A couple of weeks ago, we were gifted with the rare treat of boobook owls. Boobooks are Australia’s smallest and most widespread owls, and, as with most owls, are seldom seen. In the Hawk Owl family (genus Ninox), these fledglings appear to be the more commonly distributed subspecies, Ninox boobook ssp boobook, rather than the rainforest subspecies of lurida, which is interesting as it means both subspecies must overlap in range here at Paluma.
We had heard both boobook and lesser sooty owls the previous evening, and saw at least one of the adult parent birds very early, from the bedroom window. The photos were taken from the lounge room window. These fledglings were being guarded by an adult bird, who quickly flew into the forest when spotted, but the fledglings stayed put for most of the morning, giving us a glorious opportunity to watch them watching us!
Owls are apex predators in many environments, and are at risk of consuming or accumulating toxins used to control pest species such as insects and rodents. While in Paluma, commercial spraying of pesticide is not a threat to these birds, the indiscriminate use of rodent poison certainly is. We ask all residents to consider live trapping for control of rodents over use of toxic baits. This provides not only the opportunity to identify the trapped animal, and release in a suitable location if one of our valuable endemic species, but also prevents the inevitable leeching of these toxins into our environment. After all, wouldn’t it be nice to have more owls around so that they can control the rodents instead!
It seems appropriate that during this month of Christmas we feature an evergreen conifer as our tree of the month. The Black Pine (Prumnopitys amara). This species is widely distributed in north-east Queensland as well as New Guinea and Indonesia. It can grow to 60m and has a frequently dark to blackish trunk with scattered cracks. Mature leaves are long and narrow with a distinct groove along the mid-vein on the upper surface. The species name “amara” is from the latin word for bitter and refers to the fact that the leaves, if chewed, are initially sweet tasting but then turn bitter.
Prumnopitys amara leaves (Botanic Gardens, Sydney) Photo by Peter Woodard; Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
None of these features are easy to distinguish in the field, but luckily the fruit are very easily recognised scattered on the ground along walking tracks. They are bright red and globular (20-25mm wide) with a shallow flesh around a hard gloubular seed. Fruit can be found on the forest floor from December to February. They are eaten by Cassowaries, and several species of rainforest rat.
Prumnopitys amara fruit collected behand Paluma Dam, February 2016
Black Pine nuts are one of about four species of rainforest seeds regularly that were used (and relied on) on by rainforest aborigines as a source of carbohydrates. While some of the seeds required lengthy preparation to leach out toxins and bitter chemicals, Black Pine seeds, could simply be collected and cooked for thiry minutes in a grond oven and then cracked open to reveal the tasty kernels which were then pulverised between two stones.
The timber from the Black Pine is used in New Guinea and Indonesia for general building purposes as well as funiture including butter churns.
Other conifers around Paluma
Conifers belong to a group of seed-bearing plants (including Cycads and Ginkos) in which the seed is not enclosed in and ovary (Gymnosperms – meaning naked seed). The seeds of conifers (Pines and relatives) are borne within cones. Australia has several conifers that are endemic (found only in Australia) and one which is considered to be a “living fossil” (Wollemi Pine).
The Black Pine is one of only a few naturally occurring rainforest conifers in the Paluma region. Two others that can be potentially (but not commonly) seen are “Plum Pines” or Podocarps (Podocarpus grayae and Podocarpus elatus). Both are called Brown Pine and both are endemic to Australia. While not strictly a rainforest pine the Hoop Pine (Araucaria cunninghami) can also be seen naturally on the slopes down to the coast along the range road, and there are several large specimens that have been planted out around the village. It is not restricted to rainforests, and is common around the rocky coast of Magnetic Island.
There are other species of native pine that don’t naturally occur in Paluma but that have been planted out around the village. These include a small Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwilli) around the first corner of Smith Crescent and a Kauri pine (probably Agathis microstachya*) behind the Paluma Environmental Education Centre. Two small potted native “Christmas trees” adjacent to the the Community hall include one conifer naturally found only in the mountains west of Mossman (Mt Spurgeon pine, Prumnopitys ladei) and a variety of casuarina (not a conifer) called the Daintree Pine (Gymnostroma australianum).
Text and photos (unless indicated) by Jamie Oliver
*Note: the Kauri pine behind PEEC is, on closer inspection, most likely to be Agathis robusta. It is distinguised by its smooth bark with thin flakes. – Jamie
There is no doubt that we co-habit with a diversity of interesting critters at Paluma, but this moth has to be admired for its remarkable and distinctive appearance. Spotted at Peter and Jan Cooke’s place just recently, this moth flew in and spent a few hours resting around the place before heading off back to the forest.
Check out the big hair-do and the antennae. A good leg wax is certainly well overdue !!!!
