Our squirrel glider colony was captured on video as part of our National Schools Tree Day activities on July 29th, 2016. Groups of Holland Park SHS Year 12 students took part in a site walk-through with their teachers and Ekibin Creek Bushcare volunteers. As well as noting the glider colony …
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This self-sown native grass is doing well at Ekibin Creek. In some areas with established shade it forms large mats. These form a comprehensive ground cover which excludes introduced grasses and other weeds. We have also found it growing well in newly cleared areas such as the 2015 Tree Day …
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Asparagus plant (sometimes erroneously called a 'fern') is a serious environmental weed. Ekibin Creek has a limited number of outbreaks, probably released from dumped garden refuse or from visiting birds dropping seed. A confusing variety of plants from the genus Asparagus are non-native environmental weeds in Australia. This outbreak, which …
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While clearing an outbreak of Madeira vine from a young eucalyptus tree, our BCC Land for Wildlife officer, Nick Swanson, spotted this phasmid hidden in the foliage. The camouflage this stick insect uses is remarkable as it blends into the leaves that it has already eaten. Australia has around 150 …
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This track from Bapaume Road that the school kids take on the way to the oval tells a story. On one side the Ekibin Creek Bushcare group has regenerated natural bushland while the other has been left alone to fend for itself. To the right you can see native grasses …
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This young tree was covered in monkey vine (Parsonsia straminea) before we cleared it as part of our Tree Day preparations. It is probably a swamp box (Lophostemon suaveolens) that has naturally spread from the surrounding forest. You can see what would have been its fate if the monkey vine …
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Our squirrel gliders (Petaurus norfolcensis seem to be doing well in their nest box. According to wikipedia, they live in colonies of one male, two females plus offspring. It is hard to tell from this tangle of bodies, but this seems to be the case. We have another next box …
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This giant Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis) is the largest tree on the site and close to the maximum size for this species. Before land clearing that occurred during European settlement, it would have been common in this area. This specimen may have survived the early clearing (possibly as a …
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Ekibin Creek is still running, but only as a trickle on the surface. With the extended warm period since summer and very little rain, the creek has broken up into a series of waterholes. It is likely that the water that is flowing is from human activity further upstream. Still …
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We have been slowly dealing with a very large bougainvillea vine over the last few years. It was probably grown as an ornamental, next to the (now demolished) farmhouse about a century ago. In the intervening years it grew extensively, even infiltrating the canopy of nearby eucalyptus trees. As well …
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