I n s i d e …

Love Me - I’m a Euc!

Elspeth Ferguson Landscape Assessment Officer

Knox City Council

Not just a Christmas Tree

Ron Smith G4W Volunteer

Midnight Visitor

Belinda Starrs G4W Participant

What are Gardens for

Wildlife made of? Irene Kelly

G4W Volunteer

Responsible Pet Owner-ship

Eastern Regional Pet Expo

Clean Up Australia Day

Free Solar Hot Water Information Sessions

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Gum trees (eucalypts) are the essence of Australian flora. Every Australian resi-dent can recognise these distinctive plants by sight and smell. Soldiers re-turning by ship from the first and second world wars are rumoured to have been able to smell the aroma of the eucalypt before land was visible on the horizon.

They give any garden a unique and dis-tinctively Australian appearance. The three genera Eucalyptus (the gums), Corymbia (the bloodwoods and Ghost gums) and Angophora (apples) are known collectively as 'eucalypts'. These plants are all in the Myrtle family Myrta-ceae. With over 700 species, the euca-lypt dominates many Australian land-scapes and is only absent (or at least reduced in diversity) in tropical rainfor-ests and truly arid environments. Most eucalypts are endemic to Australia but some occur naturally in New Guinea, Indonesia and even the Philippines and Taiwan. Eucalypts are good in gardens, streets and parks as they attract local wildlife such as colourful lorikeets. They have a

distinctive Australian look with unique coloured green foliage, they flower for long periods and their scent is very fresh and pleasant. They have a huge range of trunk colours and textures, life form (shrubs, multi-trunked mallees to tall trees). Those that have tall canopies re-quire less frequent pruning than lower hedge style plants. Different species are adapted to all the different climates and soils throughout Australia. Generally they require less water to survive than most other trees due to a number of ad-aptations in form and function. They can kick back quicker than most other trees after a drought with a fresh new canopy of leaves. What do people not like about them? Well actually there are a number of myths and misunderstandings regarding eucalypts that are not founded on truth or on scientific evidence. Eucalypt Myth 1: One that has been popular lately is that they explode into flames for no apparent reason on hot days. Live green leaves and wood are hard to ignite. Some eucalypts ignite quickly once there is an established bushfire raging in the vicinity but they do not ignite outside a fire front. The Black Saturday fires were ignited by powerline failures, arsonists and lightning. The ini-tial plant material that ignited was grass and dead twigs and shrub stems that are the size of kindling. Trees of any species can burn in an intense fire, there is no such thing as fire retardant tree species. Mature trees of any species can actually be useful in preventing the spread of fires by acting as a wind break. More information on plants and fire safety can be obtained from the Country Fire Au-thority CFA www.cfa.vic.gov.au. Eucalypt Myth 2: They drop branches. Trees of every species may drop branches. Trees can be made safer by getting a qualified arborist to assess them once every five years and if neces-sary carrying out some formative prun-ing. They are also safe if they have noth-ing underneath them that can be dam-aged.

Love Me Love Me -- I’m a Euc! I’m a Euc!

Yellow Box Eucalyptus melliodora

Red Box Eucalyptus polyanthemos

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Love Me Love Me -- I’m a Euc! I’m a Euc! ….continued from page 1….

Eucalypt Myth 3: They crack buildings. Trees of any species can dry out the soil and if the soil has a high fraction of reactive clays this can damage house footings. This effect can be minimised by not planting trees too close to buildings, by watering the area within 3-5 metres around the tree and by having well designed house footings. Eucalypt Myth 4: They cause allergic reac-tions. Many native trees, especially wattles, are unfairly blamed for triggering asthma attacks. The most common asthma trigger is viral infection (a cold or flu). Other trig-gers include cigarette smoke, house dust mite and pet exposure. Of the plant aller-gens, the most common is rye grass pollen, which is largely unavoidable. Of the tree allergens, wind pollinated species (birches, oaks, olives, elms or she oaks) have less obvious flowers with larger numbers of lighter pollen cells that are easily inhaled into the lungs. Wattles and eucalypts have obvious looking flowers at eye level to at-tract their main pollinators – birds and in-sects – but their larger, stickier pollen cells are less wind blown and not as easily in-haled. Eucalypt Myth 5: They drop leaves. Trees of all species drop leaf litter. It can be used as mulch or composted by mixing it with other materials that are moist, fresh and green such as kitchen vegetable scraps.

Eucalypt Myth 6: They belong in the bush not in the suburbs. When the right species is chosen for the right space they make an excellent contribution to any landscape.

