Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

Yes, they are–unfortunately. It’s a curious fact that most weeds have spread widely because they’ve been planted for their ornamental appeal. It’s only when they get out of control that they start to lose some of their appeal.

Acacia decurrens (Early Black Wattle), Kalimna Park, August 17. Wattles with fern-like leaves and  flowering now are are either Cootamundras, Early Blacks, or Silver Wattles: and the first two of these are weeds.

The picture above is Acacia decurrens (Early Black, or Sydney Green Wattle). It’s a native of eastern NSW, but has been widely planted around the country and has definite invasive tendencies when outside its natural ecological range. Ern Perkins’ Castlemaine Flora describes it as a ‘bushland weed’, and it has become ‘naturalised’ in almost every state, as well as in many other countries.

An additional problem with Early Blacks is that they’ve been planted by mistake in some revegetation programs: many people–and, apparently, many nurseries–don’t see the difference between Early Black and Late Black Wattles. This latter is a native to our region. The two wattles are superficially similar, but it’s easy to tell them apart, if you look carefully. All you need is FOBIF’s guide to Wattles of the Mount Alexander region!

Canada? Greece? Canary Islands? Hawaii? Recent and current fires in the northern hemisphere are a sign of the times, and not a very encouraging one…

And we’ve been advised to expect a warm dry summer…We’re not trying to fear monger, or anything, but we thought the map below of Sicily in the last week of July might be of interest.

This is not a fantasy, it’s a fire map of Sicily, July 27: it’s as well to be informed about fire behaviour and risks.(Map from France 2 Television)

So you may be interested in the Bushfire Resilience Inc’s series of webinars on fire safety, which has just started:

‘Dry conditions will increase fire risks next summer, especially grass fires.
Watch the webinars with family and friends and discuss the information and
your plans…Learn how grass fires and bushfires behave and what your
family can do to reduce your risks Viewers can ask questions before or during the webinar, and when you register we’ll also send you a link to videos.’

You can find the full program here, including how to register.

Newstead Landcare is excited to invite you to a special presentation all about spiders! Our guest speaker is Lynne Kelly – researcher, educator, Castlemaine local, and author of ‘Spiders: Learning to love them’. 

Anyone who has been lucky enough to talk spiders with Lynne will know her passion for sharing their secret lives and personalities. Lynne’s presentation will include the story of her journey from arachnophobia to obsession, while introducing us to these extraordinary creatures.

Lynne has authored 19 books, and in the 2022 Australia Day Honours she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for “significant achievement in science education through writing and research”. Her book, ‘Spiders: Learning to love them’ was judged the “Best book in the category of Natural History” in the 2009 Whitley Awards and awarded a Certificate of Commendation by the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. You can read more about the book online here: www.lynnekelly.com.au/Lynne_Kelly/Spiders.html

Please join us at 7:30pm on Tuesday 15 August 2023 at the Newstead Community Centre (9 Lyons St, Newstead VIC). All are welcome, gold coin donations appreciated.