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spring 2024 Wangara Road wildlife Connecting through bushwalkingBayside Community Nursery GALA DAY Saturday 12 October 9am-1pm The last day of public sales for this season is Thursday 31 October 2024. Opening days: Thursdays and Saturdays Opening hours: 10am-12pm Located: 315–317 Reserve Road, Cheltenham For more visit our website or call 9583 8408.Grass Trigger-plant (Stylidium graminifolium) by Pauline Reynolds Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners Bayside City Council proudly acknowledges the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land, and we pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. Council acknowledges the Bunurong’s continuing relationship to the land and waterways and respects that their connection and spiritual identify is maintained through ancient ceremonies, songlines, dance, art and living culture. Council pays tribute to the invaluable contributions of the Bunurong and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders who have guided and continue to guide the work we do.In this issue Special features 6 VALE DR VALERIE MARGARET TARRANT OAM 14 FLOURISHING FUNGI AT HIGHETT GRASSY WOODLAND 17 SPRINGTIME AT YALUKIT WILLAM NATURE RESERVE! 24 FROG SAUNAS Other articles WEEDS OF BAYSIDE 4 INSECT SURVEY NIGHT 4 WANGARA ROAD WILDLIFE 5 WILDFLOWER WANDERING 10 STRANGLING THE CLIMBERS AND VINES FROM BRIGHTON TO BEAUMARIS 11 GARDENS FOR WILDLIFE: ANNIE’S NATURE STRIP TRANSFORMATION 12 BIODIVERSITY MONTH 2024 13 ORCHID APPRECIATION 16 THANK YOU, DI PEARCE 16 ADVENTURES DURING EARLY BAREEP 18 BEWARE A SWOOPING MAGPIE 20 LEARN ABOUT RICKETTS POINT MARINE SANCTUARY 20 BAYSIDE UNDER THE SEA 21 STEPPING STONES FOR WILDLIFE 22 VOLUNTEER GROUPS 26 Cover photo: Blue stars ( Chamaescilla corymbosa ) by Pauline ReynoldsDolichos Pea (Dipogon lignosus) Weeds of Bayside By Aaron Hurrell, Citywide Bushland Crew Dolichos Pea (Dipogon lignosus) The Dolichos Pea is a flowering vine that’s native to the western and eastern Cape of South Africa. It is classed as an invasive weed in Australia and New Zealand, and used in horticulture in Europe, Sri Lanka and California. A member of the legume family, Dolichos Pea is also known as the Mile-a-minute vine, Cape Sweet-pea and the Okie bean. In its native habitat, Dolichos Pea is found climbing over trees and shrubs in forest margins and stream banks. In Australia, it follows these same habits but can be found close to urban areas. Using any nearby structures to support itself, this woody vine likes to climb and smother any nearby trees and shrubs to about 2m high, and spreads horizontally for great distances. The leaves are formed into three leaflets that are diamond shaped and tend to be a darker green on the upper surface while paler on the under-surface. The flowers are typical pea flower shaped, ranging in colours from pink to purple, that grow at the end of new growth. The flowering period is from August to January in its native range. Seeds are in a flat pod that tend to explode violently, spreading and covering vast distances. These seeds can remain dormant in the soil until conditions become optimal. Germination is increased by disturbance like seasonal changes, fire and rain, and shady areas with supports to grow on are preferred. The best way to deal with Dolichos Pea in an infested area is to start on the outer margins with the younger and smaller plants then target the larger plants. Ideally the most effective way for dealing with the Dolichos Pea individually is to cut the stem at the base then apply herbicide to the cut on the roots. Smaller plants and possibly larger infestations under certain conditions can be sprayed with herbicide. Source: Wikipedia Dipogon lignosus Badge huntsman (Neosparassus diana) by Belinda Raymond Insect Survey Night Where Bay Road Heathland Sanctuary When Friday 20 September Time 6.30-10.30pm Meeting place Bay Road front gate Where George Street Heathland Reserve When Fridays: 4 October, 8 November & 6 December Time 6.30-10.30pm Meeting place Tulip Street entrance Bring weather appropriate clothing and a torch Banksia Bulletin | Spring 20244Common Bronzewing by Michiko Iida Wangara Road Wildlife The former golf driving range at Wangara Road has had an interesting modern history. Words and photos by Friends of Native Wildlife Inc. Formerly a quarry, then a landfill, it eventually became a golf driving range for many years. Since 2019, it has been sitting vacant while any potential restrictions on future use due to it being an ex-landfill site are investigated. This history has made it a haven for local wildlife. As a golf driving range, human activity was concentrated in the north. The southern end was mostly non-accessible to the public. Since the closure of the driving range, the isolation of the site has