Elspeth Ferguson Landscape Assessment Officer

Knox City Council

Advice From a Tree

Stand tall and proud

Sink your roots into the earth

Be content with your natural beauty

Go out on a limb

Drink plenty of water

Remember your roots

Enjoy the view

A young Silver leaf Stringybark Eucalyp-tus cephalocarpa showing both juvenile

At Christmas time we have always used a small tree in a pot to decorate. In the past these have been olive or cumquat trees. This year we had grown an Albany Woolly Bush (Adenanthos) for this purpose. It currently only stands about a metre high but would adequately serve what was needed. It was arranged that two of the grandkids (aged 4 and 6) would come over to do the decorat-ing. To their, and our, surprise a baby praying mantis hopped out of the bush on to Oliver’s hand. He carefully returned it to the garden. By the end of decorating another six baby praying mantis had hopped out of the bush. Ollie enjoyed searching for them in the lounge room and placing them back in the garden. During summer the female lays eggs in an egg sac which is attached to a leaf or branch. There could be up to 400 eggs. The young praying mantis emerge from the sac in spring but only a few survive – we were lucky!! They eat each other and other insects for nourishment, and moult a number of times before reach-ing adulthood. (www.buzzle.com/articles/praying-mantis-life-cycle.html).

Ron Smith G4W Volunteer

Not just a Christmas tree….Not just a Christmas tree….

Albany Woolly Bush (Adenanthos)

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A midnight visitor

15 January 2011 I went to bed around 10.30 then woke up to a ruckus at midnight with my kids who had been outside and were now washing their feet. My 16 year old daughter, Am-ber, was heading to the toilet which is off the laundry and our dog sleeps in there. Amber walked in and saw movement in the dog’s water bowl she did not think anything of it, until something jumped out near her foot, she screamed and woke my 12 year old son, Sea-mus. Amber turned the light on to discover it was a small brown frog. Amber grabbed a cup and it climbed into it and my children released it out into our fernery, where we also have a fish pond and bird baths on the ground amongst some native violets. We have been trying to figure out how it came inside the house, we think our dog Elsa, who is a Rough Col-lie and has long fur, may have brought it in with her as that night she decided to lay on the wet lawn and it has some how got stuck in her fur as Amber recalls seeing dog fur around one the frog’s legs. Since then, we believe it is a " Southern Brown tree" frog. The next night Amber went looking for it and we found it amongst the ferns. We hope it stays!!! 4 February 2011 With Friday’s downpour we brought some of our out-door furniture inside, with out us knowing we had a frog seeking shelter in the wicker chairs (Elsa would not venture out!). Later on in the evening my husband no-ticed something hopping under the kitchen table and found it to be a frog, he grabbed a cup, put a little water in it, took it to show Amber, who said it was a different frog to the first (it had spots on it). Amber let it go in the ferns. My son and I were asleep.

Article and photos by Belinda Starrs G4W Participant

Have you got a story or an experience you would like to share with other Gardens for Wildlife participants? If so, email Angela at angela.steffensen@knox.vic.gov.au or phone 9298 8572.

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The sun is up. The hunt is on. We moved across the terrain united in our purpose. My companions quickened their steps eager to get to their first target. Their keenness forced me to accelerate to catch up and I warned them to “look but not touch”. My grandchildren and I are embarked on a mini beast safari in the backyard. I rolled back the pot plant. We were still as we watched the butcher boys scurry into the under-growth and the earthworms retreat to the safety of their holes. One different looking, striped, blackish worm to our great satisfaction is much slower to hide. Was it a flat worm? But we were content just with the find and moved on, hopeful of other quarry. Mini beasts are fun to find and watch. But it was “What’s that nana? and “Why?” that prompted me to want to find out more. I discovered there was more to mini beasts than just being the pest spe-cies in my veggie patch or as food for birds that I wanted to attract. Mini beasts have been around for over 400 million years and have adapted to oc-cupy practically every ecological slot from the upper reaches of the atmos-phere to the driest of deserts, to the canopies of the wettest rainforests, the frozen Antarctic or on the deepest ocean floor. They are integral to the natural systems that work to clean the air, the soil and the water. Large facts about little creatures Mini beasts, the invertebrates, make up a staggering 90% and more of all animal life on earth and vertebrates, mammals (such as us), birds, reptiles, frogs and fish make up the rest.

