Category Archives: Nature Observations

A giant crash

Posted on 23 March, 2015 by fobif

Wild winds brought down numerous trees in the region on the last Saturday in February, including a giant poplar which fell onto the Midland Highway bridge, writing off a car and injuring its driver. The same storm caused massive limb … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Observations | 2 Comments

Golden Orb Weavers are about

Posted on 16 February, 2015 by fobif

The Golden Orb Weaver Nephila edulis is reasonable common in our local bush. At this time of year the females are mature and able to construct large wheel-shaped orb webs. In certain lights these strong webs look golden, thus the name. Their egg sacs … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Observations, News | Comments Off on Golden Orb Weavers are about

Happy new year

Posted on 2 January, 2015 by fobif

It’s been a dry 2014—only 473.9 mls of rainfall in Castlemaine, against a long term average of over 560 mls: and the bush is hunkering down for a long dry summer. There are still flashes of colour around the place, … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Observations | Comments Off on Happy new year

Snakes alive–and dead

Posted on 26 October, 2014 by fobif

The photo below shows an Eastern Brown snake [Pseudonaja textilis—‘brown’ is a pretty broad description: the snake can be any shade of brown from almost orange to nearly black] crossing the Irishtown Track in the Fryerstown forest last week. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Observations | Comments Off on Snakes alive–and dead

Burning boronias

Posted on 26 October, 2014 by fobif

Last week DEPI conducted a management burn in the area designated Fryerstown Block 5, a 44 hectare roughly triangular block between the Campbells Creek Irishtown Road and the Chewton-Vaughan road [see map below]. The fire was designated Asset Protection: the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fire Management, Nature Observations | 1 Comment

Now, what’s this about Gough’s Range?

Posted on 10 October, 2014 by fobif

Not too many people visit Gough’s Range State Forest, roughly midway between Welshman’s Reef and Maldon. This small [161 ha] forest will be getting a few extra visitors in the 2016-17 management burning season, however. It’s down for a DEPI … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Observations, News | Comments Off on Now, what’s this about Gough’s Range?

Here we go again

Posted on 6 October, 2014 by fobif

The cup moth [Doratifera] grub is at it again: the damage perhaps a bit patchier than the last infestation. The grub is pretty undiscriminating in its appetite, but appears to prefer stringybarks [Eucalyptus macrohyncha] in our area. The Bendigo Field … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Observations, News | Comments Off on Here we go again

The time to get out is NOW

Posted on 21 September, 2014 by fobif

It’s always a good time to get out for a stroll in our bushlands: all seasons have their appeal. Arguably, though, this year seems to be peaking right now for orchids and wildflowers. Given that we’ve had a pretty dry … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Observations | Comments Off on The time to get out is NOW

Heave ho! Weightlifter goes for gold

Posted on 3 August, 2014 by fobif

You often see fungi thrusting up through soil crust, but mushrooms heaving rocks out of the way are less common. The photo below shows one such effort. We weighed the stone at 725 grams! Fungi often perform remarkable weightlifting feats. … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Observations | Comments Off on Heave ho! Weightlifter goes for gold

Why we should like ants

Posted on 10 July, 2014 by fobif

‘I like ants and this talk is about why you should like ants.’ That’s how entomologist Alex Wild started his talk to his audience of 140 at the Newstead Landcare event on Sunday. In a hugely entertaining talk, peppered with … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Observations, News | Comments Off on Why we should like ants