What’s all that intensely green stuff?

Posted on 19 August, 2018 by fobif

We haven’t had a huge season for rain. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, ‘Statewide rainfall was 33% below the long-term July mean of 70 mm, the driest July since 2002, and large areas in the north and east of Victoria, and to the north of Melbourne had rainfall totals in the driest 10 per cent on record for July.’ This follows a dry autumn, with rainfall almost 40% below the long term average.

Tayloria octoblepharum, Spring Gully road, August 14: a characterful history.

But we’ve had plenty of dampish days: very good for moss, which has given much of our bushland its intense green winter tinge. Get down and enjoy it!

The picture shows a patch of Tayloria octoblepharum, a characterful plant with cigar shaped spore heads. It favours rotting matter. A gruesome detail: the moss was first described for modern science from a sample collected from the decaying remains of a Tasmanian bushranger! You can find this and other edifying details from FOBIF’s Mosses of dry forests of south eastern Australia. The second edition of this book is almost exhausted, and a third printing is planned for the coming months.

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More photos for ‘Creatures’ project

Posted on 19 August, 2018 by fobif

Newstead photographer, Patrick Kavanagh, has generously contributed many of his terrific nature photos to our FOBIF exhibitions. Here are five of Patrick’s most recent offerings. 

Click on each photo to enlarge. You can see our ‘Creatures’ Flickr page here and find out how to contribute to our ‘Creatures’ project here.

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More stunning photos for our ‘Creatures’ project

Posted on 29 July, 2018 by fobif

Antoinette Birkenbeil, one of the authors of the recently published Native plants and animals of the Chewton bushlands has just sent us two wonderful photos of a Blue-banded Bee Amegilla cingulata. Antoinette has contributed many photos to our FOBIF photo shows in the past and is a long-term resident of the Chewton bushlands.

The Blue-banded bee collects the majority of its nectar from blue flowers. Photo by Antoinette Birkenbeil.

You can find out more about our Creatures exhibition and Flickr page here. 

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Launch of new book on fungi

Posted on 29 July, 2018 by fobif

Next Saturday, 4 August, the fungi book that Joy Clusker and Ray Wallace have been working for over 3 years will be launched.

Fungi of the Bendigo Region covers the area from Kamarooka in the north to Mt Alexander in the south. There are approximately 300 species featured with short descriptions and photos for identification. The guide can be carried in a back pack. 

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FOBIF AGM: first notice

Posted on 16 July, 2018 by fobif

The FOBIF Annual General Meeting will be held this year on Monday August 27 at 7.30 pm. More details about the location, program and guest speaker are forthcoming.

Do you want to play a role on the FOBIF committee? Or nominate someone else to the committee? All that’s needed is a piece of paper signed by the nominee, a nominator and a seconder—all FOBIF members. There’s no need of an official form, but for convenience, here’s a sample:

I nominate_________________________________

for the position of____________________________

Signed____________________________________

Seconded__________________________________

I accept the above nomination

Signed___________________________________

Positions on the committee are President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and two ordinary members. Nominations should be in before the meeting.

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