increased, especially at the southern end. Friends of Native Wildlife Inc. believe this isolation combined with the range of healthy native vegetation is why this site is so popular with many species. For many years, Bayside City Council has supported our Friends Group with planting to improve the habitat at Wangara Roadfor the locally iconic, but shy, Common Bronzewing. Council also supported us to undertake some informal wildlife monitoring earlier this year. We were impressed with the range of species recorded in the southern half of the area during our small survey. The northern half also has plenty of wildlife, but the most obvious species commonly seen there was the problematic Noisy Miner. Although a native bird, humans have altered the landscape in a way that gives this species a huge and unfair advantage over other birds. Noisy Miners do inhabit the southern portion of the site, but their numbers are much lower as that part of the site is less suitable for them. A target species for us is the Common Bronzewing. At Wangara Road, groups of up to 11 Common Bronzewing have been seen sitting on the ground. Wesawat least three almost every time we entered the site. They often rest and forage under shrubs, where they are difficult to see. They do not like people being close, and we typically notice them becomeagitated when we are still 20metres away. At 10 metres, they often fly away. Our suspicion is they like this area partly because the plants provide food they like, and partly because of its isolation from disturbance. During our monitoring of larger birds, we frequently saw Eastern Rosella, Pied Currawong and Australian Magpie. Smaller birds were absent or rarely seen. We believe this indicates a need for more shrubs and longer grasses to provide both food and cover from danger, especially from the Noisy Miners. We deployed microbat detectors and found numbers much higher than anywhere else in Bayside. At the time, much of the grass had been allowed to grow a little longer than usual. We suspect that may have been a factor, with less-frequently cut grass providing a breeding haven for insects that feed these small flying mammals. Tiny wildlife was also in abundance, frequently needing to be ejected from our monitoring equipment when we retrieved it. Many were not able to be identified properly, but those that could be included the Two-tailed Spider, Square-ended Crab Spider, Common Grass Blue (butterfly), Neat Epidesmia (moth), Plague Soldier Beetle and a Bobilla (ground cricket). Friends of Native Wildlife Inc. plans to conduct more surveys of the wildlife in this area and hopes to report that the diversity is improving, and the current species are thriving, over coming years. Council has recently adopted a Masterplan for this area, and we look forward to working together to ensure the natural beauty of this important open space can be enhanced and enjoyed by locals, while preserving the value of this area for wildlife. Banksia Bulletin | Spring 20245V A L E D r V a l e r i e M arg a r e t T a r r a n t O A M Val Tarrant’s death is a great loss to the community of Bayside in so many ways. Words by Pauline Reynolds Convenor George Street Reserve and Stephen Morey Member of the Black Rock and Sandringham Conservation Association The citation for her Order of Australia Award in 2015 mentions no less than 11 conservation and environmental organisations where she was a foundation member, joint coordinator, member, friend, committee member or active contributor. Many of these roles she held for more than 50 years, with some alongside her husband Keith. Val also contributed to the preservation of Bayside’s community history as a member or chair of four historical and heritage organisations and the National Gallery Society of Victoria. She was a staunch member of the congregation of the Beaumaris-Black Rock Uniting Church together with herson, Jon. During those years until her retirement in the late 1990s, Val taughtfull time and looked after her family, which included five children. She also found time to co-write Bayside Reflections with Graeme Disney, which was published in 1988. Thisbook is a history in words and pictures of the former City of Sandringham. Val had a busy life. She was an enthusiastic and well-loved teacher of many hundreds of secondary students at Mentone Girls Grammar School. She also taught at Fintona Girls School in Balwyn where she was educated prior to attending the University of Melbourne where she achieved an Arts Degree with honours, and later, a Master of Education. There have been many beautiful tributes on social media from former students and others whose lives Val touched in some way. When Val retired from teaching, she studied for a doctorate. Her thesis, titled Melbourne’s Indigenous Plant Movement: the return of the natives, was completed in 2005. The thesis is