Franke Scrub

Birdwatching at Franke Scrub

2012-02-16T15:16:00.001+10:00

This year we are inviting birdwatchers to join us on the last Wednesday of each month when we meet at Franke Scrub from approximately 9-11. You might like to get there earlier although it is still peaceful even when we are tackling weeds. Bring smoko and a chair and we can compare notes on plants and animals in our special patch of remnant vegetation.

Updated bird list

2011-11-17T14:31:00.002+10:00

This bird list of Franke Scrub and the road reserve has been compiled by Lesley.

Bee-eater, Rainbow

Boobook, Southern

Butcherbird, Grey

Butcherbird, Pied

Cisticola, Golden-headed

Crow, Torresian

Cuckoo, Channel-billed

Cuckoo-shrike, Black-faced

Cuckoo-shrike, Ground

Currawong, Pied

Dollarbird

Dove, Bar-shouldered

Dove, Spotted

Duck, Pacific Black

Duck, Wood or Maned

Fairy-wren, Superb

Fantail, Grey

Fantail, Rufous

Figbird

Finch, Double-barred

Finch, Zebra

Friarbird, Noisy

Galah

Gerygone, White-throated

Grebe, Australasian

Heron, White-faced

Honeyeater, Brown

Honeyeater, Lewin’s

Honeyeater, Scarlet

Honeyeater, Striped

Ibis, Australian White

Ibis, Straw-necked

Kestrel, Nankeen

Kingfisher, Sacred

Kookaburra, Laughing

Lapwing, Masked

Lorikeet, Little

Lorikeet, Rainbow

Magpie, Australian

Magpie-lark

Mistletoebird

Myna, Common

Pardalote, Striated

Pigeon, Crested

Robin, Rose

Rosella, Pale-headed

Scrubwren, White-browed

Silvereye

Sparrow, House

Thornbill, Brown

Thornbill, Striated

Thornbill, Yellow

Thornbill, Yellow-rumped

Weebill

Willie Wagtail

Whistler, Golden

Whistler, Rufous

Whistler sp.

A morning visit

2011-11-16T14:18:00.002+10:00

The first delight of the morning was the sighting of a pair of Buff-banded Rail and their fluffy black chick at the first dam on Franke Road. Not Franke Scrub itself, I know, but it’s still lovely to see such a wary bird. As we parked the car we were greeted by Yellow-rumped Thornbills twittering in the shrubs beside the Leopard Ash. They sounded so happy as they foraged for insects.

The White-browed Scrubwrens were the bird of the morning. They seemed to follow me as I wandered through the patch, hopping about on the ground in front of me. Then they would make their chittering racket as they flew from one bush to another. In fact it was quite noisy this morning with the Dollarbirds cackling, a Willie Wagtail and a Rufous Fantail tinkling, and a Rufous Whistler whistling her heart out, glad it was such a bright day.

There were plenty of butterflies about and I think I would have seen about 8-9 different species although I can only identify 6; Common Aeroplane Phaedyma shepherdi, Yellow-spotted Jezebel Delias nysa, Orchard Swallowtail Papilio aegus, Cabbage White Pieris rapae, Caper White Belenois java, Wanderer Danaus plexippus.

an unidentified butterfly

thanks to Lesley for this.

Open Day at Crows Nest Nursery

2011-11-12T16:31:00.003+10:00

The Council nursery at Crows Nest is having an Open Day on Saturday 3rd December from 8 am until 1 pm. It is in Depot Road in the Crows Nest Industrial Estate on the right as you approach from Toowoomba.
This is a great opportunity to obtain good local native plants for your garden at a very reasonable price.
If you are interested in propagating plants, you can also volunteer there on Thursday mornings.
For more information on growing local native plants in your garden, see Toowoomba Plants blog which is regularly updated.

Peacehaven Botanic Park

2011-11-07T09:45:00.003+10:00

We work closely with Peacehaven Botanic Park which is just up the hill from us.
Many of us are friends of both.
Franke Scrub shows our local vegetation in its natural state while Peacehaven is a collection of labelled plants arranged to inform us as well as being a pleasant park to visit.
Peacehaven has a small nursery where local native plants are available at modest prices. It is open Thursday and Saturday mornings.
Peacehaven now has a blog site friendsofpeacehaven.blogspot.com which features the native plumbago found in our scrub.

Well spotted

2011-09-29T16:10:00.004+10:00

While looking for our new mistletoe yesterday, we found some large asparagus vines which had either been missed in the past or had grown very rapidly. Small ones are continuing to germinate and elongate towards the canopy.
We also found another small patch of cats claw creeper, so we will need to remain vigilant and regular with our weeding.
If you are not keen on weeding, we could do with a spotter!
In fact we did not manage to locate our new mistletoe so we will need to return soon.

A New Plant in our Scrub

2011-09-14T08:55:00.002+10:00

A new plant has been found in Franke Scrub.

It is a tiny little mistletoe called Korthalsella japonica forma rubra. You can see why it is known as "zygocactus mistletoe".

This mistletoe grows on a number of different dry rainforest plant species, and in our case it's growing on a Yellow Condoo tree, Pouteria cotinifolia.

Korthalsella species (of which there are probably two on the Downs) are the only known host plants for the Yellow-spotted Jezebel butterfly. We have seen this butterfly in Franke Scrub. You wouldn't imagine that such a small plant could host very many caterpillars, but it must be doing the trick! Our little jezebel population may be a thing of our very own, possibly isolated from any other likely source of host plants, now that clearing has reduced our local evergreen vine thickets to such small remnant pieces.

Mistletoe Regrowth

2011-08-24T11:19:00.005+10:00

Amyema lucasii
We were distressed to find, last summer, that some person unknown had been ripping the Lucas Mistletoe off our beautiful Leopard Ash tree. Various theories were propounded: that it was an piece of ordinary mindless vandalism; that it was the act of a “do-gooder” who believed that he or she was actually helping the tree; and that it was a case of theft by some greedy person who wanted the wood for wood-turning, and saw no reason not to steal public property.
Whatever the cause, it left a large branch looking bare and ugly, as it has no other leaf growth than that of mistletoes.

So it’s a relief to see it regrowing. We can expect the mistletoe to behave like any other plant after a severe pruning. It may miss flowering this season, but will be refreshed and look more beautiful than ever.

It has also been rather interesting to discover that the branch itself is still alive, despite the absence of any of its own leaves.
Meanwhile, the rest of the tree is demonstrating the ability that trees have, of killing off mistletoes when under stress. You will notice that it is carrying quite a few dead mistletoes. They were probably been killed off as the tree closed down the water supply to its smaller branches, something that all drought-hardy trees can do whenever they are stressed for lack of water.
I may be wrong, though. Mistletoes have a short life-span compared to that of trees like this one, and they may simply have reached their use-by date.
We have been noticing that this tree carried a rather heavy load of mistletoes, and wondering whether they were stressing the tree during the long drought. It seems we don’t have to worry, as Nature has taken care of the problem. We will probably see renewed vigour in the canopy as a result, and may be able to look forward to a beautiful flowering season this October.
Trish Gardner

National Tree Day

2011-08-01T15:23:00.003+10:00

We had a great day on Sunday at Peacehaven's National Tree Day Celebrations. Peter Bright and Gary Alcorn did the lion's share of the setting up, and Gary and I spent all morning on the stall, talking to interested people.

Gary got more pamphlets printed up for us. We were so busy that it was difficult to grab a chance to look at the other displays. They were an interesting lot, and included including a dozen or so animals (echidnas, blue-tongue lizard, wallabies, and a sugar glider) from Trish Leehong's animal refuge.

We were joined for a while by Dougal Johnston, and you may see a photo of the three of us, in the Highfields Herald, holding an appalling cats claw root (not one of ours) which Steve Plant brought along for us to show off to the public.

Peter Hardwicke, editor of the Chronicle, was there, and says he will send someone out to one of our working bees to do a story on the scrub.

Kym Campbell, from Toowoomba Landcare, asked me whether we would be interested in having some trainee volunteers to work there. It sounded like a good idea, so we may get a bit of help from them.

We also had a good talk to Kerry Shine, who was particularly interested in the scrub's value as part of our social history (representing the original vegetation type cleared by the early settlers in Toowoomba and Highfields). He asked whether we had told the Toowoomba Historical Society about it - we have passed this message on.

