Banskia Bulletin autumn 2009

banksiaissue number 033 - autumn 2009

bulletin

Friends of Bayside 2009 contact list

Bayside Environment Friends NetworkCoordinator: Barbara JakobMobile: 0408 032 963Email: [email protected]

Friends of Balcombe Park Coordinator: Joan Couzoff26 Balcombe Park Lane, Beaumaris 3193Phone: (03) 9589 1060

Friends of Bay Road ReserveCoordinator: Michael Norris (Southern Ward Councillor)5 Deakin Street, Hampton 3188Phone: (03) 9521 0804Email: [email protected]

BRASCACoordinator: Janet Ablitt4A Fairleigh Avenue, Beaumaris 3193Phone: (03) 9589 6646

Friends of Brighton DunesCoordinators: Elizabeth McQuire34 Normanby Street, Brighton 3186Phone: (03) 9592 6474and Jenny Talbot71 Champion Street, Brighton 3186Phone: (03) 9592 2109

Friends of Cheltenham ParkCoordinator: Valerie TyersPhone: (03) 9588 0107Email: [email protected]

Cheltenham Primary School SanctuaryPO Box 289, Cheltenham 3192Phone: (03) 9583 1614

Friends of Donald MacDonald ReserveCoordinators: Alison and Bill Johnston4 Wellington Avenue, Beaumaris 3193Phone: (03) 9589 5459

Friends of George Street ReserveCoordinators: Val Tarrant47 Bayview Crescent, Black Rock 3193Phone: (03) 9598 0554Email: [email protected] Pauline Reynolds9 Reno Road, Sandringham 3191Phone: (03) 9598 6368

Friends of Long Hollow Heathland/Friends of Table RockCoordinator: Ken Rendell33 Clonmore Street, Beaumaris 3193Phone: (03) 9589 4452

Friends of Gramatan Avenue Heathland SanctuaryCoordinator: Ken Rendell

Friends of Merindah Park and the Urban ForestCoordinator: David Cockburn72 Spring Street, Sandringham 3191Phone: (03) 9598 6148

Friends of Native WildlifeCoordinator: Michael Norris (Southern Ward Councillor)5 Deakin Street, Hampton 3188Phone: (03) 9521 0804Email: [email protected]

Friends of Ricketts Point LandsideCoordinator: Sue Raverty5 Rosemary Road, Beaumaris 3193Phone: (03) 9589 2103Email: [email protected]

Friends of Watkins BayCoordinator: Moira Longden73 Dalgetty Road, Beaumaris 3195Phone: (03) 9589 2725

Marine Care Ricketts Point IncConvenor: Phil StuartPO Box 7356, Beaumaris 3193Mobile: 0419 366 513

NED (New Environmental Directions) at Elsternwick ParkCoordinator: Neil BlakePort Phillip EcoCentre, cnr Herbert and Blessington St, St Kilda 3182Phone: (03) 9534 0413Email: [email protected]

St. Leonards College Conservation GroupContact: Tim Barlow163 South Road, Brighton East 3187Phone: (03) 9909 9300Email: [email protected]

AcknowledgementsThank you to all the people who have contributed to this issue of Banksia Bulletin. The editors encourage people to submit articles, however Bayside City Council reserves the right to edit or omit articles. Artwork, illustrations and photographs can also be submitted to feature in the publication.

DisclaimerThe views expressed in the Banksia Bulletin are not necessarily those of Bayside City Council or its representatives.

EditorsAmy Hough and Fiona Dodge

Copy deadlines 2009Copy deadlines are set for the first Friday of the month of release:Winter 2009 Friday 5th June for release end JuneSpring 2009 Friday 24th Sept for release end Sept

Banksia Bulletin is published quarterly by Bayside City Council to service people interested in enjoying and protecting the local environment.

