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Timely advice from our chairman

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It is likely that we are facing an extended period of home isolation, which will be challenging for all of us.

I suggest we all try to get some exercise by taking frequent walks around the parklands, individually or in family groups, always being mindful of social distancing.

The conditions are currently excellent for outdoor exercise, but also for the growth of weeds!

I have been taking gloves and a pair of secateurs or a folding pruning saw with me on these excursions and cutting back some of the more vigorous weed vines. Balloon vine, glycine and Madeira vine are particularly rampant at the moment, with the latter now in flower. Madeira vine rarely – if ever – produces seed here. It propagates from tubers produced in leaf axils . We always make sure where Madeira vine occurs to collect any stem material or tubers in plastic bags for disposal. Underground tubers should be lifted with care and taken away in bags too.

Madeira vine tubers (courtesy Bryan Hacker)

So take a walk and check for weeds! This way we can all contribute to environmental protection while staying fit and healthy!

New platform for our website

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The MCCG website has recently moved to a new platform.

We are hoping the migration is seamless and that you do not notice any changes.

If you notice anything unexpected or any errors on the site, we’d be grateful if you could send an email to:  [email protected].

We thank you for visiting our website and hope you find the content interesting and useful!

It takes more than trees to sustain birdlife

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We all know that birds love trees.

But in fact they need a lot more than trees in order to secure adequate food, shelter and safe havens for breeding.

Open Jim Butler’s March issue of Feather Fascination in which he shares a story that features the prolonged creation of inappropriate bird habitat.

Magpie Lark feed its young in a tree – photo courtesy Malcolm Frost

Do you have ring-shaped spots on your pawpaws?

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ALERT: Papaya ringspot virus poses a serious threat to  Queensland’s $25 million papaya (or pawpaw, or papaw) industry, which is located mostly in the north.

To protect our papaya production areas, two papaya ringspot biosecurity zones have been created to stop the disease from spreading.

Check the Business Queensland website to see which zone you are in before you move your pawpaw/papaya plants or seeds.

Tilapia

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MCCG Chairman Jim Pope took these photos of fish at the ‘swimming hole’ in the part of Moggill Creek that flows through parklands adjacent to Creekside Street, Kenmore Hills.

The fish are Tilapia, Oreochromis mossambica.

This is an introduced species, declared as noxious under the Fisheries Act. Unfortunately they are now known to be present in most streams in southeast Queensland. The local strain of tilapia is actually a hybrid mix of several tilapia species, but for fishery purposes they are regarded simply as O. mossambica.

Tilapia grow to 40cm in length, but are most common at about 25cm. There is considerable colour variation between males, females and juveniles. They will breed up to enormous concentrations, especially in dams and lagoons, often to the detriment of native fishes. The males develop bright red fin markings when in breeding condition and build nests for spawning in spring and summer.

As a noxious species, it is illegal to keep, exchange, sell, or return Tilapia to the wild. There are heavy penalties for non-compliance and it is recommended that if any are caught that they should be humanely killed and disposed of.

On a camping safari to East Africa, Jim ate Tilapia that had been caught in Lake Victoria and can vouch that they are very good eating!

Many thanks to Jeff Johnson from the Queensland Museum for confirming the identification and providing much of the above information. More information is available on this Department of Agriculture and Fisheries webpage.

Return to Feral Animals

Ticks

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Ticks can be bad in warm humid periods.  Apart from the annoyance of itchy bites, some people are allergic to ticks, so it’s worth knowing more about them, and particularly about removing them!

Note that although the method below has been found to be effective, readers need to satisfy themselves as to the effectiveness and side effects of the method.  MCCG does not claim to have any particular expertise in this field.

The following advice was published in the MCCG Summer Newsletter 2011, and matches that provided here by the Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy:

There are various ways to manage ticks, once attached, but a few years ago we adopted a method suggested by a doctor at Royal Brisbane Hospital and found it very easy and successful. You simply give the tick a couple of squirts with Aerostart and the tick dies within a few seconds. Very convenient! The earlier you squirt, the better, preferably without touching or poking it first because it will inject less of the foreign protein which causes a reaction. If it’s a small one (an early stage;some people don’t realise they are baby ticks), you don’t need to remove it. Larger ones can be removed with fine forceps once dead (no leg waving after a gentle poke), grasping where the ‘beak’ enters the skin. There’s no urgency to do that.

Aerostart is sold for starting recalcitrant two-stroke motors and can be purchased at SupaCheap Auto and such places.  WARNING: Aerostart is petroleum ether. It is flammable and an anaesthetic. USE IN A VENTILATED PLACE & AWAY FROM FLAME. It works very quickly because the ether dissolves the tick’s waxy cuticle and permeates the tick.