Several people showed an interest in joining our working bees, and have been added to our emailing list. We look forward to seeing you on the last Wednesday in August!

Trish Gardner.

Our new sign

2011-07-30T21:22:00.000+10:00

Our new sign is now up. We had a good turn out for our July working bee and the place is looking well. With some funds available, we plan to add more signs around the place.

Winter in the scrub

2011-06-29T13:52:00.003+10:00

Winter is a nice time of year to visit the scrub. Beneath the canopy you are sheltered from wind and rain and you know you are not alone, with birds and no doubt other inhabitants also enjoying it.
Four of us came this morning to weed. We are still removing cats claw from one corner and some asparagus vine continues to germinate. We hope we can keep up and we are being assisted by many interesting small plants which have been waiting their opportunity.
Consider joining us on the last Wednesday in July when we next meet.

Rosenthal Scrub at Warwick

2011-06-13T17:45:00.007+10:00

Another patch of remnant vegetation is being protected from urban development at Warwick. Much of the Warwick area was once covered by this ecosystem, but now less than 10% remains. The 7 hectare reserve in South West Warwick is accessed via Schoch Rd, Everest Rd and West View Road. Contact SGAP Warwick or Landcare Warwick, or just go for a stroll.
It will be interesting to compare plant lists to see what species we have in common.
Flindersia collina [our smoko tree] at Rosenthal scrub.

Weeds and introduced plants

2011-06-12T20:56:00.003+10:00

Araujia sericifolia Moth vine

Asparagus africanus Climbing Asparagus

Bidens pilosa Cobbler’s Peg

Chloris gayana Rhodes Grass

Lantana camara Lantana

Ligustrum lucidum Privet

Lycium ferocissimum African Boxthorn

Macfadyena unguis-cati Cats Claw Creeper

Opuntia tomentosa Velvet Tree Pear

Oxalis corniculata Creeping Wood-sorrel

Panicum maximum var. trichoglume Green Panic

Solanum americanum Glossy Nightshade

Solanum seaforthianum Brazilian Nightshade

Tagetes minuta Stinking Roger

Verbena tenuisecta Mayne’s Pest

Verbena rigida Stiff Verbena

Mistletoes

2011-06-12T20:55:00.001+10:00

Amyema lucasii Lucas’s Mistletoe

Amyema congener Variable Mistletoe

Viscum articulatum Jointed Mistletoe

Native understory plants

2011-06-12T20:51:00.002+10:00

Abutilon oxycarpum Abutilon

Ajuga australis Bugle

Commelina diffusa Wandering Sailor

Dichondra repens Kidney Plant

Einadia nutans Nodding Saltbush

Geranium solanderi Native geranium

Glycine sp Glycine

Hydrocotyle sp. Pennywort

Lobelia purpurescens Whiteroot

Nyssanthes diffusa Barbed Wire Plant

Pimelia sp Pimelia

Plumbago zeylanica Native Plumbago

Plectranthus parvifolius Spur Flower

Pseuderanthemum variabile Love Flower

Sida subspicata Sida

Solanum stelligerum Star Nightshade

Solanum mitchellianum Mitchell’s nightshade

Tetragonia tetragonioides Warrigal greens

Urtica incisa Native Nettle

Wahlenbergia sp. Native Bluebell

Native grasses

2011-06-12T20:50:00.001+10:00

Austrostipa verticillata Bamboo Grass

Austrostipa ramosissima Stout Bamboo Grass

Microlaena sp. Weeping Rice Grass

Oplismenus aemulus Wavy Shade-grass

Native Ferns

2011-06-12T20:48:00.001+10:00

Asplenium australasicum Birds Nest Fern

Cheilanthes sieberi Resurrection fern

Pyrrosia rupestris Felt Fern

Pyrrosia confluens Robber Fern

Native climbers

2011-06-12T20:45:00.002+10:00

Capparis sarmentosa Scrambling Caper

Cayratia clematidea Slender Water Vine

Celastrus subspicata Staff Vine

Clematis fawcettii Fawcett’s Clematis

Eustrephus latifolius Wombat Berry

Geitonoplesium cymosum Scrambling Lily

Jasminum didymum subsp. racemosum Slender Jasmine

Jasminum simplicifolium subsp. australiense Stiff Jasmine

Jasminum suavissimum Sweet Jasmine

Pandorea jasminoides Bower Vine

Pandorea pandorana Wonga Vine

Parsonsia leichhardtii Lobed silkpod

Smilax australis Barbed Wire Vine

Trophis scandens Burney vine

Native shrubs

2011-06-12T20:40:00.001+10:00

Acalypha capillipes Spiny acalypha

Alyxia ruscifolia Chain Fruit

Breynia oblongifolia Breynia

Bursaria spinosa Bursaria

Carissa ovata Kunkerberry

Cassinia laevis Cough Bush

Clerodendrum floribundum Hairy Lolly Bush

Eremophila debilis Devil’s Marbles

Erythroxylum sp. Splityard Creek Redwood Bush

Everistia vaccinifolia Small-leafed Canthium

Maireana microphylla Scrub Saltbush

Maytenus bilocularis Hedge Orange-bark

Pittosporum viscidum Black-fruited Orange-thorn

Pittosporum angustifolium Meemeei

Spartothamnella juncea Bead Bush

Turraea pubescens Native Witch-hazel

Wikstroemia indica Bootlace Bush

Native Trees

2011-06-12T17:58:00.002+10:00

Alectryon subdentatus Hard Birds Eye

Alectryon diversifolium Scrub Boonaree

Alectryon pubescens Hairy Boonaree

Alectryon subcinereus Native Quince

Alphitonia excelsa Soap Tree

Alstonia constricta Bitter Bark

Aphananthe philippensis Axe Handlewood

Arytera foveolata Pitted Coogera

Arytera divaricata Coogera

Atalaya salicifolia Weeping Whitewood

Auranticarpa rhombifolia Hollywood

Austromyrtus bidwillii Python Tree

Baloghia inophylla Scrub Bloodwood

Brachychiton populneus Kurrajong

Bursaria incana Sweet Bursaria

Capparis mitchellii Mitchell’s Bumble Tree

Capparis arborea Bumble Tree

Claoxylon australe Brittlewood

Croton insularis Silver Croton

Cupaniopsis parvifolia Small-leafed Tuckeroo

Denhamia pittosporoides Veiny Denhamia

Dinosperma erythrococcum Tingletongue

Drypetes australasica Yellow Tulipwood

Elaeocarpus obovatus Blueberry Quandong

Cassine australis Red Olive-plum

Elattostachys xylocarpa White Beetroot Tree

Eucalyptus moluccana Gum-topped box

Excoecaria dallachyana Blind your eye

Flindersia collina Leopard Ash

Geijera salicifolia Scrub Wilga

Maytenus disperma Orange-bark Tree

Melicope micrococca White Doughwood

Notelaea microcarpa Velvet Mock-olive

Planchonella cotinifolia Yellow Condoo

Psydrax odoratum forma buxifolium Shiny Canthium

Rapanea variabilis Muttonwood

Santalum lanceolatum Sandalwood

Siphonodon australis Ivorywood

Streblus brunonianus Whalebone Tree

Vitex lignum-vitae Satinwood

May working bee

2011-05-24T19:36:00.001+10:00

Tomorrow is our May working bee. With the recent rain, things are growing well, including some cat's claw which was tackled at the April working bee.
Let's hope it is fine in the morning to come out and check on our scrub.

