GEELONG NATURALIST Vol. 37 No. 1 
May 2001 
(contact Tom May 9252 2319 or 
tom.may@rbqg.vic.gov.au for further 
details). 
a `~ 
AIS 
At the You Yangs the other day, the 
Sugar Gums in the plantation were 
particularly beautiful, the first time | 
have ever thought them so. They 
had just shed their bark to reveal 
smooth golden trunks that lit up the 
normally gloomy. space around 
them. They stood in a carpet of bark 
and fallen leaves. Our Australian 
Eucalypts are continuously 
deciduous and the leaf litter beneath 
them is an important component of 
the forest soil and home to a host of 
invertebrates and micro-organisms, 
all part of the total ecosystem. It is 
tragic to think of the destruction 
caused by logging and 
woodchipping in sensitive areas. | 
do not believe our Otway native 
forests are extensive enough to 
support timber harvesting. Geelong 
seems to have become a timber 
port. Take a drive around the Corio 
Quay area and see what you think. 
The name of the Growling Grass 
Frog has been changed to Warty 
Bell Frog, which | think takes some 
of the romance from our old 
Jerringot friend, warts and all. 
Romance? Well, the males growl 
while floating, to attract a female. 
They are very determined and will 
dunk a rival underwater to stop them 
calling. The females shriek if 
grabbed by an unwanted admirer. 
Very sensible, too. 
Ie 
Can you tell the difference between 
a Baillon’s, a Spotted and a Spotless 
Crake? We hope the interpretation 
boards that we are developing for 
Jerringot will help. There will also be 
a board about the frogs and one 
about Latham’s Snipe and the 
wetland generally. 
A pale brown hairy caterpillar with a 
yellow stripe along its back was 
rushing across my living-room 
carpet the other evening. It is now 
happily munching on dandelion 
leaves. | believe it is the larva of the 
attractive Black and White Tiger 
Moth, whose body has black and 
orange tiger stripes. The black 
patterning on the white wings can 
vary enormously. The wingspan 
is 50-60 mm. 
And ... note the last of the 
Common Brown butterflies for the 
season. They will be the larger 
females; the males retired some 
time ago. Parson’s Bands, those 
little orchids with the two white 
‘collar ribbons’, are appearing, but 
| havent seen any Brittle 
Greenhoods. The Ranger at the 
You Yangs reported a Hooded 
Robin on the eastern part of the 
Great Circle Drive. Box Mistletoes 
are flowering but the Drooping 
Mistletoe is still in bud. 
<> 
Baillon's Crake” 
It’s a Chinese Elm! 
Many thanks to those members at 
recent meetings who took an 
interest in my tree specimen. For 
those wondering, I’ve discovered it 
to be a Chinese Elm (Ulmus 
parvifolia) that flowers and seeds in 
the autumn. The Crimson Rosellas 
have had an absolute ‘ball’ feeding 
on the prolific seeds and making 
quite a mess of our drive in the 
process! 
Rob Ganly 
