I was in the mood to tackle some lantana today but as always, priorities changed. As I walked past ‘site A’ I was disturbed by the density of privet. Lantana contributes but it is the privet that has taken hold at this location. I had previously cleared this area and for this reason, there is numerous young natives popping up. Sandpaper fig, bleeding heart, pittosporum and others are there but their life is hard when they are amongst this:
Privet taking over…
So I started removing the privet with the weed puller which I had luckily brought with me. While the privet is a big problem, I found it easier to deal with than in the past because most of it was still young and had not fully established itself. Another twelve months and it will be notably harder, I believe.
This is the first patch I cleared:
The raft grew quickly
After lunch I moved along the track and tackled any privet I noticed. I finally got to the bank on the south side of Second fall… it was mostly just small privet.
Most of the privet gone but there is still a large privet tree which requires some climbing to get to
Past ‘Site A’, I found some natives amongst the fishbone fern so it was worth while to deal with that directly.
Young elderberry panax and pittosporum now free from fishbone fern
I decided it would be more efficient to move downhill and clear the privet from underneath. However, I found the ol’ fallen sandpaper fig to still be being harassed by privet and lantana so I spent the rest of the day at that spot. There is three or four poison peach trees in that location as well so I did my best to help those out.
After clearing privet and lantana from the sandpaper fig and the peach trees.
One of the poison peach trees is a good five meters tall now.
There is still more to do for the ol’ fallen sandpaper tree. I think I will start here next week.
With the weekend filling up, I only had a few hours for this week’s working bee. I had grandiose plans of clearing the track upto Site A and then doing most of Site A but that was just dreaming I had realised after an hour or so. Still I was happy to give some native plants some clearance from the fishbone fern.
I spent some time again on the track coming up from Second fall. It is a mess but if I remember back to what I started with, I can be happy at how its going. Whenever some space is made in the fishbone fern, the natives use the opportunity to get started.
Before I started…
Fishbone fern making it hard for everything else
After pushing back the fishbone fern
Track to Site A quite usable again
The smaller sandpaper figs should get a boost from this. There was also some other species of trees which I believe are native but I am yet to identify them with certainty.
This amount of clearing took about an hour to do. At that pace I should be able to get a sizable chunk of Site A done if I can get a 3-4 hr session done.
Another productive working bee today. It’s been great to do bush regeneration lately. The ground gets regular soakings which makes removing plants like fishbone fern far easier and more effective as more of the roots are pulled up with the plant.
My focus is still on getting the tracks in better shape.
Monstera spreading along the boundary and climbing nearby trees
I started once again with the start of the track where the monstera has dominated for decades. I typically ignore this location but monstera is undeniably spreading and so needed some attention.
I have been clearing a bit of monstera and other exotics from this area each week. I don’t clear it completely as there are water dragons and land mullets that live in this area and I would not be surprised if they use the monstera as cover.
Monstera is relatively easy to control so it is still a low priority for now.
This guy loves to wait until I am right beside it before it takes off in a rush. Gets me almost every time! It was worst today as he was on a rock at eye level as I was moving past.
Water dragon under the monstera canopy
My daughter and I wanted to explore the ground under a nearby currawong nest as I had seen a Channel billed cuckoo near the nest and I was wondering if the currawong’s egg had been evicted. Unfortunately, the area under the nest was just too messy and boggy to search. On the way there and back though, I noticed more Gahnia and young pittosporums struggling against the fishbone fern. Hence, that turned into the next spot to work on. The image below shows my efforts.
After clearing the fishbone fern the pittosporum, Gahnia and false bracken can now be seen
This ‘track’ down the hill leads to the Gahnia. I want to avoid this situation as it is not obvious how people would walk through that Gahnia without causing too much damage.
Track down the Gahnia
So, to avoid this issue, I cleared the fishbone fern from between trees before the Gahnia. Now people will be able to walk onto the rocks at that level and will be able to cross the creek easily.