a most important legacy, among all others that Val has left us. In great part it chronicles the history of the conservation movement in Sandringham and now Bayside’s municipal areas andbeyond. The era that Val wrote about was a real turning point in the way the public, and many politicians, began to see and understand the importance of preserving our remnant bushland areas and foreshore. Val played a large and invaluable part in that movement. In the thesis’ acknowledgements, she credits her parents for instilling in her a“love of the bush and its wildflowers”. Val loved the natural environment of wherever she travelled in Australia and the world. She had a special fondness for Black Rock and its neighbouring environs, particularly George Street Reserve. After the fire which burnt the woody weeds and understorey at George Street in 1984, Val and I (Pauline Reynolds) resolved, with some expert advice, to conserve the wonderful heathland which miraculously regenerated. We were co-convenors of the Friends Group from 1990, when these volunteer-led groups were first established in Sandringham municipality. In her beautiful writing, Val’s love of the natural environment and beliefinthe world reveals itself clearly and is a joy to read. She was always quite determined to contribute a piece about GeorgeStreet Banksia Bulletin | Spring 20246D r V a l e r i e M arg a r e t T a r r a n t O A M Reserve or her beloved Bayside Community Nursery to each Banksia Bulletin, which she succeeded in doing until she was well into her ninth decade. Val was a kind and loyal person. She was always striving, and in many cases succeeding, to make the world a better place. She loved and was very proud of her family, enjoyed their company and that of her friends and colleagues: happiest when she was out among the wildflowers or on a beautiful beach. Nursery volunteers Rob Saunders and Ken Rendell together with Lesley Falloon OAM, Dr Val Tarrant OAM, Daintry Fletcher and Pauline Reynolds at the 40th Anniversary of the Bayside Community Nursery (2018). Presentation to Val By Pauline Reynolds On the morning of Friday 12 July, a very happy time was spent with Val Tarrant at Fernhill where Val was having respite care, joined by Bayside Mayor Cr Fiona Stitfold, Bayside’s Biodiversity & Conservation Planning Officer Amy Weir and Citywide Bushland & Nursery Operations Supervisor Jo Hurse. Cr Stitfold presented Val with a letter of appreciation for her many years of contribution to the Bayside Community Nursery among all the other things Val has supported and worked so hard for. She was also given an album of photographs, a record of just some of the work she has contributed to the community, and a beautiful bunch of flowers. Everyone enjoyed chatting and reminiscing, looking at all the very familiar people and places pictured in the album, and hearing Val sing not only the song of Mentone Girls Grammar, where she taught so long, but also that of Fintona, where she went to school. It was lovely! (L to R) Bushland & Nursery Ops Supervisor Citywide Jo Hurse, George Street Reserve Co-convenor Pauline Reynolds, Dr Val Tarrant OAM and Bayside Biodiversity & Conservation Planning Officer Amy Weir turning the pages of a special book created for Val in appreciation of her work in Bayside. The George Street Reserve sign, written by Dr Val Tarrant OAM. Dr Val Tarrant OAM (second from left) and volunteers during a working bee at George Street Reserve in 1996. My tribute to Val By Stephen Morey Val Tarrant’s contribution to the preservation of our natural heritage goes back to at least the formation of Black Rock and Sandringham Conservation Association (BRASCA) in 1968 and the Port Phillip Conservation Council (PPCC) in 1970. Back in the 1960s and 1970s there was no shortage of proposals to clear the last remaining pieces of our bushland and foreshore, to tidy up our suburbs and put concrete and bitumen where sand and nature sufficed. But it was a proposal to clear a large piece of foreshore to make a car park above Half Moon Bay so people could watch a yacht race that got BRASCA going. For many years, the centre of conservationist activity was at 47 Bayview Crescent; that’s where meetings were held, important decisions were made, and so many fundraising and social events happened. Val and Keith Tarrant were the inspiration for generations of us who didn’t want to lose our natural heritage. Keith was not only BRASCA President but also the Director of the PPCC and in all those battles to save what mattered, Val and Keith were always there, working up front or behind the scenes. Val was a member of BRASCA’s committee for much of the 55 years of our history. She retired from the committee in November 2023 at the age of 93 and in April this year, we were pleased to present her with a beautiful photo of Red Bluff to complement the paintings