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!
Sep 16, 2009
Aug 10, 2009
A spring meeting
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!
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!
Jul 30, 2009
Planting Plumbagos
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.
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.
Jul 20, 2009
July working bee reminder
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.
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.
Jul 1, 2009
At the working bee
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
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
Jun 1, 2009
A June meeting
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.
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.
Apr 29, 2009
April at Franke Scrub
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.
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