Excursion Report – Ryland’s Scrub, Woogaroo Forest, Bellbird Park, held Sun 27 July
Sixteen members and two visitors came to this interesting scrub on a cool and windy but sunny day. We were welcomed by Keith McCosh, a local resident and chair of Fassifern Field Naturalists, who gave some of the history of the Rylance scrub and the surrounding Woogaroo forest, much of which is proposed to be cleared for a massive housing development. Keith is part of a local group that is campaigning to stop the development.
Rylance Scrub is a rare remnant of lowland subtropical rainforest, comprising low microphyll vine forest on sedimentary rock with Araucaria cunninghamii (Hoop pine) and semi-evergreen vine thicket growing under Gum-topped Box, Eucalyptus moluccana and ironbarks, E. crebra. E. siderophloia and E. fibrosa. It is described as regional ecosystem (RE) 12.9-10.15, which is listed as Endangered, with only 5,000 ha (13%) of the original 39,000 ha remaining.
Other larger trees included five Flindersia spp, including Crow’s Ash, F. australis, as well as Corymbia citriodora. Seventeen vines were identified, including Blood vine, Austrosteenisia blackii and Knot Vine, Hippocratea barbarata. Thirty-six understory shrubs were identified, including Silver Croton, Croton insularis, Solanum densevestitum and Veiny Denhamia, Denhamia pittosporoides. One mistletoe, the Alphitonia Mistletoe, Amyema conspicua, was quite conspicuous in an Alphitonia!
Ten herbs, grasses ferns and briophytes were identified, and a striking Ruffle lichen. Despite the wind and cold, a number of invertebrates were out and about, including a Caper Gull butterfly, a Green Lacewing and an Assassin Bug. The sun caught a blue luminescence in the web of an Open Holed Trapdoor Spider, which had us all guessing until David Bouchard noticed dying Lantana nearby, which had presumably been sprayed with a blue coloured herbicide!
Peter Woodall spied a Black Kite flying over and a total of 16 birds were identified and posted to eBird.
Click on the links below for a complete plant list and selected images of insects and plants seen:
Insect and plant images – Ryland’s Scrub Excursion