEER GROUPS 18Plants of Bayside Words and photo by Aaron Hurrell, Citywide Bushland Crew Water Ribbon (Triglochin procera) Water Ribbon The Water Ribbon (Triglochin procera) is a variable and robust, formed, perennial plant with a thick woody rhizome and cylindrical tubers that can handle being fully aquatic or live an amphibious lifestyle. The leaves are erect, or float on the water, usually between 0.1-3.5m long and 5-40mm wide with dark green colouring on the top surface and the bottom surface paler in colour to a yellowish green. The flowers of the Water Ribbon are found densely packed on a 6-51cm long spike but shorter if found growing in permanent water, roughly numbering between 52 to 320 small greenish flowers. The flower spikes can either be standing erect or falling over. The Water Ribbon requires freshwater up to 2m deep or irregular flood areas in full sun and semi-shade. Source: Bull, Marilyn (1991) Flora of Melbourne: A guide to the indigenous plants of the greater Melbourne area Carlton Vic: Hyland House Publishing Attracting butterflies Butterflies are a welcome addition to any garden and are easily attracted with a few simple design principles. Put out a dish of damp sand and a flat rock for butterflies to bask in the morning sun. Provide sheltered and shady positions throughout the garden that let them retreat during the heat of the day. Butterflies prefer flat flowers, such as daisies, that are easy to land on to extract nectar. They are attracted to a range of coloured flowers, in particular blue, yellow and red. Look for the butterfly icon on pages 28-60 in Live Bayside, Plant Bayside publication for plants that provide food and shelter for butterflies. You can purchase some of these plants from the Bayside Community Nursery, which is now open for sales (see page 12 for more). Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa kershawi) by David Cook (Creative Commons) 4Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary February working bee A recent Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary working bee on Saturday 27 February attracted a great turnout of volunteers from the Friends group. This unscheduled working bee made up for the previously scheduled activity, which was cancelled due to the snap lockdown in February. Friends enjoyed an impromptu visit from Councillor Jo Samuel-King MBBS who dropped by for a quick chat and to help with bracken removal. Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary Friends group removing bracken on Saturday 27 February. Photos by Sue Forster. L-R: Alison Murnane, Jason Hall, Michael Norris, Michael Ruyg, Cr Jo Samuel-King MBBS, Helen Williams and Sue Forster. Photo by Annie Dennis. 5In my garden Story and photos by Pauline Reynolds Here, I share recent sightings from my garden. This spectacular Wandering Ringtail Damselfly (Austrolestes leda) was spotted on 11 February 2021, in the same week I also saw an Australian Emerald Dragonfly (Hemicordulia australiae) on 6 February 2021 (inset and on the cover). Both were warm days and these magnificent creatures were photographed enjoying the late afternoon sun. You will notice too they are both sitting on indigenous plants – Austral Storksbill ( Pelargonium australe ) and Knobby Club- sedge (Ficinia nodosa) respectively. Wandering Ringtail Damselfly (Austrolestes leda) 67Pale Wedge Pea (Gompholobium huegelii) – a locally rare indigenous wildflower. Photo by Rob Saunders. Peas in a pod? By Rob Saunders Friends of Long Hollow Heathland and Rare Plants Group Most of Bayside’s indigenous peas are small shrubs with bright ‘eggs and bacon’ coloured flowers. Eight local species from the genera Aotus, Bossiaea, Daviesia, Dillwynia, Platylobium and Pultenaea all have flowers that come in shades of yellow and reddish brown. Even Golden Spray (Viminaria juncea), a taller upright shrub, has similar flowers. Three other local pea species are more distinctive, being varied in their growth form and flower colour. The local Purple Coral Pea (Hardenbergia violacea) is a strong climber with eye-catching sprays of mauve, pink and lime green flowers. The popular Running Postman (Kennedia prostrata) is a ground cover with bright red flowers. And the adaptable Austral Indigo (Indigofera australis) has very pretty sprays of pink or mauve flowers. Bayside has one other indigenous member of the pea family, but it is as hard to find as the other peas are Banksia Bulletin | Autumn 20218hard to miss. Our Pale Wedge Pea (Gompholobium huegelii) tends to be a low, scrambling shrub. It has tiny leaves in groups of three, but relatively large (2cm) flowers. Unlike any of our other bush peas, they are single- coloured, with a lovely soft, pale lemon hue (above left). For a long time, I have been concerned about losing the Pale Wedge Pea from Bayside’s reserves, as it is only present in very low numbers. While one or two seedlings have emerged after some of Bayside’s ecological burns in recent years, we know of fewer than 10 plants scattered around just four reserves – Long Hollow, Gramatan Avenue, Balcombe Park and George Street. Propagation of the Gompholobium has not been easy either. Bayside Community Nursery has grown a few trays of cuttings, but until this year no seed had ever been collected. Propagating from seed has advantages from a conservation point of view. Seedlings provide genetic diversity, whereas cutting-grown plants are clones and have genes identical to the parent. Often, seedlings are also more resilient when planted out, as they have stronger or better-structured root systems. It was very exciting to find some ‘pea pods’ forming on the Pale Wedge Pea at Long Hollow this year. I’m curious as to why our Gompholobium has set seed, apparently for the first time, this year. Is it because we had a wetter season and the plant wasn’t struggling to survive as it normally does? Or is that only part of the explanation? I have watered the Long Hollow Gompholobium to ensure its survival over several previous summers. But it didn’t set any seed then. Another possibility is that there may be more or different pollinators around locally than in previous years. Nectar producing flowers such as peas attract a range of different insects. There are many native pollinators and their abundance tends to change from one season to the next, for reasons that are not fully understood. Certain characteristics of the pollinator are critical with bush peas. A long tongue is useful for the insect to reach the hidden nectaries of pea flowers. But only an appropriately-sized insect can part their petals and trip their spring-loaded stamens, dusting the insect with pollen to transport to another flower. It seems likely that successful pollinators for Gompholobium would be larger than those for the more common ‘eggs and bacon’ flowers. Over the years, John Eichler has photographed a number of different native bees at Long Hollow, including several from the Lasioglossum family (Social Burrowing Bees) and a couple of different Megachilids (solitary Resin Bees and Leafcutter Bees). Research in Tasmania suggests the native Megachilids can be important pollinators for Gompholobium huegelii. Another field naturalist who specialises in orchid pollination, Rudie Kuiter, has also told me the Megachilids are abundant this year. Perhaps they are producing an unusually fertile year for our Gompholobium? Unripe pods of Pale Wedge Pea (Gompholobium huegelii) January 2021. Photo by Rob Saunders. Blood-tipped Resin Bee photographed at Long Hollow by John Eichler. Banksia Bulletin | Autumn 20219Next >