Some less depressing stuff

As we’ve noted before, it’s worth taking a prowl around Department burns, just to observe what happens in the aftermath of a fire. Of course, you need to be careful: as we’ve pointed out, these fires tend to make trees prone to fall over, so it’s worth being super observant.

Fire fungus near Dearden Track. It looks like burning coal, but is smooth and cool to the touch, and is thought to have a repair function in burned ground.

One interesting post fire phenomenon is the outbreak of fire fungus, Pyronema omphalodes. There’s quite a bit near the junction of Dearden Track and the water race. It’s a fascinating life form, and worth brooding over:

In addition: readers may remember that we complained to Coliban Water last year about the spraying of the water race verges, which completely destroyed large areas of several pea species, including Purple Coral Pea and Trailing Shaggy pea. The authority was completely unable to explain this exercise in pointless vandalism. Fortunately some of these plants have made a partial recovery, and we may yet get some good flower displays along the race in spring.