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| brown wattle Acacia bruniodes |
The Mt French outing is always a botanical event, and Keith and Barry didn't let us down with their knowledge of the local flora. We were a little disappointed with the flowering though the brown wattle Acacia bruniodes and the Brisbane wattle A. fimbrata put on a display. The Bossiaea rupicola had finished flowering, and the Jacksonia scoparia didn't look if it was going to flower at all.
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Brisbane Wattle, Acacia fimbrata
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We came across some magnificent spider sacs on our way to the east cliff lookout. Nobody seemed to get a good photo of them so I've used one from my garden. They are quite amazing.  |
magnificent spider, Ordgarius magnificus |
Once at the lookout, most members listened to Keith explain the rock formations, Barry checked out the flora, and I watched a couple of Elegant Snake-eyed Skinks or Wall Skinks Cryptoblepharus virgatus.
The heath offered us much more in the flowering shrub line, such as small-fruited may Gaudium microcarpum once known as Leptospermum microcarpum, and New England beard heath Styphelia neoanglica.
Species Lists compiled by the Club Recorder from members observations.
introduced species = *
Fauna
Arachnids: magnificent spider Ordgarius magnificus – egg sacs. Birds: pale-headed rosella, white-throated honeyeater, eastern spinebill,
Lewin's honeyeater, noisy miner, spotted pardalote, white-throated gerygone, white-browed
scrubwren, brown thornbill, pied currawong, grey fantail, Torresian crow. Marsupials: red-necked wallaby. Other Invertebrates: Ants; spiny
ant sp. Polyrhachis sp. Reptiles: Dragons; lace monitor or goanna Varanus varius - injured. Skinks; elegant snake-eyed skink Cryptoblepharus
pulcher (sometimes called fence, or wall skink).
Flora
discussed or taken note of on the day (not a comprehensive list):
Grasses: *red Natal grass Melinis repens. Herbs: tree trigger-plant or larchleaf triggerplant Stylidium laricifolium. Vines, Scramblers
& Climbers: climbing asparagus fern
Asparagus africanus, wonga vine Pandorea
pandorana. Grass
Trees: Johnson’s
grass tree Xanthorrhoea johnsonii, coastal
grass tree Xanthorrhoea latifolia. Shrubs: brown wattle Acacia brunioides, fringed or Brisbane wattle Acacia fimbriata, Bossiaea rupicola, triangle-leaved
hopbush Dodonaea trianularis, hop bush Dodonaea triquetra, prickly or native hibiscus Hibiscus heterophyllus, dogwood Jacksonia
scoparia – not flowering, *lantana Lantana
camara, small-fruited tea tree Gaudium microcarpum [formerly Leptospermum microcarpum], Grove's paperbark
Melaleuca groveana, New England bearded
heath Styphelia neoanglica. Trees: kurrajong Brachychiton
populneus, smooth-branched ironbark Eucalyptus dura, thin-leaved stringybark
Eucalyptus eugenioides, small-leaved fig
Ficus obliqu, shiny-leaved canthium Psydrax odorata subsp. buxifolia.