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| Acacias and Dianella |
Weekend beginning the 12th September, 2020
White-winged choughs
We arrived at lunchtime Saturday. The resident white-winged choughs (Corcorax melanorhamphos) were grazing in the wild zone, behind Red, the large River red gum. As I walked towards them, I noticed that one of the birds was moving quickly towards another, lifting up their wings to warn or protect it. The object of panic was a fledgling. It was a joyful moment as it was the first time that we had observed a young one.
We spent the afternoon walking around the perimeter, noticing both new growth and distress in the garden. On our walk we found feathers that were black with white spots similar to chough markings, though there didn't seem to be any of the clan missing, although it is hard to tell because there seems to be ten in the family now. The choughs didn't sleep near us either like they normally would.
Acacia
There was an abundance of wattle. Acacia acinacea (Gold-dust wattle), Acacia pycnantha (Golden wattle) and what I believe to be Acacia montana (Mallee wattle). I love this time of year! The yellow of spring is breathtaking.
Both lilly pillys, Acmena smithii (Forest flame) and Waterhousea floribunda (Weeping Lilly Pilly) had survived and so did the Tasmannia lanceolata (Tasmanian mountain peppers). Sadly, the Acmena smithii had sooty mould. I washed it with detergent and repeated that process again the next day. I will repeat when necessary. Other plantings of understory plantings that I had undertaken a while ago but thought that died, revealed themselves. That means more wildflowers.
On the Sunday, I weeded and fed first Mum’s plants and then the hedge plants. I took some of the wire away wire that was keeping them safe. I hope that nothing eats them. I planted something that has been growing in our garden in Melbourne but couldn’t remember what it was. I guess that I will find out what they are sometime soon and then make a decision about them.
The vegetables, parsley and strawberries, did not live but I will not give up until I can grow traditional food plants that will grow. Each visit I will add vegetables until something works. In the vegetable patch the only, stunted broccoli was heading. I cut it off and took it home for the eldest who ate it for dinner on Monday night. He was happy with that but was jealous that he couldn't come. There were also potatoes parsley broad beans and spring onions. I planted spinach hoping that they will grow.
Fairy shrimps
I thought that we had fish in the dam. There were creatures, little tiny creatures swimming around the edge of the dam. Oh my goodness! They were not tadpoles as they did not have a tadpole-like tail, but a tail like a fish. I thought that maybe they were fingerlings or larvae. I rang the Victorian Fisheries Authority who suggested that I ask Victorian Museum. They were able to tell me that the would-be fish larvae were, in fact, Fairy Shrimp (Anostracina). The eggs of these little creatures lay dormant in dry waterways until those waterways fill with water. Fairy shrimp feed on algae that grow on debris within the waterway, in our case, the dam.
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| Fairy Shrimp (Anostracina) |
Rain had been forecast but didn’t arrive until after we went to bed. The frogs had spawned in a frenzy as spawn spanned the perimeter of the dam. The frogs sung most of the day and night. We loved eating our dinner and, then later, lying in bed listening to them and the rain.
Red Ned
Nick worked on Red Ned, doing little unnoticeable but necessary jobs that need to be completed before moving to the next step of cladding and adding windows. The people who we had hired to pour cement for the water tanks had placed crushed rock in the driveway so that their truck could safely enter our block. They had also dumped a mound ready for the water tank pads. It will be great to have the water tanks in. I look forward to it.
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| Red Ned |
The future
I need to create a vegetable patch close to the kitchen so that cooking is easy, but I will wait until the water tanks are in place and the truck has moved to its final resting place, then I will organise the kitchen garden which will consist of basic herbs for cooking and the most important vegetables. I will plant mainly fruit trees and larger plantings of tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins and zucchinis etc. in the paddock. At the moment, without the tanks, this is just a dream.