If you would like to be added to the Banksia Bulletin mailing list, please contact Bayside City Council on 9599 4444 or email: [email protected]. Please indicate whether you would prefer to receive your Banksia Bulletin by post or via email.

Corporate CentrePO Box 27 Royal AvenueSANDRINGHAM VIC 3191Telephone: 9599 [email protected] of business 8.30am – 5pmMonday – Friday (except public holidays)

Cover photograph: Allocasuarina speciesby Pauline Reynolds Printed on 100% recycled paper.

banksia bulletin - autumn 20092

Hasn’t it been great to see some rain! Not only has it provided some much needed water for our parks, bushland and foreshore vegetation, but it has also aided in extinguishing the fires throughout Victoria.

Bayside City Council has been able to help with the bushfire recovery efforts, not just by raising funds, but by deploying staff members to assist areas affected by the fires, particularly in the Baw Baw Shire region.

Eighteen Bayside staff members, including health officers, building surveyors, environmental health officers, nurses, administrators and the Municipal Fire Prevention Officer, have provided assistance since 12 February. The majority of volunteers have worked at Baw Baw Shire’s Municipal Recovery Centre, doing what they can to assist in the short term, however, the recovery phase and the rebuilding of communities will take many years. On behalf of Bayside City Council, I would like to convey my best wishes for the future to those families who are suffering unprecedented loss and destruction.

Earlier this year, Bayside City Council was nominated as a finalist in the 2009 Local Government Professional (LGPro) Awards for Excellence, in the Sustainability Initiative category for its Seaweed Recycling Feasibility Study.

Council’s study found that contaminated seaweed which needed to be removed from the beach, could be collected and recycled as garden mulch. Our study found that the cost of composting seaweed was comparative with sending it to landfill, which meant that it was both economically and environmentally sustainable.

The winners of the 2009 LGPro Awards for Excellence were announced on 19 February 2009 at the Melbourne Town Hall. Unfortunately, Bayside was not successful; the award was won by Towong Shire Council for its Pure Towong Energy – a local government facilitated group solar energy system purchase. However, I am extremely proud of the innovation that Council staff have shown in creating a more sustainable city. As we are always looking at ways to be more environmentally sustainable, I believe this study is leading the way and could benefit other foreshore municipalities.

I hope all our readers are enjoying the milder weather and we look forward to more autumn rains to replenish our much-needed water supplies.

Cr James LongMayor

In this ISSUEFriends of Brighton Dunes 4 Jenny Talbot

Friends of George Street Reserve 5 Valerie Tarrant and Pauline Reynolds

Friends of Donald MacDonald Reserve 6 Alison Johnston

Friends of Ricketts Point Landside 8 Sue Raverty

Black and white moths 10 Peter Marriott

The guardian of the shark cave 12 Peter Dedrick

The lazy person’s guide to butterfly watching 14 Val La May

Farewell for a little while 17 Amy Hough

Our mystery insects identified! 18 Amy Hough

Friends of Bayside Working Bee times 19

From the Mayor

banksia bulletin - autumn 2009 3

Friends of Brighton Dunes (Dr Jim Willis Reserve)Thirteen years of drought in Victoria. Fours years of virtually no rain through summer. Above average temperatures.

A new record for heat set in Melbourne – three consecutive days at the end of January over 43 degrees. Appalling, devastating bushfires, many people dead, countless animals and birds dead, and over 400,000 hectares of forest destroyed.

We are in a period of global warming, largely caused by humans with their huge de-forestation of the planet and burning of fossil fuels. Because Victoria and South Australia have had only just enough rain in the past, the climate change is affecting us catastrophically.

Every year Victoria burns. We are the most bushfire-prone place in the world.

Perhaps now state and federal governments will spend the money they should spend on forestry offices in every town, more research and intelligent cool burns. We do not need billions spent on more roads, we need billions spent on effective water and forest management. A cursory study of history over the last several thousand years reveals that destruction of forests, bad water management, and collapse of civilisations go hand-in-hand. Jared Diamond’s book ‘Collapse’ deals with this.