It’s only the female tick that sucks your blood. The males have a smaller rostrum (‘beak’) and you may find them crawling over you looking for a female with which to mate, or to feed on it. The life cycle varies a bit between years but, in general, tiny larvae (pinhead size, with 6 legs) hatch from eggs in late summer/ autumn. After their first feed they moult to a nymph (8 legs) and moult again after a second feed to become an adult. Fully fed females fall off a host in summer as a sac full of hundreds of eggs. If you are unlucky enough to sit where these eggs have hatched, e.g. in long grass, you may collect many dozens of tiny dark tick larvae, all having their first feed.

Aerostart is then magic; spray the affected area and kill the lot.

To avoid getting a tick in the first place, ‘Rid’ seems to be the best repellent.

The Queensland Museum has a downloadable Fact Sheet which can be found on the resources page of their web site (but it advises killing ticks with an insecticide, which is very slow!).


The photo shows a collection of ticks. Most are on their backs. The males are on the right, and their smaller ‘beaks’ can be seen.

Other sources of official advice tend to stick to the use of tweezers or insecticides.  See for instance:

Queensland Health

Department of Entomology Sydney University

Department of Health NSW

Return to Feral Animals

Fire Ants

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It’s important to identify and report any infestations of fire ants on your property. These ants are a serious threat to our environment and to our way of life.

The Queensland Government is actively involved in measures to prevent the spread of these introduced pests.

See here for further details, including how to identify fire ants and what to do if you find an infestation.

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Richmond Birdwing Butterfly

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The spectacular Richmond birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera richmondia) is the largest butterfly in South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales.

The colourful male has a wingspan of 12-13cm, with a black body, brilliant green stripes and spots on both sides of its wings, green patches on its hind wings and a bright red splash on its thorax.

©  Paul Wright

Declining populations

Sadly the numbers of this strikingly beautiful insect have been in decline since the late1880’s. Its numbers and its geographical range have contracted alarmingly.  In Queensland it is now listed as a vulnerable species.

The reasons for its decline are both man-made and natural. The ideal habitat for these butterflies is in lowland subtropical rainforests where the birdwing butterfly vine (Pararistolochia praevenosa and P. Laheyana) is available to support the butterflies during their immature stages as larvae.

Birdwing butterfly vine © RBCN

Habitat loss

The destruction of habitat to make way for forestry, agriculture and urban development has decimated wide areas of habitat for these butterflies, particularly in south-east Queensland.  

Pararistolochia praevenosa has been displaced by many exotic vines but one exotic in particular has had a devastating effect on local populations.

The Dutchman’s pipe vine (Aristolochia elegans) is an exotic species introduced from South America. It is similar in appearance to Pararistolochia praevenosa and attracts the female butterflies who lay their eggs on its leaves. Those leaves are highly toxic to any larvae which emerge. Sadly Dutchman’s pipe is more attractive to female butterflies than Pararistolochia praevenosa. Despite efforts to eradicate it, Dutchman’s pipe continues to thrive in gardens. It has escaped and now proliferates many bushland and waterway areas. It is very prevalent in the western suburbs of Brisbane.

Periodic instances of prolonged drought have also damaged habitat, reducing the availability of soft leaves for food and denying essential moisture from growing pupae. The net result has been the isolation of a number of viable Richmond Birdwing Butterfly populations, leading to in-breeding due to population decline. In many areas, local populations have become entirely extinct.

A united conservation effort

For the past thirty years or so, a group of conservationists led by Dr Don Sands have quietly been tracking South East Queensland Richmond birdwing butterfly populations, re-establishing Pararistolochia praevenosa vines and removing Aristolochia elegans. Their efforts have paid off with a resurgence of the butterfly in the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast hinterland regions.

Now the focus is on Brisbane. In an outstanding demonstration of collaboration many conservation groups and local residents have united with Brisbane City Council and the Richmond Birdwing Conservation Network (RBCN) in a determined effort to save the Richmond birdwing butterfly from extinction within the Brisbane environs.

In 2017 the “Bringing the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly Back to Brisbane” project was launched.

This is one of several projects which aim to systematically map the spread of Aristolochia elegans, map the current range and future range of the Richmond birdwing butterfly as a result of climate change, as well as co-ordinating  plantings of Pararistolochia praevenosa in “corridors” throughout Brisbane.

The intention is that these “corridors” will allow separate colonies to breed and thrive, encouraging the likelihood of mating between non-related insects to produce stronger, more viable populations. Several corridors have been identified as being critical to the survival of the Richmond birdwing vine and butterfly. These include sites in the Gold and Sunshine Coast hinterlands and in the western suburbs of Brisbane.

