With the start of Winter, life in the forest shifts into low gear. The photos below provide a glimpse, including a hint as to our current preoccupations.
There are few insects on the move, and birds are either frantically searching for a feed, or they are not to be seen at all. In fact, it's not uncommon to wander the forest for an hour and hardly see a bird, even during the warmest part of the day.
The small, insect eaters will go to any lengths to secure a meal. Every tree and bush gets a regular working over. There really is nowhere to hide for small moths.
Acanthiza pusilla
The small, insect eaters will go to any lengths to secure a meal. Every tree and bush gets a regular working over. There really is nowhere to hide for small moths.
Acanthiza pusilla
The small, insect eaters will go to any lengths to secure a meal. Every tree and bush gets a regular working over. There really is nowhere to hide for small moths.
Acanthiza pusilla
unknown species - but that might change, if I don’t tire of feeding them before they grow and pupate
There were several of these tiny (<5mm long), velvety beetles crawling about a fungus-covered log.
Lemodes coccinea
Order: Coleoptera; Family: Anthicidae
The brilliant red hairs shimmer and glisten, but with a defined pattern of circles.
Lemodes coccinea
Order: Coleoptera; Family: Anthicidae
Rain during May revitalised the bush. Epacris and Correa are adding splashes or colour, and food for the Eastern Spinebills.
The ground never dries now. It is wet from the rain, and then the heavy condensation doesn't evaporate in the shade of the forest.
This is the perfect time of year for mushrooms! So, with few insects to play with, we've decided to tackle fungi ID. It's a question of: colour; size & shape; smell; what it grows on (some grow on poo!); and, finally, the spores.
No shortage of challenges ahead!
This common, clumping fungus grows on buried dead wood, such as old tree roots. The greenish gills make it easy to recognise - and it’s poisonous!
Hypholoma fasciculare
Fungi; Agaricales
If you find a bunch of large, overlapping mushrooms bursting from the soil, with rust-coloured spores and a ‘veil’ covering the gills when young - it’s probably a Cortinarius sp. This may be the largest genus of agaric mushrooms, with 2000 species worldwide!
Fungi; Agaricales
The wettest parts of the forest floor are covered in tiny, bell-shaped mushrooms on long, thin stems. They are simply everywhere. And they come in varying combinations of brown and cream. Some Mycena species are brilliant red or blue … I’ll keep looking!
Fungi; Agaricales
These stunning, tiny mushrooms are almost global - occurring throughout tropical and temperate regions. The fungus grows on dead wood.
Cyptotrama asprata
Fungi; Order: Agaricales
The mushrooms begin as tiny, fuzzy, brightly coloured balls.
Cyptotrama asprata
Fungi; Order: Agaricales
There is something quite un-fungus like about these mushrooms!
Cyptotrama asprata
Fungi; Order: Agaricales
A tiny, golden-headed mushroom that grows on herbivore poo. It’s a cosmopolitan species, probably introduced to Australia with livestock.
Fungi; Agaricales
Collected from Dung Roundhead, growing on wombat poo. The fungus is doing a good job!
scale bar = 10um (1/100th mm)
The colour, shape and size of spores can help identify a fungus. Many are ‘white’, such as these.
scale bar = 10um (1/100th mm)
We collect the spores by placing a piece of the fungus onto a microscope slide. In just a few hours, the fungus dries and drops the mature spores.
scale bar = 10um (1/100th mm)
We then add a drop of water, a coverslip, and view using a high-power compound microscope, with a camera attached. Paul is making good use of technical skills honed during his research career!
scale bar = 10um (1/100th mm)
From August into early September: the forest comes to life with a burst of flowering, the emergence of insects and reptiles, and the breeding frenzy of birds.
The seasonal transformation begins in August, and with each passing week we welcome arrivals. Here is a compilation of my favourite sightings from the past two months.
A look at some of the activity in the forest and its adjacent river in the cooler months of the year.
As autumn draws to a close, we look at the changes this season has brought to a wide range of organisms in the forest - the completion of some life cycles, the beginning of others.
December through February: the hunters, the flies, familiar faces and several exciting firsts for our home list
In just two short weeks life in the forest has transformed. Flowers are blooming everywhere, insects are reappearing en masse.