It has been a sad experience to see so many plants die over this dry summer. Many mature tea trees (Leptospermum laevigatum) have died. Also many of the coast wattles (Acacia sophorae). Even the she-oaks (Allocasuarina verticillata) have been damaged. Only the marvellously drought-resistant seaberry saltbush (Rhagodia candolleana) has done well.

We carry water into little plants, and most would not have survived this summer without our hard labour. Thank you Kevin Gurry, Elizabeth Owen, and Mark Rasmussen of Citywide.

For the past several years if adequate follow-up watering isn’t done, most of the plants propagated so skillfully by Carmen and Erika, and the others at the Bayside Community Nursery, will not survive. We water sports grounds. Trees in parks, reserves and streets should be watered by water tanks.

(Editors note: Council has been watering selected trees in our parks, reserves and nature strips for the last two years and will continue to do so indefinitely).

Climate change affects different parts of the world in many different ways. Some places will be colder. Exactly as predicted

in the CSIRO report in the early 1980s, Victoria is hotter, drier, and prone to more frequent and more intense bushfires. We have already seen a 1.2 degree rise in average temperatures.

Our natural bushland is much more than a few trees and shrubs. It reminds us what this place was (a paradise) when Europeans came here 200 years ago.It reminds us that there is a natural world of bats, blue wrens, owls, and beetles, as well as the concrete world of houses and motor cars. It reminds us that we are part of nature, and if nature is destroyed so are we.

Jenny Talbot

Co-convenor Friends of the Brighton Dunes (Dr Jim Willis Reserve).


Friends of George Street Reserve George Street Reserve has survived the fierce heat of late summer and we are hopeful that cooler weather and much needed rain will stimulate new growth.

However, the kangaroo apple (Solanum laciniatum), which has proliferated since the 2006 fire, has a relatively short life, and it’s to be expected that they will begin to droop, wither and die. This species plays a valuable role as a coloniser, developing from seed or root-stock. It grows quickly to provide ground cover and also is a nitrogen fix. Interestingly, the Solanum laciniatum and the similar Solanum aviculare are cultivated ‘as a source of solasodine for making cortico-steroid drugs’ (See Flora of Melbourne: A Guide to the Indigenous Plants of Greater Melbourne, Hyland House, Melbourne, 1993, p. 184).

Recently there has been some discussion about the management of the reserve. Hence, Pauline and Val, as joint Coordinators, were grateful to Bayside City Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Adrian Robb, and Infrastructure Services Group Manager, Guy Wilson-Brown, who took time to walk with us along the sandy tracks. They heard about the history of the area, and discovered something of the characteristics of the woodland and precious heath.

We are planning guided walks for the public of Bayside, and further afield, in the height of the wildflower season when the reserve is alive with colour.

Bayside’s CEO has confirmed that as a Municipal Reserve classified as a Bushland Area, George Street Reserve has been managed correctly. Council’s policy regarding burned bushland is to fence it in for a minimum of three years, then review the situation. A new review is planned for 2009, with an independent ecological consultant undertaking assessment and making a report to Council. At present the fencing is protecting the new growth, some of which is still emerging, from trampling by people and animals.

Friends are continuing with rubbish clearance and weeding, and looking forward to the start of planting in May. We welcome newcomers to working bees – every third Sunday, from 10am to 12noon.

Valerie Tarrant

and Pauline Reynolds

Joint Coordinators Friends of George Street Reserve

Kangaroo apple (Solanum laciniatum) Photograph by Pauline Reynolds


Friends of Donald MacDonald Reserve

We gathered in the shadiest spot we could find, and Dan from Citywide held a training session in plant identification, concentrating on six indigenous and six weed species, all common in Donald MacDonald Reserve. Plentiful notes were provided and we looked at specimens growing nearby.