Doing this lead me to discover a new instance of a native grass (name?) I have seen near Second fall. I cleared around that, around the swamp lilly I found last week and around the native olive tree at the same location.
I was then able to use my newly created track to find my way down to Second fall and up the track towards Site A where I found more natives that needed freeing from fishbone fern. This is the track at present:
I was out of gas at this point but there is quite a bit to do at this location.This image shows (not clearly) many small sandpaper figs and a Clerodendrum that are struggling against the fishbone fern. This will be a priority for upcoming working bees.
A number of sandpaper figs starting growing after this area was previously cleared but since then, it is struggling against the fishbone fern.
Site A is also in a bad way. Not much can grow here until the fishbone fern makes way…
A quick session today as other commitments call. My focus is once again to make some more usable tracks. My intention is to get things to the point where I can walk to most areas throughout the reserve without have to hack or climb my way there.
Just like the last few weeks, my first step is to clear the track besides the monstera on the upper level. From the photo, it still looks unusable, but after personally walking this section, it is a great track with a relatively gentle walkable slope and handholds where necessary. I suspect it was previously used as a track until the monstera grew over it.
After this section is a bit of a track down to the Gahnia…
I hummed and hawed at this point though as I don’t want to encourage people to trample the Gahnia at the bottom. I have an alternative in mind so I have left this for now. It was interesting to find a swamp lilly and observe the native olive (I believe…) which the currawong has been loving so much.
Swamp lilly was struggling against the fishbone fern so is quite deformed
This native olive is slowly getting bigger over the years
My intention is to let the track cross the creek before the Gahnia stretch and then go along the south bank to second fall before crossing back over to the north side.
I still had some privet left to clear to allow this to happen.
I was happy to see the regrowth going well on the south side at Second fall. There is quite a few small native trees that I am happy to see. Elderberry panax, Blueberry ash, Sweet laurel, Hairy clerodendrum, Cheese tree and native olive off the top of my head. You can see a few of these in this photo:
Some young blueberry ash and Elderberry Panax have popped up
On the northern side of second fall, things are also going well. It looks messy but most of the competing species are meant to be there with the exception of the fishbone fern. I have previously pruned back the fishbone fern rather than fully remove it as it is a precarious location and I have concerns about erosion. I believe it was the way to go but of course, it will always be there until I treat it more fully. That is hard as the location is quite tricky to access.
It looks messy but it is going in the right direction
Looking up from Second fall to First fall, the scenery is quite delightful. I have a personal goal that I will one day be able to take this photo without thinking about the weeds that need to be removed.
At present, the swedish ivy, fishbone fern and palm grass stop me from fully appreciating this scene.
In previous years I had cleared a track from Site A to Second fall. Even though it has largely been reclaimed, I can still see the results from the progress that was made as trees, ferns and some grasses popped up wherever I cleared and are still going strong.
It’s as clear as mud but in this photo I can see numerous native species that have also started growing since it was previously cleared.
Numerous native species in this shot have only appeared in the last few years
I got to work with the time I had left and achieved what I was hoping for. A clear track upto the turn going to Site A. This will be a good starting place to work from.
Next Saturday, weather permitting, I will continue to push on with the tracks so I can access all areas that need to be worked on.
A perfect day for bush regeneration. Nice temperatures on a cloudy day with soil softened by recent rains.
It has been a disappointment to watch the Sydney golden wattles at the front of the reserve dying. I planted these trees only about four or five years ago so I was surprised to see them pass so quickly.
Dead and dying Sydney golden wattlesInsects are making short work of tree…
The trunks are being hollowed out by insects. I think the living sections do not have long to live. It is hard to know if the insects killed the tree or if they started devouring the tree after it died.
My first task of the day was to clear some more monstera along the track leading to the bottom of first fall. It is shaping up nicely and I believe it will soon be my preferred track to enter the reserve.
