Not sure if you have heard yet but TCC are putting on a BBQ this Saturday, just a bit of a get together post Flood. Our city has been through one of the biggest natural disasters and we need to continue the community spirit.
I know a lot of you have personally been affected, which I am so sorry. Really keen to make sure everyone shares this invite and as many people as possible know about it, so please help share the news.
This Saturday 2nd March from 3 PM to 6 PM at the Bluewater Community hall.
Approximately 80 species of Neolitsea are found in the rainforests of tropical Asia and Australasia. Three are found in Australia with two of these being found from the south coast of NSW to Cairns in Queensland. Neolitsea dealbata is a common under-storey tree growing to about twelve metres and is especially noticeable in spring when, soft drooping, pale new leaf growth appears, giving the tree a chandelier-festooned appearance. They are a member of the Lauraceae Family.
The soft pale leaf growth of the white bollygum
White Bollygum and the very similar Green Bollygum (Neolitsea australiensis) share many common names with species of the closely related Litsea. Being known by common names can be the cause of much confusion to a non-botanist, often leading to incorrect identification.
For example, some of the names Neolitsea dealbatais known by are: White Bollygum, Velvet-leafed Bollywood and Grey Bollywood, while Litsea australiensisis known as Green Bollygum. Across the species, Litsea and Neolitsea share common names of Grey Bollywood, Bollygum, Bollywood, White Bollygum and White Bollywood. It can be very confusing!
The name ‘dealbata’ derives from dealbatus, meaning ‘covered with white powder’. The underside of the leaves of this tree have a waxy coating which gives them a powdery, whitish bloom. Leaves are simple, between 80-220 mm x 35-85 mm in size and are clustered in groups of three or five. They are usually hairless on the upper side, but may be slightly hairy at the leaf base or along the mid-rib. Leaf twigs are clothed in white or pale brown hairs which may persist on mature twigs.
Perfumed flowers usually appear from March to July. These are tiny white or yellow clusters growing on branches or in leaf axils. They are so tiny, between pin head and match head size that they are almost unnoticeable. Male flowers are 2.4 mm, the female is only 1.7 mm.
The tiny flowers appear on the leaf axils.
The clusters of fruit which follow, from January to July, are small, 9 mm, globular drupes, (fleshy with seeds enclosed in a woody endocarp), containing one seed. The fruit goes from red to black when ripe and is relished by cassowaries.
The fruit appear in clusters. These fruit are green and will colour to black when fully ripe.
There are many of these trees in and around Paluma, notably clustered in amongst many other trees in the Gumburu gardens and the forest edge outside Paluma Environmental Education Centre. They are easier to spot when new leaves appear, nevertheless the distinctive leaves make it easy to identify.
It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we post the news that one of Paluma’s most beloved and admired residents, Roy Mackay has passed away.
Roy passed peacefully at 9.15 PM on Tuesday 12 February at the Regis Aged Care facility in the company of his long-time companion Colwyn Campbell and his dear friend Beth Snewin. Roy was 90 years of age.
Our sincere condolences to Roy’s family and to Colwyn at this sad time.
Roy Mackay in September 2018 in one of his favourite places – his library.
Well, it continues to pour rain here with little prospect of relief until the weekend at soonest, but after seeing the news footage of the catastrophic flooding in Townsville and some surrounding districts, we realise how very lightly Paluma has been affected by this extreme weather event. So far at least, there are no reports here of serious damage to property. Our hearts go out to those whose homes have been flooded and who have lost irreplaceable personal items.
In houses and in the community hall, pools of water lie on some floors, due to leaks in the roof, or ground-water seepage. Where possible, tarpaulins have been used to cover leaky roofs. These inconveniences occur to a greater or lesser degree every wet season; it is just lasting longer this time. A tree fell and smashed the gate at Gumburu and several small trees have fallen in and around the village. The ground is water-logged and rivulets and streams course over the road and down the slopes to join up with Benham’s Creek. Some driveways and sections of the road have been gouged out by the force of water. The official Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) website rainfall readings advise that 2521 mm of rain has fallen since Australia Day (26 January). Len Cook has kindly provided the BOM rainfall figures at the end of this bulletin (below).