The first of March was Clean Up Australia Day. We were not registered as an official site, but several members undertook litter collection, using a ‘CanCatcher’, or crawling under the bushes!

left

Plant identificationtraining session

Photographs provided by Alison Johnston

Our working bee on 1 February 2009 followed several days of extreme heat.


Most of us were engaged in the task of establishing water points for wildlife in the reserve. The memorial to Donald MacDonald was originally intended to include a birdbath, but that function has fallen into disuse owing to difficulties in water supply.

As we all know, wildlife has suffered very badly during the excessively hot and dry summer.

Recently I noticed that someone had placed several water containers along the Fourth Street side of the reserve, so I thought it would be worthwhile to extend this idea. I obtained advice about construction and placement, and made several from 2-litre plastic milk bottles. The cap is firmly screwed on, and one side panel is cut out as shown in the photo. Of course, various other containers could be used, but these are easily obtained, and free!

At our working bee, they were buried in the ground leaving a few centimetres above soil level to help keep debris out, then filled with water. A stick was pushed into the neck of the bottle, and left hanging over the edge, to provide an escape route for any small creatures that might fall in. The need for this became apparent

since one of our members had found a drowned skink in a bowl of water left out for dogs.

We positioned the containers away from the walking tracks, so dogs wouldn’t find them – they empty them too quickly, and could drag them away.

I went back a week later, after a few days of very strong winds, and all were in place, but one of them in which we had omitted to place a stick, had a drowned millipede.

We would be very pleased to receive any feedback about this project.

The water won’t be nearly so necessary in times of cooler, and we hope wetter weather.

Alison Johnston

Coordinator Friends of Donald MacDonald Reserve

Above

Wildlife water points from 2-litre plastic milk bottles

Photographs provided by Alison Johnston


It is coming up to three years since we planted the first understorey plants in garden beds around the mature Banksia integrifolia trees in the lawn area of Ricketts Point Landside, just south of the pedestrian traffic lights.We identified a need to protect the trees from root damage and pedestrian traffic, and also to protect the public from falling limbs as these trees age. We decided to create garden beds around the base of the trees, which would complement the more formal look of this area. This part of the site is continually viewed and evaluated by the community because of its proximity to the Ricketts Point Teahouse, and the popularity of the car parking spaces along the side of the road.

In May, June and July 2006 we planted various coastal plants with mixed success. It became apparent that a successful planting of grass species such as Austrodanthonia geniculata, Austrostipa flavescens, Poa labillardieri and Ficina nodosa would shield the more sensitive plants from the wind and sun,

Friends of Ricketts Point Landside


while they in turn became established. During this time some large limbs fell from the banksias and these were recycled into borders for the garden beds, to protect the new plants from being destroyed by lawn mowing.

We watered in the summer months because of the drought. Normally we do not water at Ricketts Point Landside because the area is kept reasonably moist by the runoff from the gardens of the adjoining properties. In the subsequent planting season we planted more grasses to replace those that were lost. We replaced some more sensitive plants of which Kennedia prostrata, Correa alba, Clematis microphylla, Dichondra repens and Lomandra longifolia have done reasonably well.

The only large species planted was Banksia integrifolia, as our main aim is to ensure the survival of the banksia woodland. These struggled, and not many have survived. We deliberately did not plant Rhagodia candollenana and Tetragonia implexicoma as these do exceptionally well and would soon smother the less vigorous plants.

We are pleased that our garden bed idea was considered at the planning stage of the risk management of the banksias at the Ricketts Point Teahouse

precinct, and that this concept was implemented. In 2009 our garden beds are filling out well and have protected the banksias, as well as helping to create a more interesting and visually pleasing area.

Many thanks to our regular volunteers Joan Palmer and Lynda Judkins and Citywide’s Mark Rasmussen for his ideas and guidance.