Currently though, this Rhus tree is in the way…
Rhus tree – don’t touch
Leaves of the Rhus tree
It did use to be a lot larger until I cut it down but it is still going strong. It is going to need to be poisoned to have it gone once and for all.
Today I decided it was a good time to focus on fishbone fern. Fishbone fern is loving the weather and is popping up and taking over in many many locations. It does a great job at establishing itself in difficult locations such as rock faces. From there it can spread out and prevent new growth.
While clearing a stand of fishbone fern from the bottom of first fall I noticed a currawong making full use of a native olive tree. I do get a kick out watching native birds eating from native trees.
The currawong’s nest is nearby so I will be watching the spot underneath for more native olive trees saplings next year.
Red cedar growing underneath the canopy of a bleeding heart tree
It was also interesting to check out this red cedar tree that has been growing from underneath the bleeding heart tree. The bleeding heart does not appear to impinge the growth of the red cedar but I suspect the favour will not be returned as the red cedar starts to outgrow the bleeding heart.
I made my way over to the stretch of Gahnia between first and second falls. Some Gahnia was popping up further up the bank so I worked to clear the fishbone fern around that and then I followed the same principle from there.
That is, clear the fishbone fern on the way to and around any natives. Sure enough, while clearing the fishbone fern I found small natives that had not been able to clear the dense fishbone fern. I am sure they will be looking a lot better in the next month or so.
Area of fishbone cleared around a sweet pittasporum tree
Finally, to keep a promise to myself, I had to clear the lantana off the poison peach tree I noticed a few weeks back. The area, to my horror, has returned to a dense privet forest interlaced with lantana.
Privet is taking over…
This location was largely cleared of privet a few years ago, so it shows how prolific privet can be. On the plus side, these trees are quite young so they should be easier to handle.
Lantana was also going strong at this spot. I was able to remove the main culprit, a large lantana that was spreading in all directions. I can see the weight of the lantana’s branches had striped off some branches off the poison peach tree. This photo shows one side of the tree is lacking in branches. It should be happier now.
Poison peach tree
That was enough for the day. Hopefully next weekend produces the same type of weather so I can start tackling those problem areas.
Another late afternoon working bee done and dusted.
Privet has been goading me for a few weeks now. There have been many privet trees that I can spot from the front of the reserve.
In the past I had been relying on manual removal or cutting trees to their base and then removing any regrowth that appeared over time. This, of course, relies on me being on site regularly to ‘tend’ to the regrowth. However, after seeing the amount of regrowth after a quite substantial leave of absence, I have begun to be more willing to use poison. I have been convinced there is no long term impacts from glyphosate and it either kills the plant or greatly hinders their growth.
This was my approach on Saturday. I cut the trees to their base and then applied glyphosate. I will be interested to see the results over the next few weeks or months.
There is still a lot more to do of the same type of work. I was able to get to most privet trees in the upper two levels but there are many more at the lower level. I will be trying to get to them this weekend as they are currently so easy to spot while they are flowering.
A few wins I noticed…
This young pittosporum was hiding behind a small but mature privet tree. I suspect it will take off now that it will be getting more sun. I have noticed that self seeded plants tend to do better than anything I plant. Case in point, the cheese trees in the background that I planted many years ago are still only a few metres tall.
Young pittosporum at the front of the reserve
This stand of soft water ferns on the cliff behind fern wall is going strong…
A new healthy stand of soft water ferns
On the path between 2nd fall and site A, I found these Dianella sp. going strong. These were much taller than I had seen previously. Between 1 and 2 meters tall.
Dianella sp. standing their ground against a sea of fishbone fern
In this area there was also a lot of young Sandpaper figs, some Clerodendrums and various other natives. Still, they are in the minority…
On the downside, site A, which I was beginning to call ‘bleeding heart forest’ is back to being called ‘site A’ now that the bleeding hearts have all disappeared. I have no idea what happened…
Bleeding heart forest is no more
In conclusion, a productive working bee with some pleasant discoveries.