March meeting

2011-03-22T20:57:00.001+10:00

Don't forget the working bee next week, Wed 30 March.
Same as usual - from 9.00am, with BYO morning tea at 11.30.
This time we might continue with the cats claw, trying to pull back
those outlying runners, so that the plant is contained within its
previous boundaries. Many of the runners are travelling quite a long
way, but haven't got roots into the soil yet, so now is a good time to
pick them up and cut them off, before they dig into new territory and
start making those pesky little tubers.
Tools for digging out shallow roots and tubers would be useful.
Don't forget gloves and secateurs, as well as something to put the weeds and tubers into as you work.
Trish

Cats claw

2011-03-02T20:54:00.002+10:00

Five of our members turned up for the working bee last week, plus Steve Plant and his offsider Aaron.
Welcome to our newest member Joan Kirton. She and Euan McLean did some fruitful work on the cats claw in the corner. It is running downhill across the ground, and finding more trees to climb. Euan explained to Joan about the "Bradfield Method" (which consists of containing weeds by pushing back the frontiers rather than attacking the heartland). It was a very appropriate method, as cats claw runners were covering considerable distance, but hadn't actually put down many roots yet, so they recovered quite a bit of territory. I also had a go at the "heartland", getting it down from the trees to prevent it from flowering.
Graham and Judy Stevens found quite a few large asparagus roots. I couldn't find many, so had the satisfaction of knowing that we are definitely keeping the larger plants down.
Trish

February working bee

2011-02-15T16:33:00.001+10:00

Hullo to all Franke Scrubbers, and a happy new year to you!
Our first working bee is due next week, Wednesday 23rd February. We expect to have one on the last Wednesday of every month from now until November, so now's the time to go through and make ten little notes on your 2011 calendar!
It will be at 9.00 as usual, with a break at 10.30 for morning tea and a chat.
I haven't been out there since before Christmas, so don't know what the tasks are - but expect that everything will have grown well with the rain.
We can expect some pleasant surprises from the native plants, birds, butterflies, and so on, and perhaps a larger quantity of weeds than we would like. As usual, our priority will be the prevention of seed production.
Bring:
* digging and cutting tools, and gardening gloves if you use them
* something to put rubbish into
* practical clothing including protection from sun and the possibility of ticks
* morning tea and a chair
* camera if you think you might use it
I look forward to seeing you all there - together with any new scrubbers whom you can persuade to join our happy group.
Trish

Summer in Franke Scrub

2010-11-10T14:48:00.005+10:00

Another species to add to the list, Bar-shouldered Dove. It was sitting in a thicket of vine on the eastern side of the scrub calling forlornly. The only bird that answered was the resident Spotted Dove. I now make the bird list 51 species of which 41 have been recorded in Franke Scrub, and 10 more species recorded on the road reserve, adjacent areas or flying overhead.

As usual butterflies were everywhere, mainly Orchard Swallowtail, Black Jezabel and Caper White though there were a couple of other Whites flying around that I didn’t identify although I think one was the Chalk (or Striated Pearl) White.

The Flying Foxes are still there, although I only saw three, hanging in the same tree as last month.

Cheers, Lesley

P.S. Can either of you tell me what the large, high canopy tree is that is flowering in the centre of the scrub at the moment? Birds don't seem to be too attracted to it though the Scarlet Honeyeater was calling from the high branches.

Excitement in the Scrub

2010-10-29T17:04:00.002+10:00

We felt a great sense of achievement at the last working bee, when we discovered a plant we hadn’t seen before.
Fawcett’s Clematis
Clematis fawcettii

This little plant is listed both nationally and in Queensland as “vulnerable”.

It grows in dry rainforest environments like Franke scrub, usually on stream banks, and has become very difficult to find, in the district. Threats to the plant, nationally, are destruction of the habitat by clearing, fire, and grazing.
We all appreciated the importance of saving Franke Scrub because it is a threatened environment type. While it contains some other species which are uncommon in the district, it was the whole environment which we knew needed to be saved from destruction, simply because preserved patches like this often turn out to be the home of rarer species than we knew. And so it has turned out to be!
We found a number of small plants growing in a group. There must have been seeds surviving in the soil all through the long drought, as all but one of the plants are very small. None were flowering. It will be interesting to see, when flowers do appear, whether we have both male and female plants. We can hope for it, as both are needed for seed production.

More rain

2010-10-12T08:45:00.003+10:00

What a wet season we are having. We decided not to churn up the road in September and had a bit of a chat at the intersection of Franke Road instead. It will be interesting to see the growth in the scrub after all this rain.
Hopefully we have got all the big asparagus ferns in the canopy and there will be limited flowering and seed set this year.
We will however be busy dealing with the young plants before they climb into the canopy.
The nice thing about this work, apart from the sounds of birds and the company over smoko, is that we see all the small plants that are now growing since we have cleared up the scrub.

August meeting

2010-08-23T16:40:00.003+10:00

The rain should be cleared away for our monthly meeting at Franke Scrub this week. After our very successful information stand at Peacehaven Botanic Garden on National Tree Day we hope to see some new faces. Bring smoko, chair, camera, secateurs, chipping tool and weed bag if you are so inclined. We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday morning 25th August.

National Tree Day at Peacehaven

2010-08-03T08:09:00.000+10:00

We were lucky with the weather for our display at Peacehaven. It turned out to be a pleasant sunny morning with good crowds who found our display interesting, so we probably achieved our purpose of letting people in the Highfields area know more about their remnant vegetation and also of our existence.

It was nice to see young people interested in using local plants in their gardens.
Personally I am finding these plants, which I have obtained from the Crows Nest Council nursery and some friends, to be quite fascinating in my new garden. They are growing very well despite the difficult conditions in the past few years.

You name it!

2010-07-31T10:57:00.006+10:00

Some people think the name SCRUB does not do justice to our remnant vegetation, but that is what is has been called for a long time. More correctly, it is a MICROPHYLL VINE FOREST, referring to the small leaves, as opposed to tropical rainforest with its larger leaf forms.
The sign tells us it is Dry Rainforest Remnant. A sheltered pocket of diverse species which nurtures plants which have become less common as the surrounding area has been cleared. And the birds love it, as we do.
Should we stick with the name FRANKE SCRUB? A name should encourage us to respect and protect it.
It certainly was a vine thicket when we started clearing the asparagus vine from the canopy in 2006. These days there are few asparagus vines making it up to the canopy although they continue to germinate and threaten to take over once more. Now we watch the native plants grow and make their way up to replace the weeds.
Please add your comments and thoughts.

National Tree Day

2010-07-31T10:42:00.004+10:00

We will have an information stall at Peacehaven Botanic Park, Highfields on Sunday 1 August from 8.30 am. Come along and plant a tree, find out more about your local vegetation and how you can use it around your home and for recreation in your local area.
How to get there on Kuhls Road off Cawdor Road.

Updated Bird List

2010-07-31T10:32:00.006+10:00

Birds in Franke Scrub November 2009 - July 2010 Total 34 birds.

observed by Lesley Beaton

Boobook, Southern (First recorded Nov 2009)

Butcherbird, Grey (First recorded Nov 2009)

Butcherbird, Pied (First recorded Feb 2010)

Crow, Torresian (First recorded Nov 2009)

Cuckoo-shrike, Black-faced (First recorded Nov 2009)

Cuckoo-shrike, Ground (First recorded Nov 2009)

Duck, Black - adjacent paddock (First recorded Feb 2010)

Fairy-wren, Superb (First recorded Feb 2010)

Fantail, Grey (First recorded May 2010)

Fantail, Rufous (First recorded Nov 2009)

Finch, Double-barred (First recorded Nov 2009)

Finch, Zebra - adjacent paddock (First recorded Feb 2010)

Friarbird, Noisy (First recorded Feb 2010)

Galah - adjacent paddock (First recorded Feb 2010)

Gerygone, white-throated (First recorded Feb 2010)

Honeyeater, Lewin’s (First recorded Nov 2009)

Ibis, Straw-necked - adjacent paddock (First recorded Nov 2009)

Kingfisher, Sacred (First recorded Nov 2009)

Lorikeet, Rainbow (First recorded Feb 2010)

Magpie, Australian (First recorded Nov 2009)

Magpie-lark (First recorded Feb 2010)

Mistletoebird (First recorded Feb 2010)

Robin, Rose (First recorded Apr 2010)

Rosella, Pale-headed (First recorded Feb 2010)

Scrubwren, White-throated (First recorded May 2010)

Scrubwren, White-browed (First recorded Nov 2009)

Silvereye (First recorded Nov 2009)

Sparrow, House (First recorded Nov 2009)

Thornbill, Brown (First recorded Nov 2009)

Thornbill, striated (First recorded Feb 2010)

Thornbill, Yellow-rumped (First recorded May 2010)

Weebill (First recorded Nov 2009)

Willie Wagtail (First recorded May 2010)

Figbird (First recorded Feb 2010)

Never mind the weather

2010-06-30T14:19:00.009+10:00

Whatever the weather - and it wasn't bad this morning - it is always nice under the canopy in our scrub. Five of us were out working this morning.
We found a Parsonsia leichhardtii in flower.

[click on the photo to see the flower in detail.]
When you are visiting, have a look at the corky bark on the vine.
The Silver Croton is also in bud and, above us while we had smoko, we found the Scrub Wilga in flower.

