Category Archives: Nature Observations

Burning boronias

Posted on 26 October, 2014 by fobif

Last week DEPI conducted a management burn in the area designated Fryerstown Block 5, a 44 hectare roughly triangular block between the Campbells Creek Irishtown Road and the Chewton-Vaughan road [see map below]. The fire was designated Asset Protection: the … Continue reading →

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Now, what’s this about Gough’s Range?

Posted on 10 October, 2014 by fobif

Not too many people visit Gough’s Range State Forest, roughly midway between Welshman’s Reef and Maldon. This small [161 ha] forest will be getting a few extra visitors in the 2016-17 management burning season, however. It’s down for a DEPI … Continue reading →

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Here we go again

Posted on 6 October, 2014 by fobif

The cup moth [Doratifera] grub is at it again: the damage perhaps a bit patchier than the last infestation. The grub is pretty undiscriminating in its appetite, but appears to prefer stringybarks [Eucalyptus macrohyncha] in our area. The Bendigo Field … Continue reading →

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The time to get out is NOW

Posted on 21 September, 2014 by fobif

It’s always a good time to get out for a stroll in our bushlands: all seasons have their appeal. Arguably, though, this year seems to be peaking right now for orchids and wildflowers. Given that we’ve had a pretty dry … Continue reading →

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Heave ho! Weightlifter goes for gold

Posted on 3 August, 2014 by fobif

You often see fungi thrusting up through soil crust, but mushrooms heaving rocks out of the way are less common. The photo below shows one such effort. We weighed the stone at 725 grams! Fungi often perform remarkable weightlifting feats. … Continue reading →

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Why we should like ants

Posted on 10 July, 2014 by fobif

‘I like ants and this talk is about why you should like ants.’ That’s how entomologist Alex Wild started his talk to his audience of 140 at the Newstead Landcare event on Sunday. In a hugely entertaining talk, peppered with … Continue reading →

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Floods: here’s why

Posted on 25 June, 2014 by fobif

Floods can be complicated, but the fundamental cause isn’t: water falls from the sky in volumes too big to be confined within watercourses. These overflow onto flood plains. That’s it. There can be additional factors, of course: if vegetation in … Continue reading →

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Celebrating Australia

Posted on 25 January, 2014 by fobif

We don’t want to enter the debates that sometimes swirl around Australia Day. But here’s something Australian we can definitely celebrate: a small group of Silver Banksias flourishing near Forest Creek in Happy Valley. Readers of our October 2013 Post … Continue reading →

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Jaw breaker

Posted on 7 November, 2013 by fobif

Walkers in the local bush from Fryers Ridge to Porcupine Ridge and up to Castlemaine have recently been noticing a beautiful small moth hovering around spring flowers. Its very challenging name is Pollanisus viridipulverulenta–apparently we can blame the name on … Continue reading →

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Bully

Posted on 5 November, 2013 by fobif

Spring: great for wildflowers—and for weeds. We have a wide selection in our region, and villain of the month this November is Briza maxima. Quaking grass. Blowfly grass. Bee grass. And many other names. It’s a native of the Mediterranean … Continue reading →

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