It's all browned-off! Colours at Mt Rogers, January 2014

It’s possible to dismiss the bush in summer as being all brown, beige and dead-looking: un-appealing to those accustomed to the strong colours modern technology has produced and promoted. Perceptive folk walking on Mt Rogers, however, see beyond the obvious.

Beige and brown: As the days get hotter, plants (particularly local and native species) overcome the lack of water and the desiccating winds of summer by drying-up. Many species have developed ways of conserving moisture; often, maintaining the chlorophyll-lushness of green leaves is an extravagance in Australia’s summers.
There’s sufficient moisture in seeds to maintain their viability until it’s time to germinate. Many species can conserve moisture because their roots are deep in the soil. For some birds and other animals there’s enough moisture in the seeds they eat, but others, such as the Double-barred Finches I’ve seen recently, rarely live far from water. Gardens adjacent to Mt Rogers which have water-features and shallow birdbaths help the survival of such bird species.
Introduced (non-native) grasses dry-off and seed quickly in early summer. Wild Oats grow tall above these. The beige seed heads have long since lost their seed; it lies on the ground, ready to germinate in the winter.
Bark peels off eucalypts in response to temperature changes. Quite often a new range of bark-colours is revealed after the shedding. There are wonderful textures in the patterns of many Mt Rogers trees, and often this includes the subtlety of browns, beiges and rust-colours that defy reproduction in a paintbox. When do children realise these subtleties, and see that tree trunks aren’t brown?
               
            I wonder what the profuse flowering of eucalypts around Flynn and on Mt Rogers indicates. Do trees ‘sense’ that dry times are ahead again? Under each tree there is debris produced by thousands of small to tiny caps rejected as the flowers open. Nectar-seeking birds and insects feed on the eucalypt flowers and thereby transport pollen: timing matters to these pollinators. Each eucalypt species’ flower caps and eventual gum-nuts are particular shapes, and together with distinct flowers and leaves they help in identifying the species.
            Eddying early morning wind took off the branch of a eucalypt not far from the Wickens Place carpark. It was the third tree to block Mt Rogers’ tracks. The branch has now been moved off the main access track. Chris rescued and re-installed the nestbox that is part of an Indian Myna PhD study, which aims to determine Mynas’ effects on native birds. 

                Rust: I came across a pile of very rusty-orange granules on the Centennial Trail beyond Hall. I assume the cone of tiny stones had been accumulated by the labour of myriads of ants bringing up pieces from below. The faded-rust colour of the path round Mt Rogers is quite often interrupted by changes caused by ants’ work. Some of the visible ant-hills are in the bush off the track and often linked by trails created by millions of insect footsteps. Black Mountain (about 13 km away as the Raven flies) has over 40 ant species and I expect Mt Rogers’ list would be similar in spite of the different habitats. Each species has its own niche for which the bush supplies food. On a particularly windy day there was the pathetic sight of an ant carrying such a large piece of leafy food that the burden acted as a sail and blew the ant away from its route to the nest.
                There have been several fox-reports and I have photos of what may be a den under an old ivy-draped tree-trunk. For a day or so there was the macabre sight of a possum’s remains being eaten away, bite-by-bite, by meat ants.
                Flowers and seed-heads of Kangaroo Grass are rusty at this time of the year. I discovered new clusters of native Sorghum amongst rank dry grass two weeks ago. In their prime the flower-heads have pendulous orange stamens but I was too late to find those.

                Greyish-brown – a feeble attempt to describe the colour of the reserve’s leaf litter. In fact, the range of colours is as enormous as the litter’s textures and diversity. Although the weather is very dry, the essential break-down of plant material in the leaf litter continues via the nutrient-recycling work of invertebrates, bacteria and fungi, on or just below the soil’s surface. The greyish-brown offers Dragon Lizards camouflage as we pass, whereas skinks use speed to escape from the threats we pose.

                For numerous birds the browns of their feathers aid camouflage, especially for incubators sitting on exposed nests for weeks. We’ve all appreciated the excitement of watching the Frogmouths over recent years. We’ve probably been converted to seeing browns differently as a result of enjoying the plumage patterns of ‘our’ special family. This spring–summer, Roy and Deb’s and Tracy’s families were honoured to have the fledged Frogmouths roosting in their gardens’ trees. 
               
               Even the black-headed Noisy Friarbirds’ plumage-patterns are attractive close-up…similarly Red Wattlebirds. Neither species needs camouflage!
               There have been sightings of a young kangaroo in both Crawford Cres. and Wilkinson St., Flynn. Was it one of our usually-cryptic Mt Rogers ‘roos? How often are our Eastern Grey Kangaroos not seen until they twitch their ears? They seem to prefer eating native Microlaena which is one of the grasses that doesn’t lose its greenness until late summer. Presumably there’s sufficient moisture in the Microlaena for their needs.