Down in the creek the native plumbago is doing well.

Have you had a look at the Mistletoes on the Flindersia on the NW corner?

A winter visitor

2010-06-29T11:40:00.001+10:00

A Rose Robin visited us recently. It is a winter visitor and on the edge of its range here.

June meeting

2010-06-28T15:38:00.004+10:00

Once again we are meeting at Franke Scrub this coming Wednesday morning 9-11 am to see how the place is going. We must be approaching the stage of awarding prizes for the discovery of large asparagus vines in the canopy. They are becoming rare.
Bring the usual gear and smoko.

National Tree Day in August

2010-05-31T20:04:00.000+10:00

Friends of Peacehaven are having a community field day at Peacehaven Botanic Park in Highfields on Sunday 1 August.
This will be National Tree Day and Toowoomba Landcare will be marking their 10th anniversary on the day.
A joint display with Friends of Franke Scrub is proposed. We have much in common as many of the plantings at Peacehaven are of species surviving in our remnant scrub on the edge of Highfields.
We are looking for ideas and assistance for this display.

Under supervision

2010-05-28T19:51:00.001+10:00

Graham and Judy noticed some movement in the canopy while working, and we then found that our owl was keeping a close eye on activities just above us. We enjoyed our morning in late May, sheltered from cold winds.
The diversity of plants in the scrub is quite challenging when one is more accustomed to other vegetation types where a few species predominate. Perhaps it is a reason why this type is endangered? We just can't get our heads around it?

May meeting

2010-05-24T16:07:00.002+10:00

A late reminder that the May working bee is on this week Wednesday 26th May. It looks like being a pleasant morning out there, so let's hope you can join us sometime between 9 and 11 am for a spot of weeding or a chat, wander and smoko. Bring your own tools, smoko, chair, camera etc.

A grant for our patch

2010-05-19T16:04:00.000+10:00

Rachel Pignat of Toowoomba Landcare tells us she has been successful in applying for a "Caring for our Country" grant for Franke Scrub to help pay for an interpretive sign.

Flutterings at Franke Scrub

2010-05-19T15:51:00.002+10:00

The dam adjacent to Franke Scrub

My latest visit to the scrub was on a beautiful autumn morning. It was still quite cool in the scrub but the edges were alive with fluttering. Along the road verge it was all Caper White Belenois java, Cabbage White Pieris rapae, Wanderer Danaus Plexippus, and Large Grass Yellow Eurema hecabe butterflies. As I walked down the fenceline towards the water course my eye was caught by fluttering at the edge of the neighbour’s dam. Although in heavy shade there was much bird activity so perhaps the water was warming up enough to stir the insects. A number of small birds were flying down to the water then back to the wires on the fence or the scrub. They included, Willie Wagtail, Grey Fantail, Double-barred Finch, Superb Fairy-wren, White-throated Scrubwren and Yellow-rumped Thornbill.

The constant to-and-fro made me pause and I sat on the grass to watch for about fifteen minutes. They were mainly after insects and I watched a beautifully coloured male Superb Fairy-wren bash the living daylights out of a large moth it had caught. The finches were more involved in drinking and bathing, but what interested me the most was one White-throated Scrubwren that looked as if it was actually after insects in the water. It was dipping its face into the water and making small movements. When it raised its head it didn’t seem to drink, but neither did I see it catch anything. I’ve never seen or heard of this with Scrubwrens before.

Lesley

April in the scrub

2010-04-29T15:57:00.000+10:00

A small group attended our monthly working bee.
It is very pleasant in there with the birds and seeing small scrub plants appearing as we remove the asparagus vine. We still come across occasional large vines which we hope to eradicate before they next set seed. With the favourable weather in recent months the reserve is coming on well and we are doing a good job of keeping the new asparagus plants under control. The results of our efforts are seen in the interesting canopy now almost devoid of strangling asparagus vine.

April meeting reminder

2010-04-23T16:31:00.003+10:00

We will be meeting again next Wednesday 28th April from 9-11 am at Franke Scrub for working bee/social stroll/morning tea.
Hope to see you there.
The place is looking great after the good rains.

Autumn in Franke Scrub

2010-04-08T15:34:00.003+10:00

Went to Franke Scrub on Tuesday. Beautiful weather with plenty of bird and butterfly activity. In fact it was difficult to pick out the birds because the butterflies were everywhere. Especially Yellow-spotted Jezabel Delias nysa I took a couple of photos.

Just as I arrived a couple of Magpies flushed something large from the upper canopy. All I got was an impression of grey and large. It may have been an Australian Goshawk, but don't quote me on that. Another one to not quote me is a female Rose Robin. I quite distinctly heard a robin 'tick' call and saw the face with it's pale rimmed eye. It likes moist gullies so Franke is perfect habitat. However I didn't see enough of the bird to give it a positive identification.

Rufous fantail taken by William Jolly.

The changing season

For a birdo the change of season is not so much the cooler weather, shorter days or changing leaf colour. It is the birds that disappear or reappear. Franke Scrub is the home to a pair of Rufous Fantails Rhipidura rufifrons from Spring to Autumn but as soon as April arrives they depart. They tend to leave us for warmer climes moving away from the Great Divide to the coast or inland to about Chinchilla, or north with some even crossing to New Guinea. There are individuals that will stay over winter but the majority of Rufous Fantails are hugging the coast north of the Queensland border. In summer they can be found as far south as the South Australia/Victoria border.

They are such chirpy residents and I miss seeing the flash of rufous as they search through the mid-canopy after insects. However, nature always compensates and a Grey Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa has moved in to replace them. A close cousin to the Rufous Fantail, the Grey is just as active but has a sharper, more scolding call. In fact one of it's bush names is Cranky Fan. Though often seen in our area throughout the year, the majority of Grey Fantails spend their summers south of the Queensland/NSW border returning to Queensland in large numbers for the winter. Who can blame them?

Lesley
President
Toowoomba Field Naturalist Club Inc

Have you seen our blog? http://toowoombafieldnaturalists.blogspot.com/

March meeting

2010-04-05T16:11:00.002+10:00

With some members away last Wednesday, a small team of 4 still managed to remove 2 full bags of older roots of asparagus fern. "Asparagus fern has certainly been reduced.. it was a good feeling not seeing too much of it."
At this rate we will be starting a competition to find the bigger ones.

The indignant owl

2010-03-01T17:18:00.004+10:00

Our resident Southern Boobook is not impressed with twitchy people poking around in his scrub. [photo - Don Gardner]

A good spot for a kingfisher

2010-02-24T14:31:00.001+10:00

A Sacred Kingfisher was fishing in the dam and returning to a vantage post in the scrub. It will be heading north soon on its migration back to northern Qld, New Guinea and Indonesia.
It would be really good to hear of other bird sightings and anecdotes, nesting records, etc.
[from Lesley].

A new plant for our list

2010-02-24T14:02:00.008+10:00

Our twitcher, Lesley, has added a new plant to our list this week. It is a small climber called "small leafed Tylophora" (Tylophora grandiflora) in flower. We haven't noticed this plant before.

After the recent rains, there's a lot going on, with flowers and seeds, as well as young plants appearing and new growth.
We have made such a difference to this reserve by removing the asparagus vine from the canopy, although we will continue to need to remove young plants as they germinate and attempt to climb back up.
We hope to see you in 4 weeks time.

First meeting after the recent rain

2010-02-17T14:41:00.004+10:00

A reminder that we are meeting again next week on Wednesday 24th February at 9 am.
With the recent rain, things are growing well in our lovely reserve.
We hope you can find time to join us there.
Bring secateurs, chipping tools and a bag for weeds if you feel inclined to work, or your camera, binoculars, a book to read, or just a chair and smoko.
We hope you can join us to experience our local vegetation as it was before we cleared it.
If you can't make it, we will be meeting again on the last Wednesday in March.

A new schedule

2010-01-25T11:20:00.003+10:00

We have decided to increase our efforts on our little patch of remnant vegetation and will meet on the last Wednesday of each month this year - except January and December.
We hope this will make it easier for everyone to make it and get to know the seasonal delights which it offers.
Best wishes for 2010.

Birds in Franke Scrub

2009-11-17T14:30:00.004+10:00

contributed by Lesley Beaton, a local birdwatcher.