Between first and second falls, across from fern wall is a section covered in saw sedge (Gahnia sp. ).
Stand of saw sedge on north bank between first and second falls
I have been very happy with this section as I had previously thinned out the fishbone fern in the past and the sedge has gone strong since. Still, even from a distance I noticed the fishbone fern making a comeback and on closer inspection it was worse than I thought. The mature sedge is doing well but the fishbone fern was clearly dense enough to hinder new growth.
Fishbone fern is easy to remove but in this case I had to move relatively slowly as to not damage the sedge in the process. It ended up taking a few hours but I feel the result was worth it.
I was also able to maneuver the weed puller between the sedge to allow removal of a small privet tree which was growing from a stump.
Same area minus a bunch of fishbone fern
It is going to be interesting to watch this area over the next few months. Hopefully the sedge will beat the fishbone fern into those spots that are now free.
Another working bee completed last Saturday. I had mist flower going strong on the South bank after first falls. It is very easy to spot when it is flowering and unfortunately, it has been prolific.
Disappointingly, by the time I got to the area, I could see a lot of the flowers had gone to seed. Basically it means I will be faced with the same issue next year. Because mist flower tends to break off easily, it can be difficult to get enough of the plant to ensure it won’t grow back. I believe I got most of it at ground level but I have the problem of accessibility with the plants at the top of the cliff. The edge of the cliff is sloped at the top so it becomes risky trying to reach it from the top but the cliff is a bit too high to easily reach from the bottom. I have left the plants on the cliff for a time when I have some equipment to help reach that section.
In the same area I also removed the croften weed, fishbone fern, palm grass and any other unwanted species in the area. I also tried to poison the privet tree that is growing strong at that spot. I am writing this a week after the working bee and I don’t see any effects on the tree so I am beginning to think I went to easy on it.
It was disappointing to leave so much mist flower behind but it won’t be forgotten. It’s time is limited.
As a whole, this area is not doing too badly. Most of the ground is covered in native ferns and a number of trees have sprung up naturally and are going strong. There Bleeding hearts, sandpaper figs, and a red cedar all going strong.
Another positive note, the plants growing on the cliff face to the side of first falls is currently looking great.
Cliff face at first fall
There are a few sandpaper figs growing from the cliff face as well as a tree fern on an abundance of maiden hair fern. It all looks quite healthy at present.
This is certainly the time of year for Bush regeneration. Good temperatures and soft soil make pulling out invasive weeds so much easier.
My intention was to get to the Bracken fern mound, close to the Sandpaper fig tree I cleared around last week. To do so though, I had to go through Site A and I really could not walk past it while it was in the state it was in.
While fishbone fern dominates this area, it is the privet that concerned me. Fishbone fern is easy to deal with while privet can develop deep roots which can result in a lot more work to remove them and they are well able to push out most other vegetation, especially when combined with lantana.
This is site A. It was once thick with lantana and then it was host to many bleeding heart trees. At present it has more fishbone fern than anything else.
This next photo shows site A after removing most of the privet and lantana along the back bank of site A. It is hard to see any improvement as there is still a wall of privet at the back of the area.
I did free some dianella of fishbone fern, seen here on the right, but for the most part, the fishbone fern has to wait for another day
I cleared site A of lantana and privet and then continued to do the same thing along the bank, past site A. The photo below is me looking back towards site A after finishing up for the day.
I was very happy to see this Poison peach tree (center of image) at the end of the day. I had seen this tree as a young sappling not long after doing some bush regen in the area. I would say it is now fully grown, standing around 5m tall. It joins my list of things to do as I see the lantana has started to encroach on it.
I was happy to find this poison peach tree at the end of the day.
There were a few mystery plants I came across during the day. One vine was identified by a facebook group. Mystery plant – Clematis aristata
Perfect weather to do some bush regeneration yesterday.
No rain but the ground has had a good soaking so the weeds couldn’t put up much of a fight when being pulled out.
