Clean, clear water brusquely babbling, two-note Pardalotes singing overhead from a tiny spout in an Eucalyptus wandoo, Grevillea pilulifera and Trimalium ledifolium layering understory in dense cream blossom, along with the warmth of a winter sun illuminating the Jarrah/Marri/Wandoo woodland at the Schipp Road entrance of Kalamunda National Park delighted the 19 members of the DRB during its August excursion this year.

This morning DRB was fortunate to have with them several natural history experts: Penny Hussey, Eric McCrum, Kevn Griffiths, Arthur and Jeanette Conacher and Ken Patterson, a sometimes member of DRB, and an avid devotee of this area of the Darling Scarp. Ken has documented and photographed all the flora of this and surrounding areas over years of wandering through the bushland. Ken’s expertise enabled us to identify all our flora queries.
The park was very busy. For not only was DRB out and about but so were the Friends of Piesse Brook, a volunteer group that has worked assiduously for many years and achieved wonderful bush rehabilitation results. In areas that once were choked with Blackberry and Watsonia, DRB could now access the creek, observe diverse and regenerating native vegetation and begin to see what the area looked like before it was smothered by European species. It was also amusing that several members of DRB were also members of Piesse Brook Friends. (There were a couple of wobbly moments of divided loyalties. DRB won out!)

After a journey of nearly 13 km the south-north running Piesse Brook (a rare direction for streams in the hills near Perth) meets the Helena River. The stream originates near a quarry south-east of Pickering Brook township, some 7 km away.

Some of the weeds and European flora found in this location may be attributed to the garden escapees of a dwelling that was built along the creek circa 1928–30 as a weekender. ‘Little Caledonia’, as the house was called for a time (which may be testimony of the Scottish heritage of the Robbins family, the original owners), was lived in until the 1970s or so. When the area was incorporated into the National Park the building was demolished but many of the garden plants however have persisted.

We wandered, as usual not very far, exploring instead the adjacent granite outcrops and an area alongside the creek. East of the brook, the ground rises steeply for about 100 m, and from this hillside we heard the distinctive call of the White Browed Scrub Wren.

During the morning we recorded several species of bird, four of which were parrots: Ringnecks, Red Capped parrots, Galahs and the weed