If you have enjoyed exploring the Dawn Road Reserve, perhaps you didn’t know that it is part of the wonderful Mountains to Mangrove Corridor that is under threat from over-development in nearby suburbs. One local wildlife group is running a petition to ensure a narrow strip of land is preserved to ensure the corridor remains…
Over the past year, the Dawn Road Reserve Bushcare group has struck up a beneficial alliance with Wild BNE’s Christian Perrin, who has taken an interest in the plantlife, birdlife and wildlife in our patch of bushland. So when he suggested a flowering plant walk for Saturday, August 6, yours truly didn’t hesitate to go…
Dawn Road Reserve Bushcare’s next 2-hour working bee is on Sunday, September 11, 2016, from 8am, at the end of McConachie Court. Please come along and join our happy crew as we do lots of important work in your neighbourhood. *** Remember to at least wear long trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, a broad-brimmed hat and sturdy, closed…
THIS FILE HAS REPORTS & IMAGES FROM THROUGHOUT 2015 Dawn Road Reserve Bushcare has returned for 2016, with our next 2-hour working bee on Sunday, March 13, 2016, from 8am, at the end of McConachie Court. Please come along and join our happy crew as we do lots of important work in your neighbourhood. *** Remember to…
When the Dawn Road Reserve Bushcare volunteers position new plants along the special revegetation zone, they usually place a protective mesh cylinder around them until the plants are big enough to withstand the weather. Then, when the cylinders are removed, the growing plants are tagged with pink ties to distinguish them from weed species that…
Those residents who live near – or enjoy exploring – the bushland in the Dawn Road Reserve may have noticed the distinctive Mickey Mouse Plant (Ochna serrulata). Its tell-tale green, glossy leaves with serrated margins plus its bright red stalks that carry berry-like ‘drupes’ – which turn from green to black – are not only…
Whenever there are small streams or overland flows criss-crossing the Dawn Road Reserve, you are likely to see a north Queensland native water weed called cumbungi (Typha domingensis) – also known as bullrushes or ca’ts tails. Sadly, cumbungi has spread to south-east Queensland and you can find quite a bit of it along the stream that runs…
The showy, bright-yellow flowering Easter cassia (Senna pendula var. glabrata) can grow to around 5m in height and is dotted throughout the Dawn Road Reserve, particularly where there are sunny clearings or openings in the overhead canopy. You have probably seen this eye-catching plant, alongside roads and waterways, or even in domestic gardens. After it…
You see them in many places around Brisbane, including private gardens, but the tall Alexandra palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) can grow up to 30m in height, with a crown containing around 10-12 long leaves that themselves can measure up to 4.5m. Unfortunately, while they are native to northern parts of Queensland, the Alexander palm has become…
Wild tobacco (Solanum mauritianum) shrubs, which can grow up to 4m in height, can be seen in many places throughout the Dawn Road Reserve. Originally from Argentina, this weed forms dense stands and suppresses the growth of other species. According to the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, wild tobacco likes disturbed sites and its…
One of the newer, yet very invasive, weeds encountered in the Dawn Road Reserve has been Brazilian nightshade (Solanum seaforthianum), a deceptively pretty creeper with lavender florets and berries that are green when immature and bright red when ripe. A native of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and tropical South America, the Brazilian nightshade has become a weed…
According to the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, broad-leafed (or broad-leaved) pepper trees (Schinus terebinthifolius) are a Class 3 declared pest plant under Queensland law. A native to South America, they have been introduced into domestic gardens and escaped into the wild, invading coastal dunes, wetlands and stream banks. These trees are not only a…
NatureWatch - Albany Creek 