Have you spotted any interesting insects or other critters around your place with the warming of the weather and the first summer showers? If so, please send us a photo so we can share your discoveries with other residents.
The washing-board tree (Cryptocarya corrugata) belongs to the Laurel family (Lauracea). There are over 300 species in the genus Cryptocarya, most of which inhabit cloud covered rainforests. This particular species is endemic to central and northern Queensland upland rainforests.
On close inspection the tree has distinctive red flakey bark and conspicuous fist to saucer-sized dimples along its trunk where the bark has flaked off. The sap-wood has a corrugataed surface, but this is largely masked by the outer bark.
Cryptocarya corrugata (Washingboard Tree) on the H-track. This is one of the recently retagged trees that are part of the upcooming revised Guide to Trees of the H-Track (Photo by Will Cairns)
The washing-board tree can grow up to 35m tall and occasionally has a butressed trunk. The cut bark and outer wood (a blaze) smells like sugar cane, but with alternative common names such as Bull’s Breath and Acid Wood this smell be a matter of personal perception.
The twigs and new leaves are covered in twisted brown hairs, while the older leaves become hairless (glabrous) with age
The fruit of the Washing-board tree are also distinctive. They are large ( 15-22mm high x 22-34mm wide) and broad or bilobed with a smooth to shiny purple-black outer surface. Flowering occurs in December, with mature fruit developing the following September. The fruit are eaten by cassowaries and fruit doves.
The wood of the washing board tree is infrequently used for general purpose timber under the name “Corduory Laurel.
You can find a tagged specimen (#4) of this species near the beginning of the H-Track (starting at Whalley Cr) on the right hand side of the track. This tree is part of a Guide to the Trees of the H-Track which is currently being revised with new text and new white tags.
A deliciously sweet fragrance at the approach the Loop Road, and the humming of bees, draw attention to a stand of Brown Gardenias (Attractocarpus fitzalanii,) which are covered in small white, five-petalled star-shaped flowers. This is an unusually heavy flowering and the trees look spectacular.
Brown Gardenia (Attractocarpus fitzalanii)
In the nearby cutting and in several other roadside tangles, the Hibbertia scandens vines scramble to the tops of trees, scattering their bright yellow flowers over the foliage.
Hibbertia scandens (Golden Guinea Flower) (photo by J. Oliver)
Glochidion hylandii trees are laden with pin-cushion-like fruits nestling in the leaf axils along almost every branch. Recently, an unusually abundant flowering of Sloanea australis took place in the stand of trees outside PEEC. The spiny-covered fruits should soon be found ripening on the trees.
Glochidion hylandii (Hyland’s buttonwood)
On the forest floor among the dropped seeds and fruits are the dark red to black drupes of Bollywood, (Litsea connorsii) and the glossy, black 30 mm long drupes of the Ivory Walnut (Bielschmiedia recurva).
Bielschmiedia recruva (Ivory Boxwood). Photo on the right shows slightly fresher specimens from the Bluewater Track with glossy surface and ivory coloured inner seed flesh (photo J. Oliver)
Sarsaparillas (Alphitonia petriei), herald the approaching festive season, looking splendid with their tiered branches covered in white to cream flowers suggestive of snow-clad Christmas trees.
Literally, here today and gone tomorrow, are the various fungi which have popped up in response to recent rain. Notable was a brilliant red, star-like fungus: the anemone stinkhorn, (Aseroe rubra).
Some early fungi in the gardens include the Plantpot Dapperling (Leucocoprinus birnbaumii) obediently growing in a pot (above), and the much rarer and quite spectacular Anemone Stinkhorn (aseroe rubra) looking very much like its namesake.
There are many more little treasures to be found on your walks – just keep a wary eye out for snakes though!
Text and photos (unless indicated otherwise) by Colwyn Campbell
Dorothy and Peter Klumpp have kindly shared some photographs from their back verandah. Just recently the Bower’s Shrikethrush (Colluricincla boweri) has moved in and is nesting, literally on the backdoor step. The chosen nesting place is a hanging basket that once held a pot-plant. Peter says that his ineptitude at gardening has finally paid off. The plant died and the birds took the opportunity to make good use of the macrame plant hanger. Of course, we all know that the Klumpps are great gardeners, but in this case they have graduated from green-thumbs to feathered fingers!
One nesting season I had the Bower’s Shrikethrush build a nest in the plastic peg basket hanging from the (undercover) washing line. Colwyn has had the birds return several seasons to also nest in her peg basket on the back verandah.
The Bower’s Shrikethrush is endemic to upland rainforests in the Wet Tropics region. It has been described as “one of the more common plainer birds in the tropical rainforest”. No one who has heard the call of this bird would describe it as plain. Female and male birds are distinguishable in that the female has an eye ring and eyebrow of pale feathers that is lacking in the male. The Bower’s Shrikethrush feeds on insects and their larvae from the mid-canopy and often on the ground.