I went down to Franke Scrub one morning recently, though not very good birding weather. However I flushed a Southern Boobook which was very nice to see. It was in the thickest scrub towards the bottom of the gully and only flew to another tree close by. So I skirted around that bit so as not to disturb it any further. The Double‑barred Finches and Rufous Fantails were very active, but it was too windy for the honeyeaters. I didn't see a one! There were a pair of Rufous Fantails following me along the track. They are such an attractive bird.

A male Double‑bar was courting. He sat on a mid‑canopy dead branch flicking a dangling wisp of grass. As soon as the female appeared lower down on the branch, he gave the grass one more flick, dropped it and went over to the female. He wiped his beak on the branch a couple of times and fluffed up her neck feathers, she lay low, and he mounted her. This only happened once. He then wiped his beak on the branch again, she flew of, he wiped his beak a further time and flew off in the opposite direction. The bird books say he does a bit of a dance and sings to the female but I saw and heard none of this behaviour.

Scrub

Southern Boobook S

Sacred Kingfisher S

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike S

Rufous Fantail S

White-browed Scrubwren S

Weebill S

Brown Thornbill S

Lewin’s Honeyeater S

Silvereye S

Double-barred Finch S

Grey Butcherbird S

Australian Magpie S

Torresian Crow S

Road reserve

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike S

White-browed Scrubwren S

Lewin’s Honeyeater S

Silvereye S

House Sparrow S

Double-barred Finch S

Grey Butcherbird S

Australian Magpie S

Overhead/adjacent paddocks

Straw-necked Ibis S

Ground Cuckoo-shrike S

Torresian Crow S

16 species

NOTE: At the time of these observations, there was no water in the scrub, but the farm dam next to it was full.

Working Bee, 2nd December

2009-11-12T21:05:00.005+10:00

9.00am to midday (Morning tea break at 10.30)
The asparagus fern is flowering now, making the plants in the trees particularly easy to find at present. Let's hope it's still as conspicuous by the working bee date, as getting those plants down from the trees before they set seed will be out highest priority this time. there are not too many. We may be able to get most of not all of the plants which are mature enough to produce seed, if we make this our focus this time.
Bring:
* Cutting and digging tools
* Your own safety gear - boots, gloves, sunscreen, insect repellent, etc.
* Morning tea and a chair
I look forward to seeing you there!

Spring flowers, birds and butterflies

2009-10-01T19:35:00.005+10:00

Two mistletoes are flowering beautifully at Franke scrub this week.

Lucas's mistletoe (Amyema lucasii) is making a great show with its bright yellow flowers, on our favourite leopard ash (Flindersia collina). The Flindersia itself is also flowering, though only
moderately this year.
And the "variable mistletoe", Amyema congener was quite conspicuous.

This plant loves growing on the Boonaree (Alectryon diversifolium) with its holly-like leaves. However it also grows on several other species in the scrub.The flowers on our local Amyema congener are a darker shade of red than the more common variety seen elsewhere.
Expect to see honeyeaters coming for the nectar from these flowers - and, later in the year, mistletoe birds coming for the fruits. Those special butterflies, the beautiful jezebels, which depend on mistletoes for their survival, are beginning to appear in the scrub again as the
weather warms up.
The sandalwoods (Santalum lanceolatum) under the leopard ash are in bud, so we can expect to see flowers there over the next few weeks. It looks as though they will be putting out a good crop of their dark red (edible but please don't eat them) fruits this year.
Trish

A chipping hoe for weeds

2009-09-30T14:06:00.000+10:00

Today we had a visit from Ian who brought his Root Blade tool to show us how well it works on noxious weeds, and we got a lot of useful work out of him!
Normally he uses it on privet and lantana with Friends of the Escarpment Parks in Toowoomba and you can see the Brothers Grimm in action on this website.
We showed him how we were more targeted to the asparagus vine in our diverse and otherwise relatively weed-free environment, taking care of surrounding plants.
Looking at those videos, it looks like we could combine forces with those fellows, if only to introduce a bit of mixed company!
We also had a visit from Evan Prentice from Torrington Nursery who happened to be passing. This is another place where you can get local native plants for your garden.

Future Working Bees

2009-09-28T11:09:00.000+10:00

The next "fifth Wednesday" is in December. Probably not a good day for many people.
I wonder if we should have one on the first Wednesday in December as well / instead?
However we seem to be organising a lot of working bees on days which suit too few of our members! I'd really like to hear some suggestions from you as to which day or days would suit you, between now and the end of the year.
Trish

September working bees

2009-09-24T11:04:00.000+10:00

The Scrub was looking good at this morning's working bee (or what we could see of it through the dust storm!).

There were quite a lot of scrambling caper plants (Capparis sarmentosa) flowering beautifully, and with lots of buds. They should look even better next week. The scrambling lily (Geitonoplesium cymosum) was also in flower.
Jamie Pukallus and his team got a lot of the bigger asparagus vines out of the upper end of the scrub, and the rest of us (there were only three) got more, as well as a lot of smaller plants. It looks so different from the scrub of a few years ago, with all those enormous plants up in the canopy, so we are making progress!
We need to keep our collective eye out for any larger plants that have still escaped us, as those are the ones that keep producing seed - but we can now start working on eliminating the next generation of plants, some of which are starting to climb.
We inspected the cats claw corner and got down the few bits that had escaped up into the trees again. I'm hoping that Steve will be able to have another go at poisoning the roots before too long. His last effort was very successful, knocking it back considerably, so it's not nearly as extensive as it once was. However, I did find another small plant in the centre of the scrub. Although I got most of the tubers out, I think I missed a few - so that's something we'll also have to watch out for. It would be a disaster of the cats claw spread through the scrub.
WORKING BEE NEXT WEEK.
We'll have another, unofficial one, next Wednesday (30 September). No representatives from the council will be there, but some of our members will be spending the morning working. Will you join us?
Trish

It's on again soon!

2009-09-16T19:56:00.000+10:00

Spring and September are rushing on and our next working bee will be held next week on Wednesday 23rd. It has been suggested that we do not work very hard! We certainly enjoy it and this time of year will be great.
If you can't make it next week, there are some who are going to be there on the 30th as well. Same time and same place.
We hope to see you then!

A spring meeting

2009-08-10T15:45:00.000+10:00

We are planning to have our next working bee on Wednesday 23rd September.
This is a date in the U3A and school holidays, which may enable more friends to be there. Please let others know, who might be interested. The reserve is coming on nicely and Spring promises to be a lovely time to be there.
We'll start at 9.00am (or earlier if you prefer), pause for morning tea at 10.30, (so bring a little something and a chair) and we'll go on from 11.00am for those who want to make a full morning of it. For those who have done enough work, this is a nice time to stroll around, listen to the birds and see what is happening in the way of growth and flowers.
Bring the usual tools, not forgetting gloves to protect you from prickles, and something suitable for digging up little asparagus plants - a sharp trowel or an old blunt knife.
Secateurs are essential of course, and those who haven't yet equipped yourselves with a mini-mattock will find them selling inexpensively at BMS hardware (and probably other places as well).
September is lovely time of year to be out in the bush, and we will probably see the scrub at its spring best, with flowering at its peak.
Expect good perfume and lots of butterflies!

Planting Plumbagos

2009-07-30T15:30:00.000+10:00

We had a good day today. We are still finding asparagus vine in the canopy and removing some large ones, but in most areas we have made a real difference to the canopy and are finding an interesting range of young plants coming away.

Pic 1: Alison Balke and Toowoomba Regional Council Bushcare officer Steve Plant study a mutant asparagus fern removed during the July working bee at Franke Scrub at Cawdor.

Pic 2: Friends of Franke Scrub members Rosalie Eustace (left) and Sally Steel plant native plumbago seedlings from Crows Nest Nursery at the Franke Scrub reclamation project at Cawdor. These plants were grown from seed collected at Franke Scrub.
Thank you Gary Alcorn for these photos.

July working bee reminder

2009-07-20T15:57:00.000+10:00

July is almost over and our regular working bee will be held next week on Wednesday 29th July.
Despite wet weather on the preceding day in June, our last meeting turned out to be delightful weather in the scrub. It was sunny and quite sheltered.
The asparagus vine continues to grow so there is still plenty of work to do, in fact we are still finding some large vines which we must eliminate before spring.

At the working bee

2009-07-01T15:00:00.000+10:00

There were several plants of interest in Franke Scrub last week.
The hairy boonaree, Alectryon pubescens, was putting out a few of its showy fruits. This is not a common plant in this district, and one of the things which makes Franke Scrub special. It resembles the closely related common scrub boonaree, but has larger leaves and fruits.