Sue Raverty

Coordinator Friends of Ricketts Point Landside

Photographs provided by Sue Raverty


Often mistaken for butterflies, these two moths are often seen flying rapidly by, or feeding at flowers in the garden. Both are native to this area, and continue as residents, breeding wherever their food plants are present. Contrary to many people’s belief, quite a few moths are day flying, although most are not quite as ‘in-your-face’ as these two.

The vine moth (Phalaenoides glycinae) has adapted quite happily to introduced vines. Our neighbour’s Virginia creeper spills magnificently over the fence each spring and summer, providing perfect food for the caterpillars. Individuals often


Black and white moths

1

2

visit our buddleia, usually well out of reach of the camera, drawn to the abundant supply of summer nectar.

The magpie moth (Nyctemera amicus) is more choosy about its food supply. Cotton fireweed (Senecio quadridentatus) is present in many of the pockets of native vegetation where it is allowed to grow and set seed. All the better for the magpie moth caterpillars that feed on Senecio species. The moth is therefore a less common visitor where meticulous gardeners discard the caterpillar’s food plants. Cape ivy, is also a member of the genus Senecio

and the magpie moth caterpillar has been recorded eating it.

Peter Marriott


3

4

Photographs by Peter Marriott

1. Vine moth feeding at buddleia flower.

2. Vine moth caterpillar feeding on Virginia creeper.

3. Magpie moth caterpillar feeding on cotton fireweed.

4. Magpie moth feeding at Cape weed.


On occasions, up to 20 Port Jackson sharks have been seen there, literally stacked on top of each other as they sleep away the daylight hours.

At the entrance to the cave, under a smaller ledge, lives a mature Victorian scalyfin who apparently sees it as his role in life to keep out unwanted intruders. To inspect the occupants of the Shark Cave you need to take a deep breath, dive down about 3-4 metres and hang onto a rock to stop yourself floating up prematurely. Some diving weights, to counteract the

buoyancy of your wet suit, help in this exercise. Once on the bottom, you are likely to meet the scalyfin face-to-face, as this determined little fish attempts to chase you away.

So what of these interesting sanctuary occupants?

Port Jackson sharks (Heterodontus portusjacksoni )

Port Jackson sharks (PJ’s for short) grow up to 1.5 metres in length and usually live in rocky environments on, or near, the sea bed. They have strong, crushing teeth and their diet usually

consists of sea urchins, molluscs, crustaceans and fish. They forage for their food at night when their prey are most active, and often use caves and rocky outcrops as protection during the day.

The PJ has two similar-sized dorsal fins. Each fin has a spine at the leading edge, which is reputed to be venomous. The spines of juveniles can be quite sharp, but those of the adults are usually blunt. The spines are sometimes found washed up on beaches and have been mistaken for all sorts of things from bird beaks to goat horns. These spines are

In the Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary, there is a large underwater cave that has become known as the ‘Shark Cave’.

The guardian of the shark cave Photograph

by Dave Reinhard


believed to have given rise to the common name of the family, ‘Horn Sharks’.

PJs are creatures of habit. They can migrate up to 800 km north in summer, only to return in winter for the breeding season. They usually return to the same area, and often to the same gullies and caves. The breeding season is usually from late winter into spring. At this time, divers regularly observe sharks congregating in caves, under ledges and in gutters. The female lays an egg case which is a tough, dark brown spiral about 7-8 cm wide and 15 cm long. It is common to see them washed up on beaches. When first laid, the egg case is soft and the female uses her mouth to wedge it into a rock crevice where it hardens. One young shark emerges from the case after 10-12 months.

On my last visit, a year or so ago, the Melbourne Aquarium had a tank of juvenile PJs, each about 20cm long and a perfect replica of their parents. It would be great to see them in the sanctuary.

Victorian scalyfin (Parma victoriae)

Scalyfins are Australia’s largest damselfish and grow to 25cm. They have a rounded head with eyes close to a small mouth. The back end of the body is quite square and has a forked tail.