Birds are starving and those of us who are feeding them have what seems like an open aviary from dawn to dark with literally scores of birds on the back decks and verandas, seeking food and shelter. Coming to my table are White-cheeked Honey-eaters, Macleay’s and Lewin’s Honey-eaters, Lorikeets, Satin Bower-birds, Cat-birds and Rifle-birds. Hunger overcomes their fear and the birds cling to my arms and shoulders as I fill the feeder trays. Unusually too, there is no fighting for supremacy at the feeder: all species are happy to share.
A few days ago the worst crisis was for the several smokers who had run out of cigarettes and/or tobacco. Suggestions that this was a good opportunity to give up smoking, or to roll tea leaves were greeted with disdain. Someone managed to procure tobacco so the situation was saved, temporarily.
Yesterday, some people from the Running River area, armed with shopping lists, ventured to Ingham via the Mt Fox Road. Their return was prevented by a land-slip on the Mt Fox Road.
I am very grateful to the number of absent Paluma residents who have rung, generously offering the contents of their pantries to those of us here, should our food supplies run out. We thank you all so much for your concern and generosity but hope, of course, that things will not drag on to that extent.
As has already been reported, engineers are trying to decide on the best way to remove a huge rock blocking the road about 1.5 km from the village. Two more giant rocks are poised on the up-slope ready to fall and as fast as one slip is cleared, another occurs elsewhere. Conditions are terribly dangerous for those attempting to clear the road, but they are trying to keep a narrow way open for use of emergency vehicles only. Otherwise the road remains closed.
So, we are here for the time being: keeping our sanity by taking long walks in the pouring rain, and getting together for coffee and gossip. Neil Appleton’s birthday offered an excellent opportunity for a very happy such gathering.
Update Bulletin by Colwyn Campbell
BOM Rainfall Figures for Paluma (Courtesy of Len Cook)
The village of Paluma remains isolated with the Range Road still closed following the unprecedented rainfall . Locals report today that there are numerous landslides and trees blocking the Range Road and it appears it may be some time before the road will open. Paluma continues to receive astounding rainfall totals.
Don Battersby has been recording rainfall at his place on Hussey Road and has logged the following readings:-
Rainfall overnight (4-5 February 2019) was 344 mm.
Rainfall between 1 to 5 February 2019 is 1294 mm.
Rainfall total for January 2019 is 1206 mm.
Jennie Robinson from the Rainforest Inn reports that there are currently about 23 people in the village and surrounds. Everyone seems to be doing well. The community spirit is certainly alive and well. Yesterday (4 February) was Neil Appleton’s birthday and everyone gathered together at ‘Cloud Cottage’ to celebrate with afternoon tea. Happy Birthday Neil!
The Chowchilla (Orthonyx spaldingii) is one of my favourite birds inhabiting the upland rainforest in the Paluma area. It is not a particularly large bird, nor does it have striking plumage. It does not build an elaborate bower like the numerous local bowerbirds and it does not have the impressive dance moves of the riflebird.
BUT, the Chowchilla has a loud and unmistakeable call that echoes throughout the forest, usually at dawn and dusk. Any bird with a call like the Chowchilla demands your attention and admiration. Scientists report that their complex vocalisations vary quite markedly from place to place and there are identifiable local dialects. Imagine that – a unique Paluma Chowchilla language!
Chowchillas are also known as ‘logrunners’. They are ground dwelling birds, living and foraging in small family groups of between 3 to 8 birds. Each flock has their own permanent territory. Chowchillas spend most of their time foraging for invertebrates on the forest floor. They have strong legs for scratching in the leaf litter and their tail is used to support their body whilst they vigorously throw leaf litter aside.
