The Northern Leaf-Tailed Gecko of my previous posts (2 December and 17 December) has been conspicuously absent from its usual home (my garage and laundry) over recent days. On Saturday, we discovered why…….
The Gecko has a second home and now resides at Colwyn’s place, two doors down from my home. We are certain it is the same specimen, given its large size of some 20cm or more. Colwyn checked its measurements just to make sure! Its statistics confirm it is very likely to be the same individual. It is now a different colour being a slightly darker shade of grey-brown, compared with the lighter-brown, coppery colour it had at my place. It appears the Gecko has moved on……!
The Gecko at Colwyn’s place with a darker shade of colour.
Have you seen the beautiful Calliandra sp. currently flowering in Linda and Bill Venn’s garden along the eastern end of Mount Spec Road? It’s hard to miss as the shrub is fully laden with pink and white blossoms. The flowers seemed to appear overnight and they opened all at once, making a superb display. The shrub is literally a hive of activity with many bees, both native and exotic species, as well as butterflies busily feeding on the nectar from the blooms. Bill and Linda tell me that the shrub is a miniature variety of Calliandra.
Calliandra, also known by the common name of ‘Powder Puff’ is a genus of tropical plants native to South America. They grow and flower best if they are in full sun. Their oblong shaped leaves fold up ‘to sleep’ at night. They thrive in moist, well-drained soil.
The Venn’s Calliandra has flowered just in time for Christmas, with its brilliant candy-coloured flowers . Who needs an ordinary Christmas tree when you can have a Christmas Calliandra!
In an addendum to his recent post on the flowering Elaeocarpus reticulatus (‘Fairy Petticoats’) at Hussey Road, Michael Drew provides an update on some other flowering tree species on the acreage blocks to the west of Paluma Village.
The photograph below shows a fine specimen of Alphitonia petrieiin full bloom. Michael Drew writes:-
“Alphitonia petriei, also known by the common names of Pink Almond, Red Ash or Sarsparilla tree is a pioneer species, often growing where rainforest has been previously felled. It is found in high altitude areas bordering regenerating rainforest. This tree is not to be confused with Alphitonia whitei found on the banks of creeks in coastal areas.
Other trees such as Commersonia bartramia (Brown Kurrajong) or Commersonia fraseri should not be confused with Alphitonia petriei. The Commersonia spp. usually flower after the Alphitonia in this neck of the woods. There is a very big congregation of Commersonia bartramia out in the ‘Republic of Hussey Road’.
PS: The ‘Fairy Petticoats’ (of the previous post on 6 December) have been shed in the last week causing a thick layer of cast-off petals on the ground and in the birds water bowls…….too hot for fairies to wear petticoats at Christmas!”.
Alphitonia petriei in bloom, resembling ‘Paluma snow’!
The annual Paluma Garden Competition was held in late November this year and the results were announced at the last social of the year (Tropical BBQ on 7th December). Lynn Hyland reports that the event was most successful and she has provided the following feedback:-
“We had four Bunnings staff as the judging panel this year. On Tuesday 26th November the judges walked their little feet off for nearly five hours. I escorted them around the Acreage Gardens and Jamie Oliver did likewise around the Village Gardens. We provided lunch at the Community Hall“.
The Bunnings judging panel for the 2019 Paluma Garden Competition.
“Even though the gardens and lawns were very dry at this time, the judges were most impressed with the gardens of Paluma. They stated that they will be back next year and will stay longer on the job without being so rushed. They took a lot of photos of the gardens and interesting plants. I even got introduced to some new plant names. It was great to have a horticulturist to refer to for information about species. There really are a lot of ‘hidden treasures’ in our Paluma gardens. The ladies really enjoyed the experience and would like to see the gardens of Paluma at an earlier time of the year when the camellias and azaleas are in bloom – maybe after Easter next year“.
“I also had the Memorial Trophy refitted with new ornaments as it was looking a little sad about the gilt work. It now looks smashing. The trophy is now in the custody of the winners”.
The Alison Evans Memorial Trophy for the Paluma Garden Competition.
The Trophy with names of the previous winners of the Paluma Garden Competition.
The overall winner this year and the trophy holder for the 2019 Paluma Garden Competition goes to Glenda and Nick Van Rynswoud. These are truly award winning gardeners having won the competition a total of four times.