We look forward to an update on the nesting at the Klumpps and some photos of the new (feathered) grandchildren??!!
Two lightly speckled eggs in the nest.The Bower’s Shrikethrush sitting on eggs. Note the very dead pot plant!
Birds at the back door.
Text by Michele Bird and Photos by Peter & Dorothy Klumpp.
Also known as Powder-puff Lilly Pilly and Wilson’s Satinash, this tree was possibly named after Dr Thomas Braidwood Wilson, (1792 – 1843), a botanical collector in the 1890’s.
It is an unremarkable-looking little tree, with its straggly growth under and among the protective foliage of neighbouring trees, but it bears beautiful, pompon flowers which make the plant worthy of recognition. Although not endemic to Paluma, there are several examples of this Lilly Pilly in Paluma gardens. Perhaps the most striking, as it is bearing blooms at present, is in the garden bed beside the office at PEEC. Another small shrub grows in the Trees of Memory grove, alongside the memorial stone.
The natural distribution for this Lilly Pilly is in the rainforest at Whyanbeel, near Mossman to Hinchinbrook Island, at altitudes up to 850 metres.
The leaves of this tree are distinctive. They are simple, alternate or opposite, hairless and can be quite large, growing from 80 – 190 mm by 22 -54 mm. with a recurved margin. New growth is spectacular with deep salmon-pink colouration.
Flowers, growing in axillary or terminal panicles, hang modestly among the foliage and can easily be missed. The individual flowers are tiny, the red trumpet shaped calyx hidden by the dense cluster of magenta to crimson stamens, about 20 mm in length. They form a dense, soft pompon about the size of a mandarin, hence the name powder-puff. An accompanying photo shows the remains of the flower panicle after the stamens have gone. Flowering season can last from June to December.
The fruit of the Powder-puff Lilly Pilly is a fleshy white or cream berry, 10-18 mm long by 10 -16 mm long. It contains one seed. Like most Syzygiums, the fruit is edible but is very sour and unpleasant to eat raw. As I do not have a photo of the fruit, a sketch will have to suffice. Note the ant which was determined to get into the picture!
Next time you stroll around the streets of Paluma, see if you can spot one of these demure little trees.
With the weather warming up, this is a timely reminder that reptiles are on the move and may be encountered in and around the village of Paluma. Earlier today, Jennie Robinson spotted this large and well-fed python crossing Mt Spec Road near Nick and Glenda’s place. Note the large bulge in the mid-section of this snake from a recent meal. Jennie made sure the python was well off the road before any vehicles came along.
Please be alert for these amazing reptiles when driving through the village as they often like to bask on the warm bitumen along Mt Spec Road. No doubt this particular python was seeking a good place for a bit of R&R whilst digesting its dinner!
Strangler figs are one of the distinctive features of rainforests. They start life as epiphytes half-way up the forest canopy, germinating from seeds in bird or bat droppings that have landed on a suitable tree branch. The young seedling sends roots sinuously down the trunk of the host tree while growing its branches up towards the forest canopy. As light severely limits the growth rates of tree seedlings on the forest floor, strangler figs gain a huge advantage by starting off life near the canopy courtesy of its host tree. Once the fig’s roots reach the ground they penetrate the soil where the added supply of nutrients and water spurs rapid growth of both the branches and aerial (above-ground) roots, which progessively envelop the host tree.
Typical pattern of root growth over host tree in younger strangler figs
Seedlings can also occasionally germinate on large boulders, cliff faces and even old ruins (e.g. the ruins around Anchor Wat in Cambodia). The height at which the seedling germinates, as well as the orientation of the host dictates how the roots will grow. If a tree with a strangler on it is knocked over into a diagonal growth position, the roots will start to grow vertically directly down to the ground. An impressive example of this diagonal growth with vertical roots can be found on the famous Curtain Fig Tree outside Yungaburra in the Tablelands.
Mature figs often either kill or out-live their host, leaving a hollow core in the network of thick roots that make up the trunk of many mature stranger figs. The cause of host death is not certain and while the name suggests that the roots eventually strangle the host trunk, hosts will also have to compete with the fig for canopy space and nutrients and water in the surrounding soil and this could severly weaken the host tree. However a recent recent study of trees that survived Cyclone Yasi suggests that stranglers may actual help their hosts survive these extreme storms, perhaps by adding structural support to their host in the face of cyclonic winds.
Mature stranger figs reach enourmous size and can dominate the canopy. There are several huge figs at the bottom of Bambaroo track (unknown species) which can be seen on the satellite view of Google Earth and have canopies exceeding 50m in diameter. The largest tree in the world (in terms of area covered) is a Banyan fig (also a strangler) that covers a massive 4 acres.