Chowchillas are common in and around the village of Paluma. I see them regularly (or at least flashing glimpses of them) in the forest adjacent to the walking track to McClellands Lookout and along Lennox Crescent. They are regular visitors to the forest margins in my back garden.
I find them absolutely endearing for their elaborate songs and their lively and gregarious nature. When foraging as a family group they happily chatter away, enthusiastically intent on their search for food. They are oblivious that they are excavating precious garden beds and pot plants.
But, I have to admit that Chowchillas are the cause of considerable consternation and ongoing frustration for me!
For about two and a half years I have been trying to ‘capture’ a half decent photograph of a Chowchilla. Dozens and dozens of attempts and not one decent photograph!. Blurry, dark and unfocused images of Chowchillas are my speciality!
If I manage to find a bird within photographic range, it will rarely sit still for more than a split second and will surely move just at that moment when I press the shutter. Because the birds inhabit the forest floor, the light is usually poor and it is hard to see the bird clearly, let alone focus the camera.
I am well aware my frustration is shared by many fellow birdwatchers and photographers. ‘Photographing a Chowchilla’ is high on the wish list of many bird enthusiasts who visit Paluma, but it seems not many people actually achieve their goal.
So, after two and a half (long) years, this is my best effort at a Chowchilla photograph. Blurry, too dark, not centred and the bird is obscured by vegetation. And I am sure that Chowchilla is grinning at me, just before it darts back into the cover of the rainforest foliage. I’ll keep trying……….!
Please let me know if you have had better success in capturing images of these beautiful, but very elusive birds in and around the Paluma area!
Elaeocarpus grandis, synonymous with Elaeocarpus angustifolius
Most of you will be familiar with the Quandong’s moss-covered buttressed roots projecting out from the forest onto the edges of walking tracks. Many of these magnificent trees may be seen in the Paluma rainforest with some especially good specimens along the Witt’s Lookout track. The Quandong, a tree emblematic of tropical rainforest is also known as Blue Quandong, Silver Quandong, Blueberry Ash and Blueberry Fig.
A pioneering tree, the Quandong can grow to five or six metres high in just a few years, eventually reaching a height of up to 35 metres. A strong identifying feature are the buttresses with vertically flat, visible roots, so large in some instances that they are capable of sheltering a cassowary. Moss usually covers the trunk and roots so it is difficult to readily see the nature of the bark, but the cut timber is hard and white and highly regarded as a cabinet timber.
Flowering occurs between October and March, the softly fragranced flowers, growing in racemes from axils or on branches are usually high in the tree and difficult to see. They can be green, white or cream with tiny petals about 5 mm long.
Fruiting can occur at any month. You can sometimes find the blue to purple fruit lying among the fallen leaves on the rainforest tracks. Their colour is often enhanced with a metallic sheen. The fruit is a drupe (fleshy with one or more seeds inside) and can be anything from the size of a small grape to that of a golf ball. The fruit is edible and has a higher Vitamin C content than oranges. It is best eaten when slightly over-ripe or it can taste bitter. It can be used in jams or pickles. Many bird species eat the fruit which is also eaten by Bush Rats, Spectacled Flying Foxes and Musky Rat Kangaroos.
The leaves of the Quandong are glossy and about 80 to 150 mm long. As it ages the leaf turns a bright red before dropping. Many can be seen at any time along the walking tracks.
The Quandong was highly valued by rainforest Aboriginal people. The fruit was recognised for its medicinal properties and as a food source. They would also make an edible paste from the ripe fruit. Shields were made from the large buttress roots.
Look for these spectacular trees next time you take a walk along one of the rainforest tracks.
On New Year’s morning, there were a few million animals hanging out together on a decaying log on the forest floor on ‘H Track’, doing their thing. This is a Slime Mould, and most likely to be Physarum polycephalum, the Many Headed Slime Mould, and some of the things they do are quite funky.