Hearty congratulations to all the winners and for contributing to the ongoing success of this Paluma event. Sincere thanks to Bunnings for their ongoing support for our competition, the judging panel from Bunnings and to Lynn and Jamie for volunteering their time to escort the judges around the village and acreage blocks.
The Winners of the 2019 Paluma Garden Competition are:-
Best Residential Garden in the Village: Glenda and Nick Van Rynswoud Memorial Trophy winner. $50
Highly Commended Residential Garden in the Village: Graham and Judith Malpass. $30
Best Commercial Property Garden in the Village: ‘Manali’ Bill and Linda Venn. $50
Best Acreage Garden on the Blocks: Anne Bruyeres. $50
Best Novelty/Unusual Garden: Rainforest Novelty Trail and Garden, Don Battersby. $20
Glenda and Nick’s award winning garden.
Text by Lynn Hyland and Michele Bird. Photos by Michele Bird and Jamie Oliver.
The latest news on ‘Leonard the Lizard’ from Lennox Crescent……
Len Cook has provided a new photograph of Leonard the Lizard, aka the Lace Monitor as it continues to frequent and forage in the gardens at the western end of Lennox Crescent.
Our post last week (02/12/19) prompted several other residents to respond with reports on Leonard’s whereabouts and activities, with some reports suggesting Leonard might have some Lace Monitor friends about the place!
Jamie Oliver notes that Leonard makes a regular appearance at his place (next door to Len Cook) and has made the garden and driveway its home. Lynda Radbone reports that she has seen a Lace Monitor at least three times over the past few weeks in Colwyn Campbell’s garden (watch out Flossy!!). Lynda thinks that this Lace Monitor might be a different individual to the one frequenting Lennox Crescent, as it is appears smaller and with more distinct markings. Lynda has also seen Lace Monitors at her place (last year) at the western end of the village. Lynda said that she regularly watched her Lace Monitor snacking on skinks in the back garden.
Are there any other sightings of Lace Monitors at Paluma? Let us know!
Text by Michele Bird & Photo by Len Cook.
Editors note: (May 1, 2020) Recent correspondence from a herpetologist at James Cook University indicates that Leonard is in fact a different species (Varanus panoptes – Yellow-spotted Monitor)
Two contributions have been received from some keen Paluma gardeners wanting to share photographs of some impressive plants currently in flower at the end of the dry season.
A fine specimen of Elaeocarpus reticulatus is in flower at Michael and Donna Drew’s cottage at Hussey Road. Michael notes that this small tree/bush is known by several common names such as Blueberry Ash and ‘Fairy Petticoats’.
Michael Drew writes:
“I think ‘Fairy Petticoats’ is a better description leaving aside the question of whether fairies actually wear petticoats!? (Maybe when they attend Fairy Debutante Balls….?).
I suspect this bush was planted next to a fine example of a Symplocus stawellii (Native Hazelnut Tree) by the original owner of Bud Cottage. Bud Jones, who lived here for over 60 years was a great scrounger of all things botanical and mechanical.
The ‘Fairy Petticoats’ bush seems to be outside its normal habitat, described as open Eucalypt/Casuarina forests, sometimes on rocky slopes (Reference: Native Plants of Queensland, Volume 1). I have not seen this bush flower in the past, over 10 years. I suspect the very dry weather has caused the bush to flower (as with many other species presently blooming up here).
The ‘Fairy Petticoats’ produces purple berries….. probably eaten by cassowaries”.
‘Fairy Petticoats’.
Peter and Dorothy Klumpp have discovered a Red Passion Flower or Red Passion Vine (Passiflora sp.) growing along the edge of the rainforest in their back garden. It is a vigorous climber, growing at ground level and also reaching high into the canopy, with hanging clusters of brilliant red flowers.
Red Passion Flower is native to Brazil, but grows well in tropical and subtropical climates. It can be potentially invasive in a garden and adjacent bushland if not controlled and regularly pruned. The bright red flowers are a great attractant for butterflies and bees.
Red Passion Flower.
Flowers and climbing tendrils of the Red Passion Flower.
If you have an extraordinary or special plant currently in flower at Paluma and you would like to share it (or even brag about it!), please get in touch.