The MCCG and residents of the catchment are contributing greatly to help establish these corridors. The aim is to join up with current and future plantings in other council areas both north and south of Brisbane.

Cody Hochen is a Wildlife Conservation Partnerships Officer with Brisbane City Council. He has provided the MCCG with a wonderful description of the project, its goals and successes so far (January 2019).

To read Cody’s article, please click here: Bringing back the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly

What YOU can do to help

There are MANY things you can do to help bring back the Richmond birdwing butterfly.

You can plant Pararistolochia praevenosa vines to attract larvae and remove Aristolochia elegans in your own garden or you can volunteer to join bushcare groups who work in wider areas. Pararistolochia praevenosa requires moisture, so there is often a call out for volunteers to water vines during dry spells.

There are a number of species you can plant which will attract adult Richmond birdwings as well. For more info, please see the following guide produced by the Richmond Birdwing Conservation Network: Australian Nectar Plants for Adult RBB

Other activities you can join include:

  • Restoring Richmond birdwing habitats
  • Supporting scientific research
  • Hands-on school projects
  • Creating flagship corridors by planting vines
  • Educational publications
  • Removing Dutchman’s pipe vines.

The Richmond Birdwing Conservation Network has a wealth of information to help you find you a part to play. Call them on 3844 0129 or visit their website or Facebook page (highly recommended!)

Or, for starters, refer to the following fact sheets:

Let’s bring back the Richmond birdwing butterfly!

 

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Butterfly attracting plants

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Specific local butterflies need specific native plants – not for themselves as beautiful flower-sipping adults, but for their caterpillar leaf-munching stage.

You can attract butterflies to your garden simply by selecting the right plants!

Some butterflies, like the Chequered Swallowtail, have only one local host plant, while others have more options.

The Orchard Swallowtail, for example, uses a wide range of native and exotic citrus trees and does particularly well on all the Flindersia species in our area. The Blue Triangle also has choices in local laurels such as Cryptocarya species and Neolitsea dealbata.

Some plants host more than one butterfly species. A good example is Native Mulberry, Pipturus argenteus, a small tree which supports a lot of wildlife including Speckled Line Blue and Jezebel Nymph butterflies.

Surprisingly, the small herb, Love Flower, Pseuderanthemum variabile, hosts quite large butterflies – the Leafwing and Varied Eggfly.

So, planting local native plants is a great way to entice colourful butterflies into your garden or bit of bush!

Below is a short list of some local native plants with the colourful butterflies they attract:

Scientific Tree Name Common Name Butterfly
Alphitonia Pink ash, Soap Tree for Small Green-banded Blues
Breynia oblongifolia Breynia for Large Grass Yellows
Citrus australis Native lime for Dainty Swallowtails
Cryptocarya triplinervis Three-veined laurel for Blue Triangles
Cullen tenax Emu foot for Chequered Swallowtails
Flindersia australis  Crows Ash for Orchard Swallowtails
Lomandra longifolia Lomandra for Splendid Ochre Skippers

Pipturus argenteus

 Native mulberry for Jezebel Nymphs & Speckled Line Blues

Senna acclinis

 Brush Senna for Yellow Migrants

For more information about butterflies see:

For information about free plants for MCCG members, please visit our Nursery page.

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About Lepidoptera

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Butterflies and moths belong to the scientific order of Lepidoptera, which means “scaly wings”.

The Latin name originates from thin scales which cover the insects’ bodies and wings, giving rise to their spectacular colours. It is thought that the scales have evolved as protection against spider’s webs. Both butterflies and moths have six legs and the three main body parts of head, thorax and abdomen.

Butterflies and moths undergo metamorphosis during their lifetimes. What we know as caterpillars are generally butterfly larvae. This is followed by the pupal stage of development,often characterised by a cocoon for moths and chrysalids for butterflies.

Adults generally have two pairs of wings and tubular-shaped mouthparts which have evolved to enable the insects to drink flower nectar, sap and various liquids to maintain their energy stores.

Although butterflies and moths are closely related, there are some differences between the two:

  • Moths are nocturnal whilst butterflies are active during the day
  • When butterflies are resting, they hold their wings vertically above their body, whilst moths will rest with their wings laying flat  
  • Butterflies have a thickened knob or club at the end of their antennae; moths do not have any structures at the end of their antennae, which are thinner and more thread-like than the butterfly’s antennae
  • The wings of most moths are linked by a frenulum – a bristle-like structure, which is absent in butterflies 

It is said that moths are more dull than butterflies. If you take a look at our online Butterfly Field Guide, you may wish to differ!

A Heliotrope moth © Ed Frazer

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