Ficus watkinsiana on the Paluma Rainforest Track
Figs belong the Family Morace, and the group known as stranglers (starting off as epiphytes on a host tree or rock) belong to the subsection Urostigma. There are around 1,000 species of Ficus worldwide and Australian rainforests host about 40 species. Of these, 18 are stranglers.
Ficus watkinsiana is one of several species of strangler figs that occur around Paluma. A good example can be found on the Paluma “Rainforest Track” opposite Smith Crescent. This specimen has a dedicated platform in front of it, including an extension that allow photographers to step back so that they can get most of the tree in a photo.
Leaves and Fruit from Ficus watkinsiana on the Rainforest Track
Ficus obliqua fruit
Identification of figs is not easy and professional taxonomists may even resort to electron microscope imagery to detect minute differences in the strucuture of the fruit to confirm identification. However, based on distribution records, leaf size and fruit shape/size I am pretty confident that this one is indeed F. watkinsiana. Other species of strangler that have been identified on the H-track are F. destruens and F. obliqua. F. destruens has similar leaves but the fruit, while similar in shape are significantly smaller than F. watkinsiana. Along the H-track, starting from the JCU house, there are two specimens of F. destruens labelled with white tags (numbers 2 and 7). F. obliqua can be identified from its small globular organge coloured fruit. There is a specimen about 20m from the first right hand bend of the H-track starting from Lennox Crescent on the left side of the track.
Old stranger figs are enormous! Their canopies extend over huge areas, and their aerial roots can be over a metre wide. Top left: Curtain Fig Tree Ficus virens) at Yungaburra. Top right: a huge Ficus species at the bottom of Bambaroo track whose canopy (~52m diam) is easily seen on Google Earth satellite view (photo by Sam Stedman). Bottom: the aptly named Ficus religiosa at Ta Prohm ruin near Anchor Wat, Cambodia.
While strangler figs have a fascinating growth habit, all figs also exhibit amazing and bizarre reproductive characteristics that would require a separate post to describe in full. One fact worth noting is that almost every species of fig is dependent on a single species of tiny wasp for pollination! A scary fact since all it would take is the extinction of one species of insect to wipe out an entire species of majestic fig trees! We usually think of insects as ubiquitous and prolific, but a recent scientific global survey found that 40% of all insect species are declining and that a third are endangered.
For our local Ficus watkinsiana the polinating wasp is Pleistodontes nigriventris. You may never see one ( I couldn’t find a picture of it on the web) but you would certainly know if it went extinct!
Text and photos (unless indicated) by Jamie Oliver
I have chosen Davidson’s Plum (Davidsonia pruriens) as the July Rainforest Tree of the Month because my attention was drawn to this tree by the abundant litter of large, purple fallen fruit on the ground beneath a tree near the Paluma Environmental Education Centre’s fire pit. Investigating, I saw that the tree was well laden with bunches of fruit, some ripe and ready to fall while small green fruits were also strewn along the branches. It was early in June when I saw the fruit but fruiting can occur at any time of year.
Although it is a rainforest tree, Davidson’s Plum is not endemic to Paluma. It grows to about 18 metres high and is found from sea level to altitudes of up to 1095 metres from near the Big Table-land near Cooktown to Cardwell. There are three species of this genus endemic to Australia, one occurring in Tropical North Queensland.
The name Davidsonia, named after a pioneer sugar-cane grower, J E Davidson is ironic given that so much of the lower level rainforest where this tree occurs, has been lost to cane-fields. Pruriens, means itching or stinging and applies to Davidson’s Plum because there are irritant hairs on leaves and young fruit.
The large, hairy compound leaves of this tree are distinctive with deeply serrated edges to the leaflets and little leaf-like protrusions between the leaflets. Both sides of the leaf are covered with fine hairs.
Flowering can occur at any time. Flowers are tiny, with no petals but have four or five green or pink sepals. The grow in panicles (bunches) from leaf axils or are cauliflorous (along the trunk) or ramiflorous (on the branches).
The fruit is a drupe, (fleshy), with two seeds The developing green fruit is well covered in fine hairs which can cause considerable irritation and itching. Ripe fruit is roughly oval to round, about five centimetres long, and is dark purple to almost black with a fine powdery, whitish bloom on the surface. The flesh is dark pink. Of the two seeds, usually only one is fertile. The fruit is highly acidic, too tart to eat raw, although it was eaten by Aboriginal people, but It can be made into a delicious wine, jam or jelly. Cassowaries, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Double-eyed Fig-parrots eat the fruit.
A good example of the Davidson’s Plum can be seen at the forest edge behind Paluma Environmental Education Centre, near the fire pit.