Males are grey to purple black. Females are yellow to olive. Both have a fine iridescent blue line around the body margin. Young scalyfins are bright yellow with iridescent lines and a ring on their upper body and fins.

Scalyfins are herbivorous (plant eaters) and adults of both sexes tend a territory where they ‘garden’ preferred seaweeds. As noted above, they are very aggressive towards any animals or divers that invade their prized vegetable patch. They typically shelter under a rock or ledges in the middle of their territory.

Earlier in the season, shortly after Christmas, I witnessed a pair of scalyfins that were obviously pretty keen on each other, and seemed to be going through a pre-spawning ritual. A diver who went down for a closer view seemed to cramp their style, however, and that was the end of that.

The amazing thing is that you can see these, and a host of other marine creatures, only 100 metres or so from shore in three to four metres of water. And all for the cost of a mask, snorkel and fins. Marine Care Ricketts Point, the sanctuary Friends group, runs ‘Saturday Snorkels’ each week during the summer and autumn months,

weather permitting. Instruction is available for beginners. If conditions in the sanctuary are not favourable we venture further afield to places like Rye Pier and the Blairgowrie Marina. Intertidal surveys of marine life and bi-monthly meetings with guest speakers are also features of our activities.

Contact Ray Lewis, President of Marine Care Ricketts Point on 9587 7594 or the author on 9584 3414 if you would like further information.

Peter Dedrick

Marine Care Ricketts Point Inc

Following articles on butterflies in the winter and spring issues of Banksia Bulletin in 2008, several friends asked me where to find butterflies and other basic questions, such as how to tell the caper white from the cabbage white butterflies. So, this article is a how-to-do-it explanation, with the aim of easing the way for beginner butterfly watchers.

Where to find butterflies

Butterflies can be anywhere, but the lazy lepidopterist wants to maximise the chances of encountering these insects. Several factors influence the abundance of butterflies.

Weather and season

A calm sunny day normally brings out more butterflies than a windy or a cool day. You’d think butterflies can’t fly in the rain and they usually don’t. However, on the Atherton Tablelands, I watched a large Cairns birdwing flying in a tropical downpour. Delicate? Not a bit of it! The butterfly appeared unaffected by the torrent of rain.

Most butterflies over-winter as eggs, larvae or pupae, but a few, such as the Australian admiral, can be seen year-round. The lazy lepidopterist will encounter a greater variety of butterflies during the warm months (but extreme heat seems to reduce the numbers seen).

Environment

Most butterflies need to feed on nectar and their ‘storage-tanks’ are not very large. Hence, an area with lots of flowers (native or introduced) should have more butterflies floating about, compared to a car park or shopping centre for instance. But you can also see some butterflies, such as the small common grass blue, in areas of lawn. Many butterflies establish territories, which they patrol.

On walks to Black Rock beach, there is a patch of nature strip where I can depend on seeing a few common grass blues if the weather is cooperating.

It is worth mentioning a potential hazard of amateur lepidoptery at this point. Some observers could doubt the sanity of a walker who is staring fixedly at a seemingly invisible point of nature strip. Especially if the amateur lepidopterist is using binoculars to stare at the nature strip and also wildly gyrating around to follow the flight of the invisible creature.

Female butterflies, after mating, will be searching for their particular plant on which to lay eggs. A good source of information about which local plants host butterfly larvae is the book Indigenous plants of the Sandbelt, by Rob Scott et al.

Butterflies also need to drink water; so they often congregate around shallow pools, especially in the morning. Following rain, numbers of butterflies may increase (as well as other insects, such as many moths).

Gardens

The true lazy person will realise that they will save even more effort if they create a butterfly haven at home. No need to venture into the bush, unless overcome by a sudden burst of energy.

A few simple measures should bring native butterflies to your garden. If you already have a bird-friendly garden, the changes will not be great.