The key distinguishing factor is the hairiness of the capsule. Here you can see how it has been burst open by the swelling of the red “cockscomb” aril.

This muttonwood (Rapanea variabilis) is covered with buds, which will take months to ripen into brownish flowers, then be followed by pretty purple-blue fruits - all clinging to the branchlet in the distinctive muttonwood way.

One of the scrub wilgas (Geijera salicifolia) was putting out a few flowers, too. We’ll see more of these over the next few months.
Lots of little birds are to be seen in the scrub at the moment, attracted by the pools of water down in the creek. They will appreciate the food provided by the wilgas, whose fragrant flowers attract little insects.
Trish Gardner

A June meeting

2009-06-01T13:10:00.000+10:00

We are having an extra working bee on Wednesday 24th June.
Every fifth Wednesday just does not come around often enough for some of us.
We will of course still be meeting on Wednesday 29th July as scheduled, so we hope you can make it to one or both of these.
As usual we start around 9 am or earlier if you wish.
Bring a chipping/chopping implement, secateurs, gloves, bag for weeds and your morning tea. Cameras are also welcome, to record interesting things happening in the scrub.

April at Franke Scrub

2009-04-29T13:16:00.000+10:00

We had a good turn out today in lovely autumn weather, despite several of our stalwarts being away this week. Sarah Hood from the Condamine Alliance came to talk to us about the range of expertise among volunteer retirees in groups in the Condamine catchment.

We talked about raising awareness of our remnant vegetation and enjoying spending time in it. Meanwhile the wrens were busy providing background music in adjoining trees.
Despite the major impact we have had in clearing asparagus fern from the canopy, we were disappointed to find some fruit on vines, so there is more to be done.

We might need to schedule an extra morning before our next fifth Wednesday which will be on 29th July. As Greg pointed out, it is a nice time of year to spend more time there. A picnic lunch in winter has also been suggested with Alison offering tempting beverage.
Steve will be bringing some plants from the Crows Nest Nursery, for sale, next time we meet. We can grow this local remnant vegetation in our own gardens thanks to his propagating skills.

Press release for Open Day

2009-03-10T13:15:00.000+10:00

Franke Scrub Open day reveals ancient treasures

More than 100 curious people met a 300-year-old neighbour during the inaugural Open Day at Franke Scrub remnant dry rainforest at Cawdor north of Toowoomba on March 7.

Friends of Franke Scrub (FoFS) group leader Patricia Gardner introduced guests to an ancient but very healthy specimen of Hill Leopard Ash (Flindersia collina) which may well have been a mature tree when Captain Cook discovered Australia.

It stands on the margin of a small, steep gully head on Franke Rd reserve near the Cawdor-Highfields boundary.

"This 'scrub' is really a tiny piece of dry rainforest, of the type known as 'semi-evergreen vine thicket'," Mrs Gardener said.

"It is one of the very few remaining local examples of this endangered ecosystem type."

"Because of all the clearing across this region since settlement began almost 160 years ago, these ecosystems are now very rare," she said.

The Open Day was run jointly by FoFS and Steve Plant, Natural Resource Management Officer (Northern Region) Toowoomba Regional Council, with assistance from Bushcare Officer Kristie Jenkinson.

Other TRC support staff included Jamie Pukallus and Wayne Bennett who helped market the tubed plants struck from seed harvested from Franke Scrub specimens.

During the guided tours guests were introduced to about 55 dry rainforest tree and shrub species and 15 climbers including the fascinating toothache tree (Melicope micrococca), blind-your-eye bush Excoecaria dallachyana) and the hairy lolly bush (Clerodendrum tomentosum).

Visitors were able to choose from more than 300 examples of most of the rare species found in Franke Scrub reserve as $2 and $4 tube plants thanks to the green thumb of Steve Plant, who operates the Crows Nest Community Nursery with the help of part-time staff and volunteers.

This nursery in Cows Nest is open to the public every Thursday from 9am till noon.

Mrs Gardner invited neighbouring Gowrie and Highfields districts' residents to help clean up and protect this endangered ecosystem by participating in weed removal campaigns on the fifth Wednesday of the month.

"We work hard to control foreign invaders such as cat's claw and asparagus fern which are competing aggressively for moisture and light with the indigenous plant communities.

"Our group always welcomes more volunteers to dedicate a couple of hours to removing these pest species and help maintain the integrity of Franke Scrub which is really a small but thriving oasis and not a barren scrub," she said.

FoFS will meet on-site on April 29 from 9am. Volunteers should bring their own smoko and a weeding tool. Weed bags are provided – all welcome.

For further information contact Patricia Gardner ph 46308505, or access the group's blogsite at http://www.frankescrub.blogspot.com

Thank you Gary Alcorn for providing this press release and photos.

A great success

2009-03-10T13:11:00.000+10:00

The Open Day was a great success with a large number of visitors. Thank you to all those who worked to make this such a good day.
Would anyone like to add some comments or photos?

Open Day at the Scrub

2009-02-17T21:23:00.000+10:00

An open day will be held at Franke Scrub on Saturday 7 March 10.00am to 1.00pm, to give local people a chance to see what much of Highfields’ vegetation once looked like. Many of the plants will be labelled, so that you can learn their names.
There will be a PLANT SALE of these hard-to-get local native species, so that you can grow some genuine indigenous plants in your own garden. Most of them will be shrubs and trees suitable for small gardens.
For more information contact Steve Plant 0417 193 665

Maps and Site Plan

2009-01-30T15:02:00.004+10:00

Aerial views of Franke Road and Remnant Scrub with proposed location of road.

Working bee and meeting

2009-01-29T21:25:00.001+10:00

We had a large attendance at our working bee held on Wednesday 28th January.
Jed Brennan, Toowoomba Regional Council’s Director of Engineering, showed us maps and plans of the proposed road development and how it might impact on the Reserve and we came away feeling that our efforts to protect and care for this special patch were well worth continuing.

Franke Road development plans

2008-12-03T17:03:00.000+10:00

In recent weeks, some concerns have been raised regarding Council plans for Franke Road. We were told by the Engineer (Northern Region) of the Toowoomba Regional Council that a 70 or 80kph road was going to go straight across the gully containing the scrub. We were also more than a little taken aback to be told by the same engineer that he "saw no reason" why we shouldn't continue our work there, even though the scrub was earmarked for future destruction.
We now find that there has been a plan in place for some time, just as we were told in 2006, to divert the road around the scrub. Land had been acquired so that adequate space is available to build a road with curves designed for traffic at 50kph." We have always understood that some clearing of eucalypts on the eastern boundary of the road reserve will be required in order to move the road as close as possible to the eastern boundary of the road reserve.
It has been a positive experience for us, communicating with a range of people and resulting in wide-ranging support. As housing development expands, this piece of remnant scrub will become a special green space amenity for the area.
In a letter from the Mayor Peter Taylor, we have been assured that the Regional Council is aware of the conservation value of this Reserve which will be protected when the adjacent road is constructed. He commended our efforts in maintaining this area and we have been invited to meet with the Director of Engineering Services, on site, to inspect preliminary engineering design drawings.
We thank the Toowoomba Regional Council, Mayor Peter Taylor [Mayor], Cr. Bill Cahill [Environment portfolio], Toowoomba Field Naturalist Club, Friends of Peacehaven, Mark Schuster from Condamine Alliance, Rachael Pignat from Toowoomba Landcare and others for their interest and support.
We would also like to thank Steve Plant, Natural Resource Management Field Officer for the Toowoomba Regional Council (Northern Region), for advising us of the potential problem. The Crows Nest Shire Council recognised the conservation value of Franke Scrub at least two decades ago, and oversaw the formation of our group early in 2006 with Steve as our point of liaison. We are indeed grateful that he has continued in this role under the new council, and that he notified us as soon as he was made aware of the possible change in the road plan.
As housing development expands, this piece of remnant scrub will become a special green space amenity for the area.

Christian College Helps in Franke Scrub

2008-11-27T17:18:00.000+10:00

Like much of the district, Franke Scrub showed signs of soil movement after last week’s heavy rains.
Steve Plant has been working in the scrub with 26 students from The Christian College at Highfields, a school which has long been involved in practical work for the environment.
They have removed some of the green panic grass which has invaded the edges of the stream, and planted grasses, rushes and lilies, with the intention that they will compete with invading weedy grasses, and help to stabilise the soil.
Species chosen:

Stout Bamboo Grass Austrostipa ramossissima, a sturdy local native grass which can reach shoulder height.