                Green: It can almost be said that any lush green leaves on trees at this season reveal an exotic intruder on Mt Rogers. There are bushes of Chinese Pistachio, Privet and Cotoneaster awaiting our volunteers’ attention. Under most trees’ branches there are green seedlings of Privet, no longer small enough to pull out as we’re passing. It’s a survival strategy for a shrub to prioritise the putting down of strong roots. Quite a few wattle species have leaves of a much brighter green than the eucalypts’ leaves. We’re hoping they will continue to thrive and spread, to eventually take over from the Cootamundra Wattles in providing nitrogen-fixing and fertility to the soil.
                In the shade of the trees there’s a welcome coolness due to the evaporative effect of moisture from the leaves. The leaves’ stomata cells regulate the entry and exit of gases and water vapour into the body of the leaf according to weather conditions. Eucalypt leaves have built-in dryness to reduce evaporation and the trees are able to angle their leaves to avoid receiving the full blasts of the sun’s rays.

                Yellow: The incredible survival power of plants is shown by the Mustard and Wild Cabbage weeds which have grown in a mere week or two to be knee-high now and in full flower above the beige of the mown grass on Mt Rogers and around town. Bees visit the yellow flowers. Flatweed has dandelion-like flowers and seeds that can blow away as readily as Thistles’ ‘fairies’. There can be over 100 individual florets on each stem. The St John’s Wort’s orangey-yellow has been browned off by Steve’s spraying efforts. It’s hard to calculate how many seeds’ dispersal he’s prevented by this timely follow-up from last year’s Ginninderra Catchment Group-funded spraying. I came across a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo’s crest feather the other day. It was surrounded by numerous white feathers around their roosting area off Rechner place, near the Flynn playground.

                Pink and red: Once the sun’s been up for a while the native Bindweed’s flowers will follow the light. The plants are climbers so the flowers can sometimes be seen knee-high on the stronger stems of other plants such as grasses and ‘Skeleton Weed’. The strong pink is different from the colour of Galahs’ feathers, spotted if one has time to watch parents feeding their screech-begging chicks – though the movements of regurgitating don’t make for a pretty sight. The Galah female’s iris is red if you’re close enough to see the eyes.

                Of course there’s a bit of pink in each Paterson's Curse flower, but I hope those of us with gloves will have pulled these weeds up and bagged them as we’ve walked.               

                Both Rosella species have red feathers, with the Crimson Rosellas’ red being mixed with green until the young birds are no longer ‘teenagers’. Did a pair nest in a hollow near the Flynn playground? The Eastern Rosellas’ red can sometimes be seen in fallen feathers, but their plumage has green, yellow and blue feathers too. 
                Real rainbow colours have been common in mid-Flynn until recently as Rainbow Lorikeets fed on gardens’ unharvested apricots and loquats. On one evening there were more than 20 Lorikeets on the western edge of Mt Rogers. The species has bred-up from a few birds released from a Hawker aviary some 15 years ago, or so the story goes.

                Blue: Bluebells seem to have been inconspicuous this summer on Mt Rogers, but perhaps I’ve been home from my walk before they really opened out for the sun. There are plenty of days with blue skies to represent the colour, however. Quite often the forecast “possible showers” have led to attractive cloudscapes and spectacular sunsets but all without significant rain...food for thought and a reason for ensuring the garden’s watering system is efficient.
               
Rosemary, Mt Rogers Landcare Group.  6258 4724      
12.01.14

WHAT WILL 2014 BRING? MUSINGS FROM MT ROGERS, 25.12.13. AND 06.01.14

As I sit on a small boulder at Snow Gum Corner a cool easterly cools me and wafts traffic noise up from Kingsford Smith Drive. Some of the other boulders and rocks have been turned over as sacrificial reptiles were sought for amusement and personal gain. Cockatoos have pruned a Wattle whilst sharpening their beaks and seeking seeds from the copious pods.

Flowers from a little group of Clustered everlasting daisies manage to shine bright yellow even though the sky is overcast. They, and the groups of native Sorghum I found a bit later amongst rank weedy grasses, are inspiring reminders of Mt Rogers’ pockets of grassy woodland that have escaped being swamped by Canberra’s settlement and expansion.

Ecologically the Snow Gums, Eucalyptus pauciflora, shouldn’t be here but parent trees were planted when Mt Rogers was revegetated after Flynn, Fraser, Spence and Melba were built in the early seventies. The species belongs further south, the nearest natural group being south of Aranda Bushland and near the Glenloch Interchange.

At the nearby seat there are a few bottles and pieces of rubbish left by the care-less. Litter and the rock-turning are evidence of Mt Rogers visitors with different agendas to the hundreds who enjoy “the hill” for its own sake each week. (By 29th the rubbish had been removed: more evidence that the reserve’s carers quietly collect others’ mess as their contribution to a purer nature).

My intention, after our family gathering yesterday, was to pull out St Johns Wort (SJW) today and return to collect and bag the drying plants later. I realised the patch I headed for had been sprayed by Steve D as the plants looked browned-off, with the stamens of any remaining yellow flowers shrivelled to a blob in each flower’s centre. I GPS’ed the site and another which I didn’t know about. Its plants are now pulled as an interim measure and awaiting collection.

