Happy Wattle Day

Today, 1 September, is Wattle Day in Australia.

I know Queenslanders and ex-Queenslanders will scream - "It should be 1 August". This issue came up at the Robertson Garden Club today, and so I decided to check it out. According to the Wattle Day Association, this issue was formally decided on an Australia-wide basis in 1992.
Here in the colder parts of NSW, many Wattles are flowering now. In fact, on my trip to Queensland last week, there were many Wattles in flower beside the roads. So the date seems appropriate.
Of course, as a former guide at the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra I know that there are different species of Wattles (Acacias) which flower in each month of the year. But the reality is that the preponderance of the Wattles do flower in Spring.

Studies of buds of the Blackwood Wattle, (Acacia melanoxylon). The wattle blossom is clearly seen to be a composite flower, made up by many different flowers grouped into a rounded "head", dominated by a spray of anthers, each covered with pollen grains.
What one does not normally notice is the petals which rupture as the anthers mature, and push out to open. The botanists describe Wattle flowers and leaves in the following terms:

• Flowers actinomorphic; petals valvate, equal; stamens usually numerous, forming the conspicuous part of the inflorescence; leaves often bipinnately compound or reduced to phyllodes.

As for their actual flowering times, I have published photos of Wattles in flower in my yard, over the last month, and some others in the bush, near the Boxvale Track, on 12 July.

Here are several Wattle trees in full flower, visible from several hundred metres away. These are probably A. decurrens (amended from A mearnsii - 24.7.09 - DJW), the same ones as I have growing in my backyard. The flowering season, and brilliant golden colour is distinctive from other popular fern-leaved Wattles which grow in this district (as planted, non-endemic).For those interested in researching the world-wide distribution of "Wattles" or "Acacia" species - (the generic name "Acacia" has been subjected to review by taxonomists), Australia has some 993 formally defined species of 1381 species world wide number of species. That is 72 percent of all known species are found in Australia. More significantly we have 975 species (out of 987 species worldwide) in the sub-genus "Phyllodineae" the group of wattles which have flat "false leaves" or "Phyllodes", as distinct from the "true leaved" species - the so-called "fern-leaved wattles". Here is the leaf of one of the so-called fern-leafed Wattles, Acacia decurrens.

Below is a close-up of a Wattle phyllode - it is a flattened stem.
The lower image shows the "gland",
the shape and location of which is distinctive of each different species.

Australia has 98.8% of the world's "flat-leaved" Wattles.

Upper Shoalhaven Valley

North-east of Marulan, near Tallong, the Shoalhaven River cuts through some very complicated geological formations - of limestone (at Bungonia), then metamorphic rocks at Longpoint Lookout, then it heads off into sandstone country, from just past Badgery's Lookout. These lookouts are just on the edge of the western end of the Morton National Park.This huge ugly scar is the Limestone Quarry at Bungonia. This view is seen from Badgery's Lookout, which is actually further away from the quarry than Longpoint Lookout. The machinery and sheds are clearly visible on the right hand side. This is what the Bungonia Quarry looks like from the air.
This is the sight you see from Longpoint Lookout. The Shoalhaven River flows through two huge horseshoe bends, as it flows from the right (west) to left. It is just about to enter the classic Shoalhaven Sandstone country - with near vertical clifflines, such as one sees at Fitzroy Falls. You can see the beginning of such formations on the left of the photo - whereas, in the centre, the hills are steelpy sloping, but not with cliffs - indicating their different metamorphic geology to which I referred. The Limestone geology upon which the Bungonia caves are founded is actually just a couple of kilometres away, but it was out of sight from this point. I could hear the huge machines operating, while at this lookout. It is that close. So, again, that confirms the complex mixture of geological formations in this small area. I had written a reference to the "mighty" Shoalhaven River, but there is very little of it, in truth. But by Australian standards, it is a mighty river valley.
You will realise that I did not come down to this wild and inaccessible spot, just for the view. I was checking out this area for Orchids, of course. I only found Nodding Greenhoods (Pterostylis nutans) in flower, unfortunately.

There were a few plants, some with advanced buds. This plant sometimes forms great colonies, but, alas, not here. It is probably not wet enough for that to happen. This section of the Shoalhaven Valley is in a low rainfall area, and the geology is very rocky and the slopes are very steep - so any rain which does fall runs off almost straight away.
There were some fully mature flowers, such as this one, with the pollinia clearly visible inside the "hood" (galea) of the flower.Another Orchid growing here, but not in flower, is the Dockrillia striolatum (a.k.a. Dendrobium striolatum). In this region, this plant grows predominantly on rocks. The case here, where the roots are within a narrow crack in the rock is a typical manner of growth of this plant - on a vertical rock face. This plant has triangular shaped leaves (in cross section) strangely reminiscent of a "Pigface". The leaves are thickly coated in order to reduce transpiration and to maximise water conservation - which when growing on a vertical rock face, has to be a priority.Here is a photo of a female Grey Kangaroo, with a small joey poking its head out from her pouch, and a youngster (presumably from last year) still at heel with her. These Kangaroos were living on the relatively poor farm lands several kilomentres from the Longpoint Lookout.