• Massed colours: mass plantings of colourful flowers attract butterflies. Red, blue and yellow are especially favoured, but swathes of any bright colour will be effective in keeping butterflies moving through the garden.

• Flower shape and position: flat, simple

The lazy person’s guide to butterfly watchingTo clarify my use of the word ‘lazy’: I do not mean slothful. By ‘lazy’ I mean minimal effort, intelligently expended. ‘Laziness’ is a sign of intelligence, I believe. Cabbage white

Photograph by John Chapman


flowers, pea-shaped or tubular blooms make it easier for butterflies to extract nectar. Complex, double-petalled flowers are more difficult for these insects to feed from.

• Shelter and water: butterflies use the morning sun to warm up, but need shelter from afternoon heat; so provide these areas in your garden. Also, use shallow muddy pools for water and a few flat rocks for butterflies to land on.

• Host plants: plants such as native grasses, wattles, Lomandra sp., etc. provide food for butterfly larvae. For more details consult the resources listed at the end of this article and also the Sandbelt plant book mentioned above.

How to watch butterflies

Observing butterflies is a lazy person’s dream activity. Grab a beer or beverage of choice, put a lawn chair in a shady bit of the butterfly environment, and wait. Reading a book might pass the time, but you could miss seeing a fast-flying butterfly. Binoculars will help, but it takes lots of practice to follow the sometimes erratic flight of most of these insects. It’s a Zen experience, interspersed with frantic bouts of activity when you do spot something.

Or, you could wander slowly through your favourite patch of bush, on the alert for passing wings. Some good local spots are the foreshore cliff-top path, any of the local parks and reserves, and further afield: Braeside Park.

Cabbage white and caper white

Two local butterflies, which appear white in flight, often confuse the amateur lepidopterist, as they seem similar at first glance.

The cabbage white Pieris rapae is an introduced butterfly whose larvae feed on a wide range of introduced plants, especially crucifers such as Brassica species. When the cabbage white lands, you’ll probably notice dark spots in the wings and also that it is actually a very pale yellow. From above, there are also dark patches in the front corner of each forewing, as shown in the photograph taken by John Chapman in his garden. This is possibly the most common butterfly in our area, even along the foreshore. All phases of this butterfly’s life cycle are poisonous—due

to incorporating chemicals from its food plants.

By contrast, the caper white Belenois java, has a much more complicated wing-pattern, with many black veins visible on the underside. The underside also has yellow in the cells along the wing-edge. On the wing-tops, the edges have black areas with white cells. The caper white is larger than the cabbage white—it has a wingspan of 55mm, compared to 44mm for the cabbage white. Some years, very large numbers of caper whites migrate through our area, possibly driven here by north winds.

Conclusion and resources

May the Gods of lepidoptery reward your patience and send lots of beautiful butterflies your way. And maybe even some gorgeous day-flying moths, but that’s another story.

For help in studying butterflies, CSIRO and Museum Victoria have excellent websites:

http://www.ento.csiro.au/education/insects/lepidoptera.html

http://museumvictoria.com.au/bioinformatics/butter/

Bayside libraries hold a number of books on butterflies, including the comprehensive guide published by CSIRO:Braby, M.F., The complete field guide to butterflies of Australia. CSIRO Publishing, 2004.(Available on Google Books)

Many thanks to John Chapman for his photography.

Val La May

Friends of Native Wildlife


Our mystery insects identified!

Our readers may recall that in the last edition of the Banksia Bulletin (page 17, summer 2008-2009), Pauline Reynolds submitted two photographs, one of a moth and one of a beetle, with a query to our readers to identify them.

We received a couple of responses from readers, Ian Moodie and Peter Marriott, and have included their replies on right:

“The beetle is a Lycid beetle, of the family Lycidae. This

is a diverse group with many different family members

looking superficially similar. Hard to tell which one yours

is, without seeing more of it, especially its mouthparts.”

