Griffith Mates joined us again this week to help restore the forest, Walking from Mt Gravatt Campus showed the students were interested in everything from the Rainbow Lorikeet disappearing into a tree hollow to the Native Raspberries just starting to flower alongside the track.
Today the team worked in Zone 21 weeding the site cleared and replanted for National Tree Day 2017.
Site prepared for planting July 2017Site November 2025
Only a small group of five but they worked like ten clearing weed grass.
Local families and people from far and wide have come to help build a Wildlife Corridor through your school.
This volunteer work has been going on, once a month, since Feb 2012, so that is 13 years !
Last year I was not available to lead the Bush Care due to caring for my Mother up north. However every other year we have made it a monthly priority to commit time, money and energy ; to bringing Wildlife Colour and Movement to our Neighborhood and your School grounds.
Today is World Biodiversity Day ! When Biodiversity has a problem, Humanity has a problem !
The Mount Gravatt Environment Group looks forward to continuing our Social and Environmental Partnership with MG SHS; planting/ building “homes and supermarkets” for your local birds, bees and butterflies through engaging locals and students.
Chinese Elm Celtis sinensis and Ochna Ochna serrulata are two Brisbane’s troublesome environmental weeds that have seeds that are spread by birds eating the fruit. Both called woody weeds they are very difficult to remove as their extensive root systems get a hold.
Leigh loved using the Tree Popper so I spotted a small Yellow Bells Tecoma stans needing removal. Ironically I saw these attractive trees in flower in a park when I visited Quito in Ecuador where they occur naturally.
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Pauline with her pile of Corky Passion Vines
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Another team member Pauline focused on another of our troublesome weeds Corky Passion Vine Passiflora suberosa which is currently covered in fruit which will be eaten and spread by birds.
One hundred and fifty trees, shrubs, vines and grasses planted to restore a special bird habitat.
We were joined by the wonderful Yang family: Roger, Maggie, Zoe and Ziv whose hard work was key what we achieved for future of our forest birds. The family all enjoyed the morning especially learning about our local native plants.
Benno is another hard working volunteer that loves our forest.
Stage one restoration – weed removal – 22 Oct 2024
Council Natural Areas delivered mulch ready for planting
Coucal Corner is a special part of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve on the north face and beside the new walking connecting the Goodenia and Summit Tracks. (No yet marked on walking map.)
Council contractors also cleared weeds and placed a thick layer of mulch on the slope ready for replanting with local native species that provide food for butterflies and shelter for small birds..
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As part of our regular Tuesday Bushcare the team planted thirty nine plants including trees, shrubs, vines and grasses.
A nice cool morning in the forest and eleven volunteers came together to attack the invasion of Cobbler’s Pegs Bidens pilosa and Corky Passionvine Passiflora suberosa.
Eloise and Bettina have been coming every week volunteering as part of their work towards their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
Eloise found a Yam Hawkmoth Theretra nessuscaterpillar. Easily identified as a Hawkmoth by the horn on it’s tail.
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Melanitis leda Evening Brown
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We also have two volunteers who just finished their Masters of Conservation Biology at University of Queensland, Denise and Max.
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Denise in particular wants to learn about everything from the curious Melanitis leda Evening Brown caterpillar with its two horns …
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… to the way Ottochloa gracillima Graceful Grass: food plant for the Evening Brown, is forming Living Mulch reducing evaporation and keeping the ground cool supporting the soil microbiology.
We are finding increasing evidence that our work in Fox Gully Bushcare is making a difference. I photographed this young Square-tailed Kite Lophoictinia isura at Bushcare on Tuesday. The Kite parents have been nesting in the same trees for a few years now and apex predictors like these will only breed if there is food available.
So it is nice to receive acknowledgment from Lord Mayor Schrinner.
Our mountain community is hurting after two Koala Mums and Joeys were hit on Mt Gravatt Outlook Drive in the last week.
The first was found early morning having been hit at night. Koala Mum, Angela, didn’t make it, she died leaving Joey Monty an orphan in care.
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A couple of days later a second Mum, Myra, was hit on the road and taken to the Koala Hospital were she was discovered to be lactating.
Click on image to watch rescue
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Alerted, my neighbours, Miranda and Scott started the search for Myra’s joey. No success. so my neighbours returned to the search at night. A glimpse of eye shine alerted Miranda and the joey was located high in a tree beside the road.
Proud rescuers … wide smiles.
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Time to call in the rescue at height experts. A real community effort. High lift fire brigade bucket trucks arrived: Luna from Roma Street and Juliette from Wishart Station.
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Yasha wrapped up safe.
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Yasha was wrapped up warm to help manage shock and taken to hospital.
The story has a happy ending … Yasha was reunited with Mum the next morning.
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Unfortunately even though the speed limit on the mountain has been reduced to 40 kph there still too many incidents with koalas being hit by speeding cars and increasing reports of dangerous hooning on the road at night.
Community members are concerned that the gate is not being closed at night. Shutting the gate at night not only dramatically reduced hooning it also had a dramatic impact on the volume of rubbish collected at Clean Up Australia:
I am getting reports that the gate is not being closed at night at all which would explain the speeding cars at night and tragedies like the death of Monty’s Mum.
My understanding is that closing the gate is manged by contract staff. So does this mean we are not receiving the service Council pays for on our behalf? Local community member Vicky has committed to regularly monitoring the gate closure times.
You can help by calling the Council Call Centre on 07 3403 8888 to lodge a request for the gate to be closed at night.
Named for the beautiful Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus that lived in scrubby weeds, this special site deserves restoration for these special birds.
Today we started clearing the weed grass off the slope and creating a swale to manage water runoff. This keeps the nutrients on site and reduces the volume of greenwaste going to the dump.
At our first working bee onsite in 2022 we planted two hundred and fifty local grasses, vines, shrubs and trees.
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We are already finding insects returning including a new species to add to Flora and Fauna of the Reserve.
Mount Gravatt Environment Group 