Steve is an accomplished wildlife artist, and regular classes prevent him from attending monthly Sunday working-bees where we make a difference against other environmental weeds as the seasons dictate. On Mondays Steve’s usually at work. That he is prepared to undertake Chemcert and weed identification training and chase up supplies of the required chemicals, shows Steve’s a dedicated land-carer in the very best local and Australia-wide tradition.

Ginninderra Catchment Group (GCG) has organised and funded official spraying of blackberries, honeysuckle and SJW which boosts Mt Rogers Landcare Group’s mission; to continue what we began….loving, appreciating, caring for and enhancing the special place Mt Rogers is for its other species and for us. Steve quietly and effectively donates time and spraying expertise which complements the regular working bees and GCG’s program. 

As we are so closely in tune with nature and aware of the seasons’ and time’s changes here we know that others show similar stewardship and love for reserves throughout the ACT. Canberrans are not alone; landcarers of all origins respect the land they have farmed for generations. Indigenous people survived by reading Australia’s unique landscapes, by knowing the land supported them and by taking only what they needed from each place in order to survive. The ancient but surviving tradition of being sustained by the land and respectfully managing species offers a direct link to our relationships to Mt Rogers as individuals and groups care for the land and draw strength from the place itself when we need to withdraw from life’s stresses and be surrounded by the natural world.

You don’t need to have read The Future Eaters, Affluenza, On Borrowed Time, High and Dry, If You Love This Planet, Silencing Dissent, Treading Lightly, The Biggest Estate on Earth, Big Oil, Oil and Honey or to have seen First Footprints to know that since September 2013 the increasingly illogical systems which order our lives are placing pressures on land, oceans, country, ecosystems, climate, the environment and people with an income of less than $100,000 per year (‘the rest of us’) as never before.

Those who know instinctively or from their experience, study and training how to care for land, habitats, species and humans are being ignored and scorned by the powerful. ‘The rest of us’ have felt the effects of climate change and know its consequences include an uncertain future. We are seeing human rights, and any rights other species may have had, eroded. Places we love are threatened by irreversible change.

Yet…..Millions of organisations and numerous individuals around the world know we are part of and witnessing Paul Hawken’s Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History is Restoring Grace, Justice and Beauty to the World. We are witnessing the playing-out of the saying, attributed to Gandhi, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you and then you win.” Countless people are being bullied, exploited and displaced by corporations who see their traditional lands as resource-rich profit opportunities. Countless people are becoming activists when they’ve never been so before. They each are making a stand because to do less is not an option. Lives are at stake as never before.

Mostly these activities are at local levels and are ignored by media moguls’ corporations. Increasingly local activism is powered by Internet connection and supported by millions through globally-circulated petitions which attract signatures from ‘the rest of us’ for local issues. We know what is going on, on an unprecedented scale. Acting locally connects to global situations.

‘The rest of us’ fight with people-power, often passing on strong messages through stories backed-up by reliable facts. Corporations, which choose not to see the effects of fossil fuels on the planet, fight with lobbying, money and spin to protect their profits. 

Landcarers, such as Steve and our Landcare group, quietly getting on with battles against weeds and providing species data from their special places, are the Mt Rogers versions of people-power. They’re now being increasingly recognised and appreciated locally and beyond. Farmers who’ve battled weather-variability and insulting produce-prices for decades in order to provide food & milk for millions have often been forgotten. Farmers and market gardeners who nurture soils and keep artificial chemicals out of their production processes have been laughed at for emphasising quality rather than quantity but are now heroes and heroines to thousands who seek natural, nutritious food. Groups of everyday people whose lives and land are threatened by coal seam gas exploration and the expansion of coal mining are fighting for their health, survival and rights, in Australia and the world over. 

Mt Rogers folk have created a strong community which is bound together through caring and sharing daily conversations with observations of the natural world as catalysts for interaction.

I think the next year will show that similar ‘conferences’ are agents of change and forces for action everywhere. We are not alone in knowing that the natural world is too beautiful, too mysterious, amazing and essential for ‘the rest of us’ to allow undemocratically powerful corporations to cause change and destruction.

On New Year’s Day I was amazed and delighted to find a keen bushwalker who had travelled from the southern part of Canberra to cut, daub and remove environmental weeds from the Hall approaches to the Centennial Trail. Quietly and fully-equipped, this unknown landcarer made a difference for native species. “I couldn’t bear seeing the weediness again” was his explanation. Volunteers, daily, feel and receive more dividends than corporate shareholders.

Pat reports enjoying flights of Superb Parrots on and from Mt Rogers, and there are numerous other reports of fledglings in “automatic-begging-mode” as our gardens provide insect and seed-food via parents’ foraging. The Frogmouths have roosted in Schwarz Place trees on several occasions to the delight of their hosts. These are some of the dividends we receive from being naturalists and landcarers who take the time to see, stop, muse and wonder.

Rosemary, Mt Rogers Landcare Group   6258 4724.