Many of the estimated 275,000 to 300,000 Australian species of land dwelling invertebrates are found no-where else in the world. As 80% of all our animal and plant species are also exclusive to Australia, invertebrates exploited the many food sources and niches offered by the nu-merous different and unique plant spe-cies that dominated our landscape. Consequently, about a third of all foli-age feeding insects in Australia de-pend on our native Eucalypts and Aca-cias. Despite the fact they are the most suc-cessful and prolific animals on the planet, because of the dramatic changes in our environment, species numbers are declining in Australia faster than scientists can record their existence. Australia has lost 75 per cent of its rainforests and also has the world's worst record of mammal ex-tinctions. Might is right Mini beasts might be small but their presence, or not, has maximum im-pact on wild places. They are com-posters, recyclers and scavengers that eat dead animals or fruit fallen from trees. They include pollina-tors like butterflies and bees, soil aera-tors such as worms and even defoliators, such as caterpillars are vital as they eat foliage, shoots and growth on plants that stimulate the plants to grow.

What are gardens for wildlife made of?

Southern Old Lady Moth (Dasypodia selenophora)

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Many mini beasts act as biological control agents, controlling the num-bers of pest bugs by eating them or encouraging creatures that do. They in turn are food for birds, large and small, lizards, frogs and vegetation too. Snapshots of the magic and mayhem created by mini beasts Three quarters of all human food

crops are dependent on bees, flies, wasps, moths and beetles for polli-nation. Consider that in Japan it now takes 20-25 people to pollinate 100 trees in place of two bee hives.

There are new pharmaceuticals

and industrial chemicals being de-veloped from invertebrates, e.g. leech saliva contains the anti-coagulant Hirudin, which can help prevent heart attacks and strokes in humans.

If you ever find yourself in need,

maggots can clean wounds more efficiently than most medical treat-ments.

If it weren’t for the approximate

100,000 different types of organ-isms that feed on dead things, the Earth would be covered in rotting material.

Amazingly Australia’s Rufous Net-

casting Spider each night must re-build most of its retina as the re-ceptors in its huge eyes are de-stroyed by the intense light of dawn.

Though dreaded, the Bull Ant per-

forms a similar function to earth-worms in improving soil conditions by opening the soil and improving plant growth when they excavate their nests.

Earwigs, fruit flies, white flies and

other assorted flies and their larvae scavenge and break down the food scraps in any typical compost bin, converting them into nutrient-rich compost that can be added to the soil.

Unbelievably, the common garden snail was deliberately introduced to Australia to provide food for black-birds and starlings!

Every picture tells a story Backyard mini beasts can include bee-tles, spiders, insects, ants, bees, wasps, butterflies and moths, but our safaris were more likely to encounter introduced pests such as cabbage white butterflies, their caterpillars, snails, slugs, earwigs, European wasps and some honey bees with only the occasional sighting of some native blue banded bees, hoverflies, dragon flies and some very colourful butter-flies. The more we looked the more we found, particularly where the local na-tive plants are thriving, where the land-scape is dotted with rocks and logs and the water saving mulch is thick with leaf litter. Leaf litter, it seems is essential for mini beasts as it is home to thousands of different plants and animals, provides hiding places and protects them from the icy cold and the burning sun. There was evidence of occupation everywhere; cicada holes and husks throughout, great chunks taken out of toadstools, swarms of ants compost-ing the nectarines dropped by pos-sums and there are mini beast man-sions in the brickwork and in the leaf litter too.

The proof is in the eating

Mini-beast mansions

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There must be heaps of different spe-cies of spiders and their prey, cock-roaches, flies, mosquitoes, moths and insects, if the many different webs abounding are any indication; in the bark of the ironbark, hanging from eaves, strung like fairy lights from tree to tree, on windowsills and in the leaf litter too.

Skinks are on the move also, no longer restricted to the stack of pavers, they turn up in leaf litter and many places in the garden. Along with flowers, leaves and berries they feast on many different species of in-sects and have adapted to eat intro-duced pests like snails. To our sur-prise we even discovered a skink on the inside window ledge in the lounge room.

I was alarmed to see my favourite Correa under caterpillar attack, but left it to its fate after teasing from my hus-band about my gardening for wildlife - it survived. Caterpillars are seasonal species so their frenzy of eating is likely to occur only once a year. Chemicals should never be used in a garden for wildlife as they affect the food chain from mini beasts to mam-mals. Take heart too, that without caterpil-lars there would be no butterflies and any abundance of insects can attract wanted and dependent wildlife into the garden. Many small bird species like wrens, fantails, robins, whistlers and thornbills that eat insects have been lost to our suburbs so providing the proper habitat encourages their return. Consider also that nearly all bird spe-cies include some insects in their diet.

Can you see the skink heading for home in the leaf litter?