From my last few visits, I knew a lot more work was required to recover from the neglect of the last few years.
First step: An action plan. I moved around the reserve and tried to list the sections that required attention.
This stand of ginger lilly and palm grass continues to grow. It needs to be controlled while a native such as native ginger is allowed planted and encouraged.
Stand of ginger lilly and palm grass
These Sydney golden wattles were planted only four or five years ago but currently appear to be struggling or dead.
Though it is hard to see in this photo, there around about eight Cheese trees which were planted a few years ago.
They appear healthy but are clearly failing to make progress against the heavy clay soil.
I still hold hope that some of them will find a way to expand their roots to allow more growth.
The grass needs to be removed or thinned to allow new growth to have a chance.
Cheese trees and Sydney golden wattle are struggling
First falls is going well. A tree fern and some sandpaper figs are now growing out of the cliff face.
Dick’s creek first fall. Showing the tree fern and sandpaper fig growing out of the cliff face.
On the south bank, besides first fall, there is some clean up to be done. Fishbone fern is starting to appear, croften weed is still popping up and the privet tree has bounced back.
Still, it is mostly in good nick. An hour or so of work should have this area back in good order.
South bank besides the bottom of first fall.
On the south bank, just before the Fern wall, a section of bank is soil rather than the usual rock.
Palm grass has taken hold and needs to be addressed. This is true for the entire creek. I imagine an entire day will need to be
devoted to removing palm grass.
South bank besides First and Second falls
As a whole though, the section of creek between first and second falls is not all bad.
A lot of endemic ferns are going well, the Gahnia on the north bank is more established than ever and most of the visible trees
are meant to be there. The issues are the palm grass, the swedish ivy and the fishbone fern. Each of these will take quite some time to address
Creek course between First and Second falls
South bank between first and second falls. Fern wall to the left of the image.
North bank between First and second falls
Fern wall, on the south bank between the first and second falls looks good but some bird nest ferns have gone ‘missing’.
We have had people steal bird nest ferns in the past and I suspect it has happened again. I can’t be sure until I locate previous images.
The ferns that are still there are going spectactular. The tree fern has shot up, as have other tree ferns at other locations.
Conditions must of been just right for this species.
Fern wall on south bank between first and second falls
Creek course from top of second fall
Besides Fern wall though is the swedish ivy that is yet to be removed. Areas that have been done are still clear though so that is a good
sign that it can be fully removed.
South bank between first and second falls. Besides Fern wall
South bank besides second falls
At the top of Second fall, things look mostly ok. There is still privot, palm grass and fishbone fern to address but
it is good to see the weeds have not jumped back quickly into this area.
Lower level from the top of second fall
Fishbone fern is once again dominating the ledge on the north side of Second fall.
Luckily, the natives have a longer reach than the fishbone fern so are still able to catch the light they need.
North side ledge at Second falls
Cabbage tree palm is looking good after some shading trees were removed from a nearby property.
Cabbage tree palm near site A
Site A is still clear of lantana but is now covered in fishbone fern. Disappointingly,
something laid waste to the stand of bleeding hearts which were growing here. There is still a few but most are now dead.
Site A, behind 14 Green Valley Rd
This bank has always been dominated by fishbone fern but it has currently taken it up a notch
now that it is getting so much more light with the removal of some large trees at the top of the bank.
Hill above Site A
Simlarly for the bank behind 16 Green Valley Rd.
Hill above site A upto 16 Green Valley Rd
This photo shows some of the bleeding hearts that have been pushed over. Hopefully more will grow
when the fishbone fern is removed.
What was bleeding heart forest
From site A, looking towards the creek at the rear of the reserve, it appears as if privet has taken over. Hopefully it is
not as bad as it looks…
From site A, looking down to the rear of Dick’s creek reserve
There is a stretch of poisoned lantana at 16 Green Valley Rd. I am not sure what the purpose is.
Lantana behind the properties on Green valley Rd
This area is kept clear by the property owners above.