Bird Orchids still going strong

I have been away (to Brisbane) and then I have taken a break, to try and catch up with other writing. I have not achieved that goal, but I feel I need the discipline imposed by daily blogging. So I am getting back into it.

Today I am doing an easy blog - another story about the local Bird Orchids out on the Budderoo Plateau. Simpliglottis chlorantha, (a.k.a. Chiloglottis chlorantha), the Wollongong Bird Orchid. It is not found in Wollongong, but rather, up on the Budderoo Plateau, It is described as being located in the general "Knights Hill" area, but as Knights Hill is a basalt intrusion through the Sandstone Plateau, with rainforest habitat, even that locator is misleading. This area is adjacent to the better known Barren Grounds. As with the Barren Grounds, it is a classic Sandstone heathland habitat.

Wollongong Bird Orchid - Simpliglottis chlorantha
The red colour is underneath the "labellum" which is held nearly vertical.

I took Alan Stephenson from ANOS Illawarra to see these plants. At least we found many flowers, with some buds still to come. Alan has a contact, a scientist from the ANU who has studied pollination of Orchids (by pseudo-copulation by certain species of wasps), and he wanted to ascertain that these plants are still flowering, before advising this chap that it is worth the trip here. Well, yes, it should be.

A perfect bud

The "osmophores" (glands) on the Labellum.
The largest glands are red, and very large.
Smaller tall glands in the middle are yellowish green.
At the very front of the labellum is a series of rounded glands.
The largest one, at the front, is heart-shaped, and resembles a small blob of green jelly.

This is a photo of the very first flower I found open (this year), on 19 July 2008. You can see that the leaves have been chewed heavily, presumably by slugs or snails. In this location, one would assume that these would be native creatures. You can see that the plant closes the labellum against the "column" to protect the stigma, once the plant has been pollinated. Judging by how severely this plant has been chewed, that looks like a good survival strategy.

Here is the very same flower, as photographed on 19 July 2008 . You can see the distinctively bent stem (photo taken from a different angle).Here is the side-on view of the same flower, as taken on 19 July 2008 (6 weeks ago). Given that there are still a number of small buds in this little colony of plants, they obviously have a long flowering season.

News for Fungi enthusiasts, plus Slime Moulds

Good News for Fungi enthusiasts.

Don Gover from the Sydney Fungal Studies group sent me a copy of an email from Lee Speedy, the new co-ordinator of FungiMap, which is associated with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. That itself is good news - that they have appointed someone. Or have they attracted yet another volunteer? The world of science would collapse without volunteers, it seems.

Anyway, here is a link to the page where all the Fungimap Newsletters are published. A useful historical resource.

The latest Newsletter, No. 35 - August 2008 has lots of good contact details for State-based groups interested in Fungi, and, best of all, the contacts lists are Australia-wide.
Read it here.

So, Gaye and Mosura and Junior Lepid and Duncan and Gouldiae and Boobook and Mark and Sherryl and Sarah and all you other Aussie Nature Bloggers with an interest in fungi, this is a really useful link. You might just find there are other fungi experts in your backyard who perhaps you didn't know about - or more likely you just didn't quite know how to contact them. This is not actually a list of names or emails, of course, but the various State-based groups are contactable.

Happy fungi hunting!

I shall not be posting for a few days. A planned break, not a collapse, but then again, given how hard I have been working on the Kangaloon Aquifer issue recently, it might be both.

For Sherryl who was discussing Slime Moulds the other day, here are two photos of different stages of one which looks like "dogs vomit". The first is the "motile stage" (mobile) and the second is the spore-forming stage. Effectively these things "crawl" up grass stems or tree trunks until they are high enough to be able to spread their spores. They are mobile, but barely so, - most only move a few inches, but the black-red one was about 1 metre off the ground. But I don't know where it started from - if you get my point.

Anyway, the ability to move or relocate is a "break-through" in evolutionary terms, if you get my drift. These days the Slime Moulds are regarded as their own "kingdom" - not within the Fungi, but Fungi books are the only place you will find easily accessible (or rather comprehensible) information about them.

Some Slime Moulds look like bright yellow or orange blobs and others are like black hairs growing in a group. Very weird creatures, these things.

"Dog Vomit" Slime Mould - "motile stage"

"Dog Vomit" Slime Mould - Spore-producing stage

This is the spore-producing stage of a Slime Mould.
Probably a Stemonitis sp.
Very dark stems, with rich red-brown spores - a very fine powder.
In the forest the whole structure looked almost black.
You had to look closely to see it was like a series of hairs, not a single blob.
This was taken with flash, and lightened slightly so you can make out details.
Click on image to blow it up.