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The Peregrine Post is printed on Recycled Paper

Gardens for wildlife from the bottom up If we want to see more species of birds, large and small, find skinks un-der the rocks, butterflies fluttering by and frogs in the ponds, work positively to encourage local native mini beasts to munch, bunch, breed and provide a bountiful food source to attract a diver-sity of wildlife. Then look forward to encounters with a whole new wealth of wildlife that is there if only we bother to look. What are gardens for wildlife made of? Not “sugar and spice and everything nice” but rather “leaf litter bursting with bull ants, bugs, beetles, spiders and worms” - that’s what gardens for wild-life are made of! Tread lightly.

Article and Photos by Irene Kelly G4W Volunteer

Sources: Australian National Museum “Bugswise” at www.australianmuseum.net.au. Barbara Hardy Centre for Sustainable Ur-ban Environments “Invertebrate” fact sheets at www.unisa.edu.au/barbarahardy. ABC Gardening Australia “Creepy Crawl-ies” fact sheet, Jennie Churchill, at www.abc.net.au/gardening. A field guide to the fauna of Greater Mel-bourne, Museum Victoria and CSIRO Pub-lishing 2006. A fantastic book for children: Leaf Litter – Exploring the Mysteries of a Hidden World, Rachel Tonkin published by Angus & Robertson.

In partnership with the Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action (EAGA), the Green Project is now offering bulk discounts on solar hot water and heat pump systems to residents of Knox, Boroondara, Maroondah, Monash, Whitehorse and Yarra Ranges. These Councils have formed an Alliance to work together to reduce their communities’ impact on climate change. After a competitive Regis-tration of Interest process, EAGA has appointed the Green Project to provide good value Rheem solar hot water systems to the eastern suburbs at dis-counted prices.

Information sessions across the eastern region will help residents understand the range of rebates and discounts available and provide advice on the best type of solar hot water system for your home. They will cover details about the offer as well as explain what RECs and VEETs are and how you can cut up to 80% of your water heating costs by moving to solar hot water.

Next information session

Wednesday, 9th of March 7.30PM - 8.30PM Ferntree Gully Community Arts Centre 1010 Burwood Highway, Ferntree Gully

For more information and to RSVP for a session near you, please go to: www.greenproject.com.au/eaga-ses

Solar Hot Water Free Information Sessions

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Have you changed your address recently?Have you changed your address recently?Have you changed your address recently? If you have recently changed your email or postal address, please contact Angela on 9298 8572 or email angela.steffensen@knox.vic.gov.au to advise of any changes.

The Peregrine Post is printed on Recycled Paper

Are you a responsible pet owner? The Knox City Council’s Responsible Pet Ownership com-petition rewards responsible pet owners in Knox. So if you know of someone who does the right thing by their pet,

why not nominate them? Monthly prize of a $100 gift voucher with monthly winners going into the draw for the annual prize of a $250 gift voucher to use at a Knox pet related business participating in the competition. Entries drawn at the beginning of each month. Nomination forms can be picked up from the Civic Centre at 511 Burwood Highway, Wantirna South or online at www.knox.vic.gov.au.

Eastern Regional Pet Expo - Sunday 3 April 2011 Knox City Council’s annual Eastern Regional Pet Expo is on again at Knox Park Reserve on Ferntree Gully Road in Knoxfield. Come along and find out which pet best suits your lifestyle and what is needed to keep them happy and contented. Visitors can speak with local Vets, dog trainers, breeders, Animal Welfare Groups, groomers and lots more. Or why not enter one of the many pet competitions on the day? Categories include Best Dressed Pet, Happiest Pet, Most looks like Owner, Most Obedient Pet, Most Impressive Trick, Best Tennis Ball Retrieve, Fastest Fetch with Owner and an Egg & Spoon Race for pets and their owners! Craig "Huggy" Huggins from Gold 104FM will host the day letting everyone know who will be on stage and when.

Clean Up Australia Day - 6 March 2011 If you are interested in participating in Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday 6 March 2011, please visit the Clean Up Australia website at www.cleanup.org.au for further information or contact Clean Up Australia on 1800 282 329. Clean Up sites have been arranged within Knox at the following locations: Blind Creek Billabong Sunday 6 March, 10am – 12noon Meet at Northern end of Jacobus Walk, Ferntree Gully (Melway Ref. 64 H11) Contact person: Fay Rimmer, Friends of Blind Creek Billabong, phone 9758 4802 Dandenong Creek Sunday 6 March, 9.30am – 12noon Meet at Bike Track, end of Marlborough Road, Heathmont (Melway Ref. 63 H3) Contact: Barry Robinson, First Friends of Dandenong Creek, 9801 1628

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