Hill leading up to properties on Green Valley Road
Fern trees along the back of the reserve look to be doing well. However, the lower storey is once again dominated by undesireables such as lantana and ginger lilly.
Fern trees along the read of Dick’s creek reserve
Lots of privet in this area towards the creek as well.
Cleared strip of land to the creek near rear of reserve
A stretch of land is kept clear down to the creek by the property owner above. The land to the side of this ‘alley’ is
infested with privet and lantana.
Lantana towards rear of reserve. Creek can be seen towards the bottom
I had previously cleared around a large sandpaper fig at this location. Lantana was once
again encroaching heavily on this tree and the area in general. I needed to clear the lantana just to get to the tree so I could start
clearing around it.
Lantana and privet encroaching on sandpaper fig that was previously freed
Around three or four years ago, the sandpaper fig tree had fallen over. It was disappointing at
the time but since then, the tree has continued to thrive and is still bearing fruit. This photo shows the roots have grown to accomodate
its new position.
Roots of fallen sandpaper fig have grown to accomodate its new position
At this point I had finally reached the base of the tree. My intention was to clear the area
around the tree so I could walk freely around it, but that ended up being too ambitious as some of the privet and tobacco trees were
too big to pull out by hand.
Fallen sandpaper fig with encroaching lantana and other invasives
This photo shows new shoots rising vertically while the main trunk is now more horizontal. It looks
like this tree will be around for many years to come yet.
Fallen sandpaper fig with encroaching lantana and other invasives. Despite falling about three years ago, it remains strong and is still producing fruit
One positive discovery was finding this poison peach tree. There were also some young sapling nearby.
I was able to free them from the lantana which was starting to get on top of it. It is about three metres tall.
This poison peach tree and some younger saplings was covered in lantana. It is about three metres in height
Wile it is not clear, this photo shows the sandpaper fig tree. I was able to walk around it
(rather than climb) by the time I had finished. Some large privets had to be left for another time. I was happy with the result.
This was the sandpaper fig tree after clearing around it. It still looks chaotic but by the end it was free of lantana and privet
This shows the ‘dent’ in the wall of privet. I am mindful that any clearing like this invites foot
traffic from the kids in the neighbourhood. It will pay to start at the center of the sea of lantana near here and work towards the edges for this reason.
The area I cleared to get to the sandpaper fig tree.
Near the creek at the end of the reserve has become infested with privet but there are still
some natives doing well. For example, this cabbage tree palm…
Looking towards rear of the reserve towards the creek. Mostly privet but still some natives struggle on
A wall of privet…
On the side of the cleared strip, privet dominates.
But amongst it…
Unidentifed vine next to cleared strip. Pretty sure it is native but need it identified
Unidentifed tree – pretty sure it is native but need confirmation
Unidentifed tree – pretty sure it is native but need confirmation
Unidentifed tree – pretty sure it is native but need confirmation
Unidentifed tree – pretty sure it is native but need confirmation (ignoring the lantana and privet)
Unidentifed tree – pretty sure it is native but need confirmation – at sane location but different species I believe
Unidentifed tree – pretty sure it is native but need confirmation – at sane location but different species I believe
Unidentifed tree – pretty sure it is native but need confirmation
Unidentifed tree – pretty sure it is native but need confirmation – same species as shown previously but was previously taller
Blue berry ash I believe
Blue berry ash I believe
Mystery plant
Another unidentified species with dark shading along the veins of the leaf
Another unidentified species with dark shading along the veins of the leaf
Another unidentified species with dark shading along the veins of the leaf
Tree fern next to creek at rear of reserve is growing very quickly
Tree fern next to creek at rear of reserve is growing very quickly
Tree fern next to creek at rear of reserve is growing very quickly
After this point I went along my usual route along the creek back to the track that leads to site A but it was so infested with lantana and the privet it was a battle to move and taking any photos was not really an option. It is going to take a lot of time to get it back to the state I had it at a few years back.
