Videos show how to deal with invasive species
Pittwater Eco Warriors have produced a series of excellent and highly professional resource videos on dealing with invasive species, which can be viewed on Youtube.
Cassia
Cassia (Senna pendula) is a yellow-flowered, weedy shrub invading Australian bushland. Bean pods must be carefully controlled. This film shows how to control it and also the 'CUT STUMP METHOD' of removal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJm7kA7YLkc
Asparagus Fern
Also known as Ground Asparagus, Asparagus densiflorus and Protoasparagus densiflorus. Originating in South Africa, Asparagus Fern is a multi-branched prostrate perennial shrub or scrambler forming a dense mat of tuberous roots. Branches grow to 60cm with a covering of small spines. Flowers are bell-shaped, white-pale pink clusters, flowering in late summer.
Fruit are red berries to 8mm wide containing 1 to a few black seeds about 4mm in diameter, occurring winter/early spring.
Seeds are spread by birds, water and dumping. Asparagus Fern can also reshoot from rhizome pieces left in the ground or dumped as garden waste.
This invasive weed poses a significant threat to the bushland environment and may cause distress to neighbouring properties both through the plant stems spreading over boundary lines and birds depositing seeds in their droppings. These seeds germinate readily and will start new infestations. As this weed is likely to continually grow and spread, total removal is recommended.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=105jsIIbk4I&feature=related
Moth Vine
Moth Vine (Araujiia hortorum) is an invasive weed destroying Australian bush.Originating in Peru, Moth Vine is a climber with twining stems, containing milky white sap, up to 5m high. Invades hind-dunes, rainforest and bushland.
Elongated heart-shaped leaves, grey-green in pairs along the stem.
Creamy-white to pale pink to about 1cm diameter, flowering in clusters in spring and summer.
Large choko-like fruit, which splits to release masses of fly-away dandelion like feathery seeds.
Dispersal:
Air borne. The seed fibrous material is often used as nesting material by birds.
Impact on Bushland:
A vigorous climber of unrestricted height, it seeds prolifically and smothers other plants it is growing on. It germinates easily in undisturbed areas. This video shows how to get rid of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ncXvKSeFc&NR=1
Madeira Vine
Madeira Vine (Anredera cordifolia), also known as Potato Vine or Lambs Tails. It
is a native of South America. Anredera was imported because of its attractive white flowers and strong growth habit. The plant has spread along waterways and through forests and is considered a major threat to rainforest remnants.
This destructive, prolific and persistent vine reduces the host trees to vine shrouded pole structures. Because of its thick, fleshy leaves and bunches of tubers, it is the heaviest of the problem vines and can smash the branches of trees by its sheer weight. The stem can grow one metre per week. This film shows how to properly deal with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L7GBMF2NU4
Nature Festival photo competition highlights International Year of Biodiversity
The Brunswick Valley put its best ‘ecological’ foot forward at the recent Brunswick Valley Nature Festival photography competition.
Brunswick Valley Landcare member Wendy Gibney said the photography competition saw entries submitted from the clear upper reaches of the Mount Jerusalem stream to the ecologically endangered salt marsh along the Brunswick River.
The competition was part of the recent World Environment Day celebrations.
Ms Gibney said the competition was titled ‘Visions of the Valley’ and was a great opportunity to highlight the magnificent biodiversity of the Brunswick Valley.
Winner was Reid Waters with his photograph titled March on Mullum. Second prize winner was Jimmy Barton (Hidden Paradise).
Alan Rayward's entry, It’s good to be green, (reproduced here) took third prize.
Highly commended photographers included Jimmy Britton (Passion Fruit Surprise) and Mohana Grierson (Tug-a-war Jumping Ants and Lichen).
Peoples Choice winner was Deborah Pearse with her entry titled Lit by the Sun.
Botany interest group
Looking for an opportunity to improve your local native plant identification skills in a relaxed interest group environment? A semi-structured interest group, led by Jo Green and with a focus on learning plant identification skills in a relaxed social atmosphere, is now open to BVL members.
The main resources will be the ‘red’ or ‘green’ books (1. Rainforest Trees and Shrubs, A guide to their Identification and Rainforest and 2. Rainforest Climbing Plants by Williams Harden and McDonald).
Other plant identification books and the internet will be used as needed.
Where: 110 Yankee Creek Rd Mullumbimby (Mullum Creek Native Nursery).
When: Sunday June 20 1.30 pm and then on the third Sunday of each month until November 2010.
Bring Hand lens or similar, red book, green book, if you have them but copies of books will be available, something small for afternoon snacks.
No cost to BVL members
For more information and to register: 66841703 or email jogreen@nrg.com.au