Long-leafed Matrush, Lomandra longifolia, a very commonly grown native whose flowers can have a strong perfume.
flowers of L. longifolia

Many-flowered Matrush, Lomandra multiflora, a smaller plant which isn’t used in gardens much, although it would be very suitable for it.

Short-stemmed Flax Lily, Dianella pedunculata, a lily whose flowers and berries are often hidden down amongst the foliage. It has been used extensively in Rockhampton’s Kershaw Botanic Gardens, for edging shady paths.

Another October Working Bee!

2008-10-04T08:21:00.000+10:00

It was decided at the last working bee that we would have another, on our traditional date - the fifth Wednesday of the month (Wednesday 29th October). All helpers are very welcome.
We start at 9.00am, break at 10.30 for morning tea, then decide individually whether to work on or go home.
PLEASE BRING: Secateurs, digging tools- from small trowels to big diggers, bag to put rubbish in, and morning tea.
CONSIDER YOUR COMFORT and safety. You might want gloves, sunscreen, insect repellant (ticks are not common, but possible), hat, kneeling gear, and chair for morning tea.

The First October Working Bee
We had a productive working bee last Wednesday, splitting ourselves into two groups. One over old ground near the leopard ash (which is splendidly ornamented with the yellow flowers of the mistlet0e Amyema lucasii, at the moment) , removing small asparagus plants. The other tackled the cats claw on the other side of the gully, making very satisfying progress in getting it down from the trees, and digging up large numbers of those pesky little tubers. We hope that there will be no flowers setting seed in the scrub this summer.
Steve and Jamie (representing the council) collected the tubers as we worked, putting them into a bucket of water. Cats claw plants are needed for the research into biological control. Some of the tubers were well hidden below roots of plants we value, and Steve and Jamie used Access and diesel on the stems leading from them. This is a very effective poison, but a dangerous one, as just a small splash could kill a plant we don’t want killed, so they took great care that tiny amounts were applied with great accuracy.
They also took the opportunity to water the new young plants of the revegetation programme.

Next Working Bee

2008-09-17T11:24:00.000+10:00

A Change of Plan
We usually have our Franke’s Scrub meet on the 5th Wednesday (of every month which has a 5th Wednesday).
However, the next one, which is in October, is a problem for some of us, so we have decided to go on the 1st Wednesday instead.
So it will now be on Wednesday 1 October.
It will be the usual thing - from 9.00am (or earlier if you’d rather work in the cool and see more birds) until we break at 10.30am - then further work for those who still have time and energy left. We did some great work after morning tea last time!
This time we will need to do the usual check for large asparagus vines, but there are getting to be few of them left. The small asparagus seedlings really need attention, and has the advantage of being relatively light work, requiring small digging tools.
We could also make a start on the patch of cats claw. It’s only a small one, but we need to find where the tubers are and get rid of them.
Steve Plant will be there as usual, and prepared to deal with some of the heavier and pricklier jobs. (we found another African boxthorn lurking in a thicket last time. Hopefully it was the last.)
Don’t forget to bring gloves, and something to put your rubbish in as you work.

A Painting of our Favourite Tree
Another item you might like to put in your diaries is an art exhibition by Kathy Pollitt (who has worked with us at Franke’s Scrub) and her husband John. Called “Fresh Fields” it is at the Highfields Pioneer Village , from 6/10 to 6/1, and includes a painting of our favourite leopard ash tree - the one we sit under for morning tea.

Franke’s Scrub in September

2008-09-17T11:09:00.000+10:00

“Spring is sprung,
The grass is riz,
I wonder where
the birdies is?”
The answer (or part of it, anyway) is that they are in Franke’s Scrub. There are some lovely nests happening. If you go down to have a look, try to make it before 9.00 or after 3.00, when the birds are more active. You’ll find it rewarding.
And while you’re there, you could take a quick walk along the top - the sort you can do in ten minutes in your good clothes - to see how spring is springing, plantwise. Here are some things you’ll see:

The yellow-flowering mistletoe (Amyema lucasii) is looking good on the leopard ash, and the “variable mistletoe” (Amyema congener) which has blood-red bases to its flowers is looking good on several plant species. Keep an eye out for Jezabel butterflies.

This tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis parviflora) is flowering massively, its sweet-scented little flowers attracting every nectar-loving insect in the district. It’s just buzzing with life (and no doubt the insects it is attracting are part of what the birdies is counting on, to feed their babies). The tuckeroo may give us a splendid display of its orange fruits after Christmas, if the quality of the flowering is any indication.

The great grandmother scrub boonaree (Alectryon diversifolius) is flowering, too, so we must keep an eye on it for a possible display of its little red rooster fruits at the same time.

The wonga vines are also blooming away. The flowers on these vines throughout our district are variable, and the Frankes Scrub ones have particularly yellow throats.

Yellowtop (Senecio pinnatifolius var pinnatifolius ) also known as (Senecio lautus subsp dissectifolius) is there too. It has been particularly good around the district this year, offering a good opportunity for gardeners to collect seed and establish this lovely plant in their gardens.
For an article about this plant, and some of the issues (there are a few) about growing it, go to http://www.Toowoombaplants2008.blogspot.com/

Something special and unusual

2008-08-11T14:51:00.000+10:00

I had some doubts about the identity of the Parsonsia mentioned in the last posting.
The closest I could get to identifying it myself was the thought that it might be the "Lobed Silkpod", Parsonsia leichhardtii. However none of the sources I checked mentioned that this species might have the remarkably attractive, deeply furrowed corky stem of our Franke's Scrub plant.

It also had no sign of the purple-backed leaf which I believed was a characteristic of the species (though I had an idea that it did not occur on examples from all areas).
I went back to the scrub to get photographs and some fresh flower samples, and was fortunate enough to find some of last season's seed capsules still on the plant together with a few seeds, with their silky plumes. All these things help with identification.

I was delighted when friends Phil and Cheryl offered to call in at the herbarium on a trip to Brisbane this week, and deliver the specimens with the flowers still fresh and uncrushed. It created some interest there, apparently.
The botanists decided that it was indeed P. leichhardtii, but said that they had never before come across an example with corky bark on the stem, like our specimen. (the first photo is of the stem at ground level, and the second at about 2m from the ground.)
So we can feel pleased that we have something else special and unusual in our favourite patch of scrub.
[contributed by Trish]

A prowl in early August found -

2008-08-11T14:14:00.000+10:00

We didn't have enough time at our working bee last week for a good prowl around in the scrub to see what was there. There were a few things worthy of comment, however.

Two more plants to tick off, on our original plant list - native nettles, Urtica incisa, and native spinach, Tetragonia tetragonioides, which hadn't been recently confirmed.

Two new species to add to the list.
Further poking about in the scrub turned up a second new vine for our list, the Burney Vine,
Malaisia scandens, and Variable Mistletoe, Amyema congener, on a Scrub Boonaree, Alectryon diversifolium.
This mistletoe is just coming into flower, confirming my ID with its characteristic green and red flowers. Our plants are a little unusual in that the red bases of the flowers are a very deep shade of red.

I collected a chrysalis off one of the mistletoes, expecting it to of a jezabel butterfly, (as this species normally breeds on mistletoes). Sure enough, the adult emerged a few days later and was a beautiful black Jezabel, Delias nigrina.

Other finds:

Scrub Wilga, Geijera salicifolia, is in bud, and will soon be in flower. Don't forget to crush a leaf and enjoy the fragrance as you go past.

Bead Bush, Spartothamnella juncea, thick with its little orange fruits.

Spiny Acalypha Acalypha capillipes, in flower. Not particularly showy,
but nonetheless interesting to see.

The bright blue fruits of Elaeocarpus obovatus are scattered about on the forest floor, still quite fresh.
[contributed by Trish]

Signs of Spring

2008-07-31T18:00:00.001+10:00

This Parsonsia vine is a new one for our Franke Scrub plant list.

Sandalwood Santalum lanceolatum galls not fruits. As well as being a handsome shapely small tree, it has a tasty bush tucker fruit. It is a semi-parasitic plant, probably depending on the roots of the grasses (Austrostipa spp.) which grow under it for its good health.