A fairy tale morning in Robertson.

I told you it would be white! It was like a fairy tale morning in Robertson.
The freak weather conditions of snow, sleet and rain, followed closely by a hard frost, made for some gorgeous images of "snice" on leaves and flowers. It also serves to give me a new weather word - "Snice" A combination of snow and ice. It sounds better that the ugly word "snost".

It seems there was not just rain which fell, and froze, which is what I thought last night. People told me today that there was snow and sleet as well as some rain. This is evident in the granules visible on the lower levels of the windscreen of my little blue car. It obviously did fall as crystals, not drops of rain - which would not build up like that.

Here is Lena - looking cold - on the frozen driveway.

The ice on the water in a spare Rubbish Bin shows you it was pretty cold. Ice crystals always make for pretty images - no matter how mundane the container is.

"Snice" on Sasanqua Camellia leaves
- with the first rays of sunlight just touching the leaves.

"Snice" on Polyscias sambucifolia leaves."Snice" on Wattle leaves (Acacia fimbriata "dwarf")

"Snice" on Acacia flower stem
Close-up of "snice" on Acacia flowers.

Of course, such fairytale crystals do not last long in Robertson. I knew it would be worth looking out for, so I set my alarm for an early start. I then went back to bed to warm up, and to recover from a very long night on the computer. I have today posted an important submission on the Kangaloon Aquifer. More about that later.

Storm at sundown - leads to sharp frost at midnight.

Monday evening saw a very loud thunderstorm roll up from out of the Kangaroo Valley. I was sufficiently alarmed to turn off the Computer and TV.
Eventually the storm passed over, and I heard on the radio, about an hour later, that it had dumped a bucket of rain on Wollongong, and was heading into the southern suburbs of Sydney. It was a fast moving storm. We are exactly 100 Km from Sydney (directly - according to the Bureau's Radar Map - which has a neat distance measuring device on it).
Just after Midnight, Lena needed to go out for a wee. She was keen, at first, then stopped on the front verandah, and looked back in some alarm. I went out myself, and realised that the temperature had plummeted. I could hear the frost on the ground crunching under my feet. That is a sound I remember from my days in Canberra.

I grabbed the camera, and obtained this image of a sharp frost on the much cover over the soil - taken with flash, of course. You can see the pinkish red shoots of the herbaceous Peonies (hybrid varieties) at the top of the image.
I imagine there will be a very white frost in the morning. I know Lena will be reluctant to go out then. As we got some rain before the sky cleared off, we will probably have a bit of permafrost, with ice crystals lifting up small stones and the very friable soil here. Brrrrr! Chilly, but pretty.

The Nature of Isaac Hayes

Isaac Hayes did not live in Robertson, but his memory certainly does (in my head). And as death is certainly part of Nature, I am going to post my own personal Obituary to Isaac Hayes.

If you are under 30 - think of Chef from South Park. I am here to tell you that Chef from South Park School has gone to the great kitchen in the sky! Everyone else - think of the highly original musician behind the Theme from "Shaft!" He is credited with introducing "orchestration" into Soul Music.

Read this report and weep - but weep with fond memories!

"In the 1999 interview, Hayes described the South Park cook as "a person that speaks his mind; he's sensitive enough to care for children; he's wise enough to not be put into the 'whack' category like everybody else in town - and he l-o-o-o-o-ves the ladies".

But if you read the full details of this article, you will realise (if you didn't know already) - he worked bloody hard to establish his own style (when it was totally unfashionable).

• He was "rapping" before the kids invented the word.
• He wore more Bling than Mr T ever did, before Mr T was ever heard of.
• He shined shoes (that archetypical "black man's job") back in the early 60s on Beale Street, Nashville - (what else, and where else for an out-of-work musician?)
• Just watch American Basketball and you will see his legacy in the form of the Shaved Head look (especially for African American men). That is not a trivial contribution - for at the time, it was a revolutionary, and politically rebellious look. The fact that it has now become fashionable does not reduce the power of the image, in historical terms.
  

Photo: Isaac in chains - Joel Brodsky
Source: Stax Museum of American Soul Music

He quit South Park in a fuss over them supposedly mocking Scientology - and then the writers killed off Chef - but who cares? The guy lived the dream, wrote and sang the theme from Shaft which is the cooooolest music ever written for popular cinema. He almost single-handedly made being Black fashionable. And he was shameless about "loving the ladies".

Nobody is perfect. Love him or hate him, you have to admit he at least did it with a certain style and panache. In the many different incarnations of Isaac Hayes's career he created many great memories. Some might have turned sour - but that is part of the Nature of Isaac Hayes.