Best regards, Ian Moodie

Lycid beetle of the family Lycidae Photograph by Pauline Reynolds


“I am currently president of

the Entomological Society

of Victoria, and am also

publishing a series of books

illustrating all of the Victorian

moths - the first one is now

out, at last!!! I also work one

day a week in the insect

collection at the Melbourne

Museum, so can also bring

those on board for difficult IDs.

The moth is the hakea moth

(Oenochroma vinaria)

and it looks like a female.

Caterpillars feed on hakeas

and grevillea and probably

other proteaceae.

The bug is not a bug but a

beetle. It is a Lycid beetle

- Porrostoma sp. There are

several possibilities but

the individual needs to be

captured to put it to species.

They are an interesting group

because they are part of

a group of similar looking

insects, which include other

beetles and at least three

other insect orders.”

Peter Marriott

Thanks to you both! We are fortunate to have such knowledgeable folk amongst our readers.

Amy Hough

Editor

Hakea moth (Oenochroma vinaria) Photographs by Peter Marriott


Farewell for a little while

Bayside’s Parks Project Officer, Fiona Dodge, will be stepping into my role as the Acting Environment Research Officer (and Editor of the Banksia Bulletin) until my return. She will be ably handling the next four or five editions of the Banksia Bulletin.

Fiona can be contacted via email at [email protected] or at Bayside City Council on 9599 4444.

Articles, photographs and changes of address or contact details can still be sent via our Banksia Bulletin email at: [email protected]

I will be receiving the Banksia Bulletin while on leave, so I look forward to staying in touch by reading about what you have all been doing.

Keep up the wonderful work, I know our foreshore, bushland and other areas of open space are in good hands, and I will miss

my regular contact with all the Friends who do such an amazing job. Hopefully I will see some of you out and about whilst walking with the pram, as I plan to spend plenty of time enjoying our foreshore, parks and bushlands.

Farewell for now and I will be back sometime in 2010.

Amy Hough

Editor

This will be my last edition as Editor of the Banksia Bulletin for a little while as I am about to take 12 months parental leave, commencing at the end of March. Never fear – the Banksia Bulletin is in good hands!

Photograph by Pauline Reynolds


Friends of BaysideWorking Bee times for April to July 2009

Time/Day APR MAy JUN JUL

Balcombe Park Last Sunday 10am - noon 26th 31st 28th 26th

Bay Road 2nd Saturday 10am - noon 11th 9th 13th 11th

BRASCA Contact Janet Ablitt Phone: 9589 6646

Brighton Dunes Tuesdays 8am - 10am

7th, 14th, 21st, 28th

5th, 12th, 19th, 26th

2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th

7th, 14th, 21st, 27th

Cheltenham Park 1st Sunday 10am - noon 5th 3rd 7th 5th

Cheltenham PrimaryContact Mary McIntosh Phone: 9583 1614

26th 23rd 25th

Donald MacDonald 1st Sunday 10am - noon 5th 3rd 7th 5th

George Street 3rd Sunday 10am - noon 19th 17th 21st 19th

Gramatan 1st Sunday 1 - 3pm 5th 3rd 7th 5th

Long Hollow Last Sunday 1pm - 3pm 26th 31st 28th 26th

Friends of Native Wildlife - Contact M. Norris

1st Saturday 9.30am

Ricketts Point Landside

3rd Tuesday 1pm - 3pm 21st 19th 16th 21st

Table Rock Last Tuesday 12.30pm - 2.30pm 28th 26th 30th 28th

Urban Forest & Merindah Park

2nd Sunday 10am - 12pm 12th 10th 14th 12th

Watkins Bay Last Wednesday 1pm - 3pm 29th 27th 24th 29 th

Gardenvale Primary School

Contact Brigitta Suendermann Phone: 9530 0328

Sandringham East Primary School

Contact Andrew Newton Mobile: 0407 805 168


www.bayside.vic.gov.au

Documents

Banskia Bulletin autumn 2009