AlfredWallace wrote:

bonza wrote:

GreenJam wrote:

G'day AW and all,

your psyllid/lerp discussion reminded me of the whole 'Bell Miner bird/Euc dieback' issue - have you seen patches of forest affected by that? Basically the Bell Miner is 'farming' the lerp in an area of trees, even chasing away all other birds that may feed on them and potentially restore the balance. An interesting natural ecological scenario, but can be undesirable in some situations. And I dont think we fully understand all the interrelated factors in these scenarios - a key lesson of all my experiences (study, research, nature wanderings...) is that we'll never truly understand the extent of biodiversity/the natural world and all its interactions. Hence we should more often than not invoke the precautionary principle, but we all know that doesnt typically happen in development scenarios...

https://georgesriver.org.au/learn-about-the-river/bell-miner-birds-resp…

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112722004649

The bell minor favour the flooded gum e.grandis. Worth reporting it if you hear them in such a forest.

Bonza. Hi mate. Thanks for that info. Where up your way are stands or mixed forests containing Eucalyptus grandis ? I’d be interested to know. AW

Quit common in the wet sclerophyll mid coast nsw. Plenty of them in that beautiful Gondwana subtropical rainforest country

Seen the impacts of the BMAD also with dead e.grandis communities. Similar issue (not Bell Minor) happening in the alpine country with the snow gums. Real sad that one… but hey climate change is a socialism concept eh gsco. ;)

[/quote]

Quote: The bell minor favour the flooded gum e.grandis. Worth reporting it if you hear them in such a forest.[/quote]

Bonza, report them to who and why?
There aren’t that many colonies on the Mid North Coast and often where they are present it is in areas which have been disturbed by logging and have a lantana under storey.
I know some of the sites they occupy can look pretty rough but I think their effects can be over stated.

I’m not an expert but I understand as you and frog point out it’s highly disturbed landscapes where it’s an issue - disturbed meaning easy recruitment for weeds - being thick lantana thickets. Meaning favourable habitat conditions for bell minor meaning less diverse competitive psyllid eating birds meaning increase disease of forest communities. It’s listed as a nsw ktp so it’s prob safe to say it’s not overrated. I’ve seen the effects on a few locations.. It just means controlling ie removing the Lantana to allow for favourable habitat for other birds.

I’d report to both council and your local landcare group.

https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id…

image uploader

Big bold flower on a unimpressive plant AW. A lot of Aussie plants are like that. Some of the most ugly wattles impress when you macro the flowers.

seeds wrote:

Big bold flower on a unimpressive plant AW. A lot of Aussie plants are like that. Some of the most ugly wattles impress when you macro the flowers.

Seeds. Hi. Photo taken with iPhone. Photo doesn’t do it justice as this is an astounding plant. Blue/grey/green, quite hard waxy foliage, tough as boots even in very high temperatures, it grows to about 1mx1m.
Great for native gardens and definitely bird attracting.

Templetonia retusa Cockys Tongue. (named in honour of John Templeton , the father of Irish botany). Family Fabaceae.

Plant occurs in WA and back east are far as the Flinders Ranges and to Kangaroo Island in dry areas.AW

fair enough AW. Any chance you can get into an up dog yoga position and take a pic. No! me neither. To add we have some seriously ugly wattles around here but the flowers up close are amazing
Im looking at more plants more closely these days. Or maybe an increased appreciation of what I already admired.

seeds wrote:

fair enough AW. Any chance you can get into an up dog yoga position and take a pic. No! me neither. To add we have some seriously ugly wattles around here but the flowers up close are amazing

Im looking at more plants more closely these days. Or maybe an increased appreciation of what I already admired.

Seeds. Hi. Glad to hear you’ve got your plant juices flowing, nothing like a bit of botanical mojo.
These so called ugly wattles at yours, you’ve piqued my interest. AW

Wow that moth is amazing.

seeds wrote:

Wow that moth is amazing.

Seeds. Hi. The moth is Thalaina angulosa Angled Satin Moth from an appropriately named family, Geometridae. The moth loves Acacia pycnantha Golden Wattle and some Eucalyptus sp. and Cassia/Senna sp. AW

Yes looking good, seeds ( re your photos of your Ararucaria). Is your Wollemi in a similar site?

Just about to pop...

Grevillea rhyolitica

seeds wrote:

Grevillea rhyolitica

Not quite, I can't recall seeing these just this close to full flowering.

Doh! I guessed that because I planted one today and the leaves look the same.

Nice choice either way. The one above is a Callistemon, viminalis I think.

kitties and kanines

blackers wrote:

Just about to pop...

Blackers. Hi mate, hope ya well. Well it’s Myrtaceace family. I cant see staminal bundles but could almost pass for Melaleuca hypericifolia.

My guess is Callistemon citrinus

PLANT TRIVIA.
Difference between the genus Callistemon and the genus Melaleuca,
Callistemon means many/numerous stamens. In Melaleuca the flowers are arranged in stamina bundles of five, with 10x hand lens you can clearly see the difference.AW

Hi AW, all good with me, hope same with you. The weeping form had me guessing, but your call of citrinus also seems highly likely. It’s garden specimen seen on a walk. I was taken by the complexity in the soon to be free “numerous stamens”.

blackers wrote:

Nice choice either way. The one above is a Callistemon, viminalis I think.

Blackers. Does it have a weeping habit ? If so, definitely, Callistemon viminalis . Ive planted many, most have a slightly grey/green sometimes soft foliage. There’s something about the foliage that’s catching my eye, it’s quite rigid, shaped like small leaves like on Limes and other citrus, oh well i could be completely wrong. Either either.