Friends and finches at Franke’s

2008-07-31T17:39:00.000+10:00

It was a glorious morning at Franke Road after a frosty dawn. The finches were chattering and we made good progress in the soft red earth, with its carpet of fresh green shoots following the recent wet weather. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 29th October. We hope to see you then.

Weed warriors

2008-07-31T17:31:00.000+10:00

After the initial foray,
one gradually becomes familiar with the enemy:
the way it looks in the canopy.
Feel its connection with the ground
and find the familiar look of its base.
Slide weapon beneath young roots.
Snip and disconnect earth to sky.
Launch a vigorous attack on a seasoned crown.
The severed head is removed and held high
before being consigned to a bag.
And on to the next conquest.

This particular crown was gained by a more clinical procedure as it had to be removed from a difficult position behind a blackthorn bush, while being careful not to damage a particularly fine specimen of a scrambling caper Capparis sarmentosa - our last act for the morning.
The ripe fruits of this Asparagus may have been the only ones which made it this year thanks to our efforts.

July meeting coming up

2008-07-15T16:09:00.000+10:00

A reminder that we are meeting again in two weeks time, on Wednesday 30th July at 9 am at Franke Road, off Cawdor Drive at Highfields.

Bring tools to chip and snip weeds, a bag to accumulate rubbish in, gloves, protective clothing, smoko and a chair to sit on, camera, botanical keys, or whatever items might promote your enjoyment of a couple of hours in a nice dry vine scrub remnant on our doorstep.
Crowns of asparagus vine. As you can see they have good reserves to regenerate if not fully removed.

Friday fun

2008-05-26T13:20:00.000+10:00

Six of us turned up last Friday afternoon for a couple of hours of weed control. We managed to locate the crowns of some of the large asparagus vines remaining in the canopy and can now feel more relaxed about our competition with them until our next scheduled meeting on Wednesday 30 July. Bird sounds were more apparent during the afternoon.

An extra effort

2008-05-19T19:45:00.000+10:00

At our last working bee on 30 April, we noticed some asparagus vine with green fruit in the canopy so we are planning to go out on Friday afternoon, 23rd May, from 2-4pm to have another go at it before it matures. If anyone would like to join us, please bring your gloves, tools, rubbish bag, camera and smoko. We look forward to your company.

April gathering

2008-05-12T11:02:00.001+10:00

Our fifth Wednesday in April commenced with Trish being interviewed about our activities at Franke Scrub on local ABC radio at 6.45 am. As a result we got some new people at 9 am. If this was not enough excitement, in rolled a mini-bus of Greening Australia workers but they were only there for a look, being occupied in Charles and Motee Rogers Park in Highfields.

It was very dry in the scrub, but looking quite good. We continued the remove asparagus vine and also some Cat's Claw creeper and were caught on camera by the local WIN TV and were on the news that night.

After smoko, we had a stroll through with Steve noticing these plants among many -
Caper white butterflies on the Capparis sarmentosa on the northern roadside
Plumbago zeylanica in flower on the ground at the lower end.
Oily hand lotion from the fruits of Pittosporum viscidum. The finches also love nesting in it.
Streblus sandpaper leaves. There was also a large leaf seedling down in the creek area.
Little galled fruits on the Ruby saltbush Enchylaena tomentosa
Cassinia laevis with mistletoe at upper end of the scrub.
A Beetroot tree Elattostachys xylocarpa with lovely bunches of opening capsules.
Breynia oblongifolia – in a different environment to Ravensbourne, where it is common.
Spartothamnella juncea with orange berries.

Our Endangered Ecosystem

2008-04-23T13:33:00.000+10:00

The Queensland Environmental Protection Agency has classified our Regional Ecosystem 12.8.21, “low microphyll vine forest and semi-evergreen vine thicket” growing on basalt soil as an endangered ecosystem, making it one of the most threatened ecosystems in south-east Queensland
Their description of the typical vegetation is " Brachychiton rupestris, Flindersia collina, F. australis, Alectryon diversifolius, A. subdentatus, Elattostachys xylocarpa, Erythroxylum sp. (Splityard Creek L.Pedley 5360), Psydrax odorata forma buxifolia, Diospyros geminata,
Pouteria cotinifolia, Croton insularis, Bridelia exaltata and Bursaria incana. Melaleuca bracteata is often present along watercourses." They add that it may or may not contain Araucaria cunninghamii.
The list is interesting, as it describes Franke scrub pretty well, except for B. rupestris (bottle tree) A. cunninghamii (hoop pine) and F. australis (Crows Ash) which all grow nearby.
There are very few protected areas of this ecosystem : (Boat Mountain CP 1, Boat Mountain CP 2, Bunya Mountains NP, Dwyers Scrub CP, Flagstone Creek CP, Main Range NP, Nangur NP, Woroon NP). These remnants require intensive management because of invasion by weeds and fire damage on margins.

We meet this month

2008-04-07T16:08:00.000+10:00

The fifth Wednesday falls on the 30th April, so please remember that we will be meeting once again at the northern side of the scrub reserve at 9 am.
Bring smoko, gloves, secateurs, chipping hoe, and a bag for rubbish.
Bring your camera, notebook, plant ID keys if you prefer to survey the area.
See you then!

Listed and now found

2008-02-29T14:17:00.000+10:00

At our last gathering in January Plumbago zeylanica or Native plumbago was located.
Although it is on our plant list, we had not found it since we started our group. It is probably easier to find when it is in flower in January.

Leopard Ash and mistletoe

2008-02-25T11:53:00.001+10:00

Flindersia collina October 2006
We are here on the fifth Wednesday of the month.

Amyema lucasii Lucas's Mistletoe growing on the Leopard Ash.
Photos - Trish October 2006

Ivorywood

2008-02-25T11:44:00.001+10:00

Siphonodon australe fruit in January 2008

A closer look

2008-02-19T16:51:00.000+10:00

at eye level - click on the photo then use the back arrow on your browser to return to the blog entry.

on the ground - Myoporum montanum - Mountain Boobialla

Approaching the scrub

2008-02-19T16:38:00.000+10:00

Tingletongue, Dinosperma
erythrococcum berries in February 2008

Franke Scrub support group

2008-02-19T16:35:00.000+10:00

The first meeting of this group was held in June 2006 when a survey of plants was done. We checked this off against a plant list compiled by Martin Bennett.

Since then a group has met regularly with continuing support from Steve Plant and Crows Nest Shire council. Our main task has been to remove asparagus vine Asparagus plumosus which had taken over the canopy, while the council has dealt with other weeds including lantana. There has also been some rubbish removal undertaken, and some planting.

Franke Scrub

Birdwatching at Franke Scrub

Updated bird list

A morning visit

Open Day at Crows Nest Nursery

Peacehaven Botanic Park

Well spotted

A New Plant in our Scrub

Mistletoe Regrowth

National Tree Day

Our new sign

Winter in the scrub

Rosenthal Scrub at Warwick

Weeds and introduced plants

Mistletoes

Native understory plants

Native grasses

Native Ferns

Native climbers

Native shrubs

Native Trees

May working bee

March meeting

Cats claw

February working bee

Summer in Franke Scrub

Excitement in the Scrub

More rain

August meeting

National Tree Day at Peacehaven

You name it!

National Tree Day

Updated Bird List

Never mind the weather

A winter visitor

June meeting

National Tree Day in August

Under supervision

May meeting

A grant for our patch

Flutterings at Franke Scrub

April in the scrub

April meeting reminder

More on Franke Scrub

Butterflies at Franke Scrub and

White-root

Lobelia purpurescens (Pratia purpurescens)

Autumn in Franke Scrub

March meeting

The indignant owl

A good spot for a kingfisher

A new plant for our list

First meeting after the recent rain

A new schedule

Birds in Franke Scrub

Working Bee, 2nd December

Spring flowers, birds and butterflies

A chipping hoe for weeds

Future Working Bees

September working bees

It's on again soon!

A spring meeting

Planting Plumbagos

July working bee reminder

At the working bee

A June meeting

April at Franke Scrub

Press release for Open Day

A great success

Open Day at the Scrub

Maps and Site Plan

Working bee and meeting

Franke Road development plans

Christian College Helps in Franke Scrub

Another October Working Bee!

Next Working Bee

Franke’s Scrub in September

Something special and unusual

A prowl in early August found -

Signs of Spring