of the special place she had at Bayview Crescent. Many people have contributed to saving what remains of our beautiful environment, but it’s no exaggeration to say that if there was ever a piece of bushland or a tree or a streetscape under threat, if it was saved and is still there today, Val was there to help preserve it. Banksia Bulletin | Spring 20247Connecting through bushwalking Croajingolong National Park, Australia. Source: Shutterstock Stony Creek Fish Farm. Source: www.stonycreekfishfarm.au By Matthew Grover, Citywide Bushland Crew Part 1: Lost It had just gone 2pm as we arrived at the Stony Creek Fish Farm just north of Harrietville and, after erratically freeing ourselves from the cramped chaos of the minibus, we stood and gazed in awe at the cresting landscape before us. Our immediate view was dominated by the burgeoning blue-green foothills of Mount Feathertop; as for what lay beyond, we could only imagine. Picturesque alpine meadows laced with vibrant heathland and twisting snow gums, fierce and thrilling ridgelines carved of ancient granite, entoiling timbered valleys overflowing with towering mountain ash, high summits of merciless exposure and breathtaking 360-degree views; for my 15-year-old self the unknown of the next five days was infinitely uncontainable. Our destination for that night was the Melbourne University Mountaineering Club hut, described to us as bearing comic resemblance to both a giant tortoise and an alien spacecraft – surprisingly such fanciful renderings are not so far from the truth, itis a remarkable structure. Excited by the prospect of a wilderness moon base we were eager to get going and after a quick group photo we were underway; myself and two mates as well as two other boys from the year above led off, our teacher and two other outdoor education staff following some 20 minutes behind – leaving enough space as to grant us ample physical freedom and navigational independence, but close enough that they would catch up periodically and could render aid if required. In any case, the afternoon’s proceedings were exceedingly simple: follow the trail upstream for a kilometre, make the obvious river crossing at the base of the hills, and then begin the enduring climb up the Northwest Spur track. Itwasstep two where we came undone. Arriving at the base of the hills – and I want to stress how ridiculous and absent- minded this error was – we forgot entirely about needing to cross the river and instead began our ascent early. Drawn in by the bright orange earth of an enticingly spacious unmarked 4WD track (presumably once for management access but nowseemingly disused) we were now heading completely in the wrong direction. Our pace slowed with the steepness of theterrain, but morale remained high, and we climbed steadily for the next hour and a half, my gaze fixed on the distinctive green Woolworths bag hanging from one of the older boy’spacks, stocked with two takeaway pizzas, purchased earlier in the day and to be enjoyed for a luxurious first night’s dinner. Gradually the 4WD track betrayed us, narrowing and then becoming hard to follow, all the while my map and compass ignored within my pack as we internalised our doubts and continued despite the unexpected change in conditions. Only once we found ourselves tearing away at a dense understory of shrubs and bracken, battling for every metre of progression along a path which had now completely forsaken its own existence did we finally realise something was properly wrong. Too late in the afternoon to turn back however, our mounting anxiety and inability to reconcile with our geographical embarrassment drove our fatigued bodies onwards; surely camp lay just over that next rise, we pleaded. So hilariously desperate in fact, I couldn’t help but trick myself into thinking I had spotted the hut just ahead on the ridge; sparkling in the piercing light of the low sun, silver trunks of mountain ash morphed into glistening MUMC aluminium. “I think I can see it,” Iremember saying on multiple occasions. Darkness encroached quickly and we were at least intelligent enough to realise Connecting through bush walk ing Banksia Bulletin | Spring 20248View of mountain range out across to Mt Feathertop, Victoria. Source: Shutterstock that marked the end of our walking for the day. Passing into a broad saddle we took advantage of the relatively flat ground, clearing a mess of branches and leaf litter and setting up our tents, then we quickly set about relaying our position to our teacher via the emergency GPS device that had been bestowed to myself as I was the youngest in the party. Lost but otherwise okay was our chosen communication. Much too deflated to cook dinner we decided to repurpose tomorrow’s lunch and as we ate our humble salami and cheese wraps, we theorised about the blinking lights off in the distance. Were they