By the way , i love the Callistemon photo, you can see the glistening shine on each individual bud as its about to open.
Great macro photography, again. AW

Bloody hell you two. Get a room! Joking of course.

seeds wrote:

kitties and kanines

Seeds. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You probably know this, totally wrong floral arrangement (floristics) for it to be a Grevillea sp.

You are no dunce, I’m sure of that. AW

Haha Seeds, looks like you have the room to yourself....

Uncropped photo if it helps.

blackers wrote:

Haha Seeds, looks like you have the room to yourself....

Haha just like home

aww, seeds, wanna have that beer? meet you somewhere in sth nsw ; )

blackers wrote:

Uncropped photo if it helps.

Blackers. Sure does, Callistemon citrinus. AW

Off to the airport. Car awaits me in Cairns car park. 18 nights on my own starting way out in west Qld, slowly making my way south, cant wait. Ill still be on-line in the evenings if there is reception, to all Botany Nerds, Ahoy, i’m out of here.AW

basesix wrote:

aww, seeds, wanna have that beer? meet you somewhere in sth nsw ; )

Yep one day. It’s all good mate. It’s not that dire.

AlfredWallace wrote:

blackers wrote:

Uncropped photo if it helps.

Blackers. Sure does, Callistemon citrinus. AW

Off to the airport. Car awaits me in Cairns car park. 18 nights on my own starting way out in west Qld, slowly making my way south, cant wait. Ill still be on-line in the evenings if there is reception, to all Botany Nerds, Ahoy, i’m out of here.AW

Enjoy AW , look forward to the photos.

Give us ahoy if stopping near here. Maybe Greenjam might wanna catch up.

This little lady showed up again once the storms came. It dies off every year. I don’t know if that’s natural or out of lack of water. Flower is a brief splash of colour. They are already fading after a few days. Seems to be a lily.
Anyone know?

Red Spider Lilly imho

Not related to the Spider Bitebaxcide Maximus .

Edit

I googled Red Flower that comes up around Seeds place , that pops up ( and then Pops down ) around this time of the year , after some nice storms .

They do look lovely !

Do they smell , guessing no ?

Tree in the background looks a bit sick , but I am no green-thumb .

Haha tree in back Is Turpentine minimus. So as to not fall on the house like his sister did a few years ago
ps no fragrance I can smell

My younger brother often copies our younger sister .

Sibling stuff , I expect .

Sounds wise , Seeds .

A lovely garden seat for a leprechaun or young child now , perhaps ?

edit - so looks great and leave it alone imo .

Do U think it is a Spider Lily ?

Not sure. I’ll google. It’s not much like the white spider lily.

From what I can see the flower is quite different. I don’t think it is.

Seeds

U might become famous ?

U may have found a new fucken species due to your unique habitat !!!

A possible name Radiatus Seeds Minimus ?

Talking about red things that pop up, how’s this feral looking fungi that appeared in the mulch. Flies were going nuts over it. Dr Google reckons it’s a Red Stinkhorn!

Whooaaa that’s some serious fungus. Impressive!

@Distracted. Hi. Nice photo of a red stinkhorn.

Between Hughenden and Muttaburra ( dirt the whole way) on the side of the road in hard baked clay in high 30’s, low 40’s this thing grabbed my attention.

Good to see you back AW

Impressive plant. What is it Alfred? Looks like the Mitchell grass is thick up there at the moment.

Been missing your valuable contributions AW, welcome back.

seaslug wrote:

Been missing your valuable contributions AW, welcome back.

Bonza, Seaslug, Seeds, thanks for your kind words.

Seeds. I took the photo on October 20, 11.30am, baking hot, just how I like it, I’m built like a greyhound, it’s great to be warm.
Correct, the Mitchell grass totally dominated the landscape, I was hooting along to counteract the corrugations when this plant just stood out like dogs balls.
At first I drove past, then thought fuck it, I’ve gotta go back because it was the only other plant species present. It’s been doing my head in, I still haven’t keyed it out to identification level, not giving up by any means.

It’s possibly a rural/pastoral weed that’s not native to Oz, I simply don’t know.

Further on I found another plant ( see photo below) straight away I knew the genus by the flowers, it’s a North American native and a pastoral weed here.
Teucrium laciniatum- Germander.
We have native Teucrium corymbosum down here in the bush near home.
A popular introduced and a favourite for landscapers is Teucrium fruticans Bush Germander

The return of AW… thumbs up! … great pic in your first post ;)
- that thing kinda looked like a mutant bottle brush like cacti hybrid.

The pic with the coin was helpful to gauge proper size…

- a red flinders/flanders poppy (pimelea decora) ?

Thymelaeaceae ;)

Nice to see you back AW.

freeride76 wrote:

Nice to see you back AW.

@Freeride76. Hi and thanks mate.

BTW, I’ve sent you a parcel, according to Australia Post it arrives Friday or Monday.
It was sent to the Swellnet office in Kingscliff. AW.

Jelly Flater wrote:

The return of AW… thumbs up! … great pic in your first post ;)

- that thing kinda looked like a mutant bottle brush like cacti hybrid.

The pic with the coin was helpful to gauge proper size…

- a red flinders/flanders poppy (pimelea decora) ?

Jelly Flater. Hi mate. When I stopped to photograph the plant i stupidly didn’t take any flowers or vegetative parts. I’ve been trying to identify it just from the photo.

You are correct and I was wrong, it’s not a weed, it’s actually a native. Geez it must be tough,

Pimelea decora , member of the rice flower family Thymeleaceae.

Further reading this morning, confirms it’s mostly found around Hughenden, QLD, which is where I took the photo.

Cheers Jelly Flater, I’ve learnt something new today.AW