Slime moulds are thought to be approximately 600 million years old, although some think they could be as old as a billion. They arrived on land as soon as there was land, making them hundreds of millions of years older than other animals or plants. So, okay, they have been around for a long time, but what are they?
Slime moulds are Protists, or single celled organisms, which like moist, humid, dark environments, such as the rainforest floor. They favour rotting and decaying vegetation, where they feed on micro-organisms, including fungi, algae and bacteria. A single slime mould cell, in favourable conditions exists as an Amoeba, basically a nucleous surrounded by cell fluid, contained within a membrane. Amoeba travel by moving this fluid within the flexible cell membrane in a process known as cytoplasmic streaming, which is handy when you need to hunt down your prey, before engulfing it with your body. But what about when food is scarce, and too difficult to find when you’re a microscopic bag of fluid?
Slime moulds form a plasmodium, which is the part of the life cycle shown in the photo. Huge numbers of single celled amoebae find each other in the environment using chemical signals, and join together, losing individual cell membranes to form a complex organism. This organism is also able to move to search for food, which it surrounds, before secreting enzymes to digest it. This is also the primary reproductive stage for slime moulds; if food runs out, conditions become too dry or receive too much light, the plasmodium begins to make spores. This is the stage the photographs show, with the bumpy bits (the many heads of our slime mould) containing the spores.
The spores are able to survive unfavourable environmental conditions for long periods of time. When conditions improve, the spores rupture, producing a single cell amoeba. However, if things get too wet, this amoeba is able to rapidly transform into a flagellated organism (a flagellum is a long, whip-like structure which helps the animal move in water, similar to swimming). This shape is also reversible when conditions are not quite so wet, and being an amoeba is more convenient.
But you don’t get to be nearly a billion years old without having a few more tricks up your sleeve. If life becomes uncomfortable at the plasmodium stage, the organism can become dormant, and it can survive like this for many years. Amoeba can also transform into cysts to survive when conditions are unfavourable. It’s kind of like being able to go into suspended animation whenever it’s too hot, too dry or too bright. Amoeba can also fuse with other single amoeba to form a reproductive organism, or a single amoeba can reproduce by just splitting. Plasmodia can also fragment or enter another dormant phase called a spherule which can survive indefinitely. So, Slime Moulds have lots of options, including shape shifting, mind (and body) melding and suspended animation to enable them to survive in this unpredictable and changeable world. And that’s why they’ve been around so long!
These amazing creatures have fascinated scientists, and provided many opportunities for research. They are easy to culture in laboratories, and provide a model organism to study amoeboid movement, cell motility, and other anatomical and physiological processes. The real surprise however is that slime moulds also provide opportunity for behavioural research. They have been observed finding food in mazes and forming networks between food sources to provide efficient nutrient transport that rivals our own transport design systems. These adaptable and resilient organisms will probably be around for the next billion years!
Anyone visiting the Village Green in recent days will have noticed the amazing fungi that has sprung from the ground in the wood-chip mulch at the Trees In Memory. This fungi is commonly known as ‘Stinkhorn Fungi’ – distinctive for both its foul odour and phallic shape when mature.
Stinkhorn fungi are widespread throughout Europe and North America having been introduced into Australia. My research would suggest the specimens at the Village Green are the species Phallus impudicus. Stinkhorns occur in moist habitats rich in wood debris, such as the forest floor and gardens. This would explain why they are growing so happily in the wood chips at the Village Green.
The fungi emerges from an egg-shaped fruiting body in the ground. The fruiting structure (stalk) grows tall, up to 25cm, and it is white with a slimy white to brownish conical head. The head tends to darken in colour as the fungi matures. The head exudes a gelatinous slime which contains the spores. Insects such as flies are attracted by the foul smell of this spore-laden slime. Unlike many other fungi, the spores of stinkhorns are not distributed in the air, but by their insect visitors.
Make a point of visiting the Village Green in the near future to check out these amazing fungi. They may not last long, so don’t miss out on these fascinating and very smelly phallic fungi!