the headlamps of strangers camped only 200 metres from us? Lights from the hut, on the ridge just across the valley? A miniaturised town many kilometres away on the plains below? Or perhaps a great void had opened, and they were the eyes of some unknown horror beckoning us forth? The darkness combined with our confusion and fatigue had laid waste to any sense of scale, depth perception or logic that we may have once possessed. Unceremoniously we settled into our sleeping bags and tried to ignore the disconcerting creaks and moans of a nearby tree that had us convinced it could fall at any moment; it was going to be a long night. Part 2: Found I have tried to dramatise this account as best I can but unfortunately for the narrative (though fortunate for us at the time) the resolution to our predicament was starkly uneventful. Having made it through the night, the five of us milled about in our tents, shirking the morning drizzle and considering our next move. In the meantime, having received our location from the satellite device, the staff made their way to us viaBungalowSpur track, which, unbeknown to us, passed a mere 50m downslope of where we had camped. Departing before daybreak they had trekked some 15km to reach us by 9.30am. Upon reconvening, we established exactly where we had gone wrong and where we ended up (aswell as had a good laugh) then a newroute was quickly agreed upon and off we went, the next four days of hiking proceeding without a hitch, every bit as new, profound and rewarding as we haddreamed. This was my first bushwalking experience of this nature – multiple days hiking and camping in remote country – and I imagine it would be easy to assume that getting lost on that first night may have scared me away from any futuretrips. In reality, the discomfort of that first night faded almost instantly and while it persists in memory – and makes for a good story – it ultimately proved an insignificant pothole in a road that went on to break far more exciting and fulfilling ground in regard to outdoor adventures. Looking back, I didn’t enjoy much of my later years in high school, but I am overwhelmingly grateful for the parts that were meaningful, and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to spend my holidays hiking in such beautiful and powerful country. This Mt Feathertop walk, subsequent trips to Croajingolong, Koyoora, Lake Tali Karng, Mt Buller, Mt Howitt and Mt Kosciuszko, these were deeply memorable and profoundly formative experiences. These experiences sparked within me an exuberant love of nature’s honesty and grace, and became the backbone for my interests in geography, geology, and especially botany. Undoubtedlythiscorralled me down a path that has led to my present position as part of Bayside’s bush crew. And all of this forgets the piece of most value, the enduring bonds forged with friends on these walks, friends who remain my best mates to this day. I want to close this article with the briefest (inadequately so) explanation of why I’ve come to find bushwalking such a compelling pastime; sincerely I hope that by the end of this I have managed to impart some sense of the joy it has brought me and possibly – now that spring is upon us – inspire others to embark on fresh ventures among Victoria’s wildflowers. So far, I have spoken of somewhat grandiose adventures and of hiking that is challenging and remote, simply because that is what I began with. But let me be clear, there is no wrong way to be in nature and I think there is just as much value to be found in the simple pleasure of an afternoon spent wandering in the sunshine, and this, due to its accessibility, is far more frequently at the top of my to do list. For me, walking is an exercise in rhythm: first the steady cadence of the legs, then a refined flowing breath and the measured pumping of blood, lastly the brain easing into peaceful tidal oscillation; the body settles into a state that is primitively familiar and beautifully efficient. This harmony of hiking is both positively joyous and profoundly grounding, I feel the pace of my life slowing to match that of the surrounding environment and to be present now comes swiftly and easily. Life on the trail is simple, and to indulge in that simplicity is cathartically satisfying. Progress is taken just one step at a time, and as long as physiological needs are met, one should find themselves occupied by an abundance of mental space with which to absorb thebeauty of life around them. To pass through a landscape on foot is to pass through slowly; it is the most intimate form of travel, an opportunity to form a connection with people and place, to dive into the vibrancy and detailof a natural world that is ancientand alive, catalysing powerfuland lasting memories alongtheway. Connecting through bush walk ing Banksia Bulletin | Spring 20249Next >