Friends of Chiltern Mt Pilot NP Newsletter #320 September 2022

FRIENDS OF CHILTERN MT-PILOT NATIONAL PARK, Inc.

President : Neville Bartlett

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  Ph: 0412 399 239

Correspondence to: Tony Murnane Secretary/Treasurer: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Newsletter: Neville Bartlett:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dear Friends,

September field day report – Helen Carse

The field day went well with 17 people attending. We planned an easy 2-3 km walk in a loop from the Honeyeater picnic area, however after ambling for a couple of hours we had only walked about a kilometre so returned to the picnic area for morning tea at 11.30am.

Thanks to Jenny for leading the walk and thanks to her and Neil for sharing their knowledge on the local flora. The information provided was interesting and helpful in assisting members of the group to identify different species. There are a number of orchids blooming at this time, including Nodding Greenhoods, Blunt Greenhoods, Dwarf Greenhoods and Maroonhoods. Ira spotted a Leopard orchid in full flower and Neil was able to show a number of the group two Helmet Orchid species.

Although there were not that many birds spotted, especially as most of us were looking down not up. Red Wattle Birds were the dominant species but a pair of Brown Treecreepers were spotted gathering nesting material and entering a tree hollow.

       

 

 Photos: Margaret Considine

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   Dusky Fingers (Caladenia fuscata)  Photo: Neil Blair

Slaty Helmet-orchid (Corybas incurvus)  Photo: Neil Blair

Blue Fairy (Cyanicula caerulea)  Photo: Neil Blair
 

Blunt Greenhood (Pterostylis curta)  Photo: Neil Blair
 

 Leopard Orchid (Diuris pardina)  Photo: Neil Blair

 

Nodding Greenhood (Pterostylis nutans). Photo: Neil Blair

Thanks again to Jenny and Neil and to all those who attended for making it a very pleasant outing.

Olive Leaf Lace Bug – Froggatta olivina – Eileen Collins

The native Mock Olive, Notelaea longifolia, is the natural host of this native Lace Bug..

Yellowing leaves on introduced olive trees may reveal the presence of this sap sucking bug.

The accompanying photographs illustrate the damaging effects of an infestation on feral olives.

The tiny black eggs are laid on the underside of the olive leaves from May to June. Hatching takes place in September and October and the nymphs go through five stages of growth before becoming winged adults.

Heavy infestations along with stressful conditions may kill young trees.

 

Dorsal and ventral view of an Olive Leaf Lace Bug. Photos: Neil Blair

The effects of infestation on feral olives. Photos: Jan Palmer

The spread of this invasive species to cultivated olives is of concern to olive producers.

Natural predators include Ladybird species, Assassin Bugs and Green Lacewings.

More detailed information may be found at: 

https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/pest-insects-and-mites/priority-pest-insects-and-mites/olive-lace-bug

Images Needed for the 2023 Calendar

There is still time to submit images of the Park, flora, fauna and other creatures to be considered for the 2023 calendar. Once again we expect to have a small panel of judges who will decide which images will make up the final selection.  Images can be any aspect of the Park and the nature to be found in it.

The field is wide open as we have featured most of the iconic aspects of the Park in previous years.

There is of room for novel images that capture less well known places and things.

If you have seen particular images, taken in the Park, that have been shown on Facebook or elsewhere, that you particularly like, then please encourage the photographer to submit them for consideration.

If you have any questions, or comments, then please contact us.

2022 AGM

The 2022 AGM has been deferred slightly this year and will now take place at the usual time on Saturday 5^th November 2022. It is hoped that it will take the usual format of an afternoon walk followed by a dinner, the AGM and a guest speaker.

The walk is likely to be in the Pine Road area and our guest speaker will be Dr. Damian Michael of the Institute of Land, Water and Society at Charles Sturt University. Dr. Michael’s expertise includes rocky outcrop (inselberg) ecology and applied herpetology.

Some of our committee members and office bearers will be standing down this year and we are looking for people to take their place. This is a great opportunity for you to become more involved in a group that has made a difference in the Park over nearly 40 years.

Rainfall

August 2022:  32 mm. Total for year-to-date 2022: 668 mm.
In 2021 we had 556 mm up to the end of August.
Winter 2022 total - 235mm compared with winter 2021 total - 259mm.

The average annual rainfall for Chiltern is 689 mm.

 

NEXT MEETING – SUNDAY 2^nd OCTOBER 2022

Our October activity will be a wildflower walk combined with wildflower photography
for those interested in this aspect.

Bun will be provided as usual.

You may need: sturdy shoes, warm clothes, water and maybe a snack.

Photographers: bring the camera gear that you would like to use (including mobile phone).

Meet at the Chiltern Post Office at 09:00am.

Upcoming field days:

Sunday 2^nd October 2022: wildflower walk and wildflower photography.

Saturday 5^th November 2022: reptile walk, dinner, AGM and reptile talk.

Sunday 4^th December 2022: end-of-year gathering in the late afternoon/evening.

Dates for 2022-23

For 2022: Sunday 2^nd October, Saturday 5^th November and Sunday 4^th December.

For 2023: Sunday 5^th February, Saturday 4^th March, Sunday 2^nd April, Saturday 6^th May, Sunday 4^th June, Saturday 1^st July, Sunday 6^th August, Saturday 2^nd September, Sunday 1^st October, Saturday 4^th November and Sunday 3^rd December 2023.

Rule of Thumb: For even months, the field day is held on the first Sunday of the month and for odd months, it is held on the first Saturday of the month.

Membership - It's time to renew

Membership expired on June 30^th 2022. Thank you to all who have taken out membership this year. We hope you will continue your support.  Friends have achieved a great deal during the past few years. Surveys for plants, birds and monitoring, maintaining and surveying mammal boxes, tree planting, weed control and provision of brochures, interpretive signage and park furniture are just some of our contributions. Your support for our activities is valued and your membership renewal is important to our cause.

Please ensure your contact details are current.

Please find enclosed my membership of $15 for 2022-23. The fee covers the whole family and includes 11 newsletters.

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Bank: WAW Credit Union Co-operative Ltd (Cuscal Limited)

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Acc number: 81167

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Please advise treasurer, Tony Murnane (Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), when you have made the payment to help us keep track of payments.