Text by Michele Bird and Michael Drew. Photos by Michael Drew and Dorothy and Peter Klumpp.
Well, my weekend at Paluma was a very eventful one, thanks to the local reptilian population. No doubt the recent warm and dry weather within our little village has contributed to the flurry of activity for the local lizards and snakes.
It all started last week when Len Cook told me that he has a new tenant at ‘Len Cook Ceramics’ on Lennox Crescent. Indeed, a rather large goanna has recently appeared and made Len’s garden its home and regular foraging ground. Len has spotted the goanna daily over almost a week. It’s favourite place to forage is at the large concrete drain along the front of Len’s block. Len has named his new friend ‘Leonard the Lizard’.
Leonard the Lizard at Len Cook Ceramics.
Len (Cook that is) notes that he has not seen goannas in the village in the past, although Jennie Robinson told me that she has occasionally seen them at the back of her garden at the western end of the village. We were speculating as to whether the recent dry conditions might be contributing to this individual foraging over a broader territory, or whether it might be seeking water.
‘Leonard the Lizard’ appears to be a fine specimen of Varanus varius (Lace monitor). These ground-dwelling goannas are fairly common in the wet tropics region (https://www.wettropics.gov.au/dragons-and-monitors). They are diurnal and their diet includes insects, lizards, mice and snakes. Monitors are reported as being immune to most snake venom and they will readily kill and eat venomous snake species.
Editors note: (May 1, 2020) Recent correspondence from a herpetologist at James Cook University indicates that Leonard is in fact a different species (Varanus panoptes – Yellow-spotted Monitor)
Which leads me to the second reptilian encounter of my weekend………
Late on Saturday afternoon I encountered a rather large red-bellied black snake in my garage, happily checking out my gum boots . After I almost trod on it, it retreated to find refuge under some gear stored in the garage. A quick call to Len (Cook, not the Lizard) and he arrived with sturdy rake in hand to deal with the invader. The snake was expertly wrangled by Len with rake and wheelie bin and marshalled out of the garage and back into the garden. I, of course expertly directed the whole operation from a suitable but distant vantage point. Many thanks to Len Cook for his fine herpetological wrangling skills, which he seemingly took in his stride.
Lessons Learnt by me: 1). Don’t leave the garage door open. 2). Clean up the garage and reduce potential snake hiding places, and 3). NEVER put my gum boots on without first taking a look inside to see what might be in there!
Saturday evening the close encounters with reptiles continued, but to my considerable delight! In my laundry I found the most incredible specimen that I have ever seen of the Northern Leaf-Tailed Gecko. This lizard is an absolute stunner!
The Northern Leaf-Tailed Gecko (Saltuarius cornutus) is described as a large gecko with a triangular head, narrow neck and a broad, leaf-like tail. Unlike most geckos it has clawed toes rather than adhesive discs on its feet. The dorsal surface of the skin has sharply pointed tubercles (horns). All of these features are clearly seen in my photograph.
These geckos are nocturnal tree dwellers and they prey on large insects, spiders and cockroaches. Their colouration usually depends on their habitat and they are experts at camouflage. Because I disturbed this specimen at night by switching on the light, it clearly did not have time to adapt its colouration (camouflage) to the surroundings (the grey concrete laundry floor). I am pleased to report that it reappeared on Sunday night so it would seem the laundry and garage are now part of its regular foraging territory.
Most exciting of all is that the literature I have read indicates that the average body length of these geckoes is about 14 cm. This guy is therefore a giant at very close to 20 cm in length. It even allowed me to take some measurements as proof (see photo below). Perhaps I have found a new sub-species of this gecko? The Giant Paluma Northern Leaf-Tailed Gecko? Sounds very good to me!
You just gotta love where we live!
Text by Michele Bird. Photos by Len Cook and Michele Bird.
Since George and Kathryn moved into their cottage on Lennox Crescent at Paluma about six months ago they have been busy sprucing up the rainforest garden on their large block of land. One of their aims has been to reduce the cover of invasive ferns across their block and especially amongst the understory of the rainforest. Concerted weeding efforts over many weeks is achieving great success.
George and Kathryn knew their block of land contained a series of stepped stone retaining walls, largely hidden by the dense growth of ferns. Their weeding efforts have revealed some quite remarkable ‘stone-pitched’ walls, emerging from the ferny undergrowth and the rainforest, almost like some ancient archaeological ruins.
Because the block is rather steep and sloping in places, it would appear the stone walls have been built to control water run-off and erosion – something many of us deal with at Paluma during the wet season and heavy downpours. There is no actual mortar within the walls, but each stone has been carefully selected and placed to fit neatly next to the neighbouring stone. In places, there are some large boulders which appear to be in situ (natural) and smaller imported stones have been packed around these to form the wall. There is no doubt that a lot of time, effort and some quite remarkable ingenuity has gone into building these retaining walls.
Keen to know the history of these stone walls and especially who built them, I went in search of some long-time Paluma residents for some information. We are still trying to unravel the full story, but what we know so far is this:-
It seems the walls were probably built back in the time when Gwen Lennox owned this block. She once owned George and Kathryn’s block, as well as the adjacent blocks. A long-time Paluma resident told me that most of the rocks came from Ollera Creek and they were transported up the range in the boot of a small sedan. The Lennox family spent a lot of time at Paluma and they also owned a plant nursery in Townsville. We are still not sure when the stone walls were built, but it has been suggested that they might have been constructed in the 1950’s.
There is no doubt that these stone walls have been very effective over the years in controlling erosion on this sloping block of land. The walls are in a great state of preservation and are still doing the job!. Certainly, the dense cover of ferny foliage has assisted in keeping the walls intact over time.
George and Kathryn do not intend to completely clear all of the ferns, but their weeding over the past few months has certainly revealed what can only be described as some Great Walls on Lennox Crescent!
George and Kathryn standing in front of a section of their great walls!
If you can contribute any further information on the story of these walls and if you know who built them and when, we would love to hear from you!
The annual Paluma Garden Competition is just around the corner with the judging to take place between Monday 25th November and Wednesday 27th November. The judging will be done by Bunnings staff, with Bunnings also kindly donating some vouchers for the winners.
The judges will be accompanied by a member of the PDCA or a local Paluma resident during the judging. If you do not want your garden included in the competition and/or you do not wish the judging team to enter your property, please send an email to Lynn Hyland at:- lhyland@optusnet.com.au
The winners of the Garden Competition will be announced at the last social for 2019 at the Tropical BBQ on Saturday 7th December at the Community Hall.
The Garden Competition is hotly contested every year, so now is the time to get out in the fresh air and spruce up your patch of paradise ready for the judging. Despite the recent hot and dry weather, a short stroll around the village on Sunday morning (10/11/19) revealed many beautiful blooms amongst the village gardens (and some stiff competition from the neighbours!).
Gardeners, start your mowers and get your secateurs ready………! Here’s a few photographs of current blooms to give you some inspiration.
A stunning mass planting of Asiatic liliums on Lennox Crescent.
Clivia hybrid in a shady spot in the garden.
Agapanthus varieties are just starting to bloom. Purple & white varieties are common in the village.
One of many mass plantings of hippeastrum lillies around the village.
The Chameleon variety of Tibouchina is bursting into flower and should be at its blooming best in a week or so.
A stunning Gladioli in the prize winning Gumburu garden.
In recent weeks the Satin Bower Birds of Paluma have been busy with the breeding season and courtship rituals. Male birds have been chortling and calling in the canopy and busily working on their remarkable bowers to attract a female mate.
This year I am lucky enough to have a bower in my own garden. (And I am going to brag about it!).
My bower was constructed over a period of about two weeks and not long after it took form, the blue trinkets and treasures started to appear. A quick inventory last Sunday noted the following:- 2 x bottle tops, plastic straw, surveyors tape, 4 x pen lids, lolly packets, cellophane, half a peg, electrical cable ties and plastic cord. All the items are of a similar shade of bright blue. None of the items observed in the bower have been collected from nature.
While the hard work and ingenuity of these birds in constructing their bower and decorating it with a variety of blue treasures is to be truly admired, it is very disconcerting to see that every item in this bower is made from plastic.
Is this a remarkable adaptation of the satin bower bird to the modern world, or a sad indictment of the intrusive impact of humans in every facet of the natural world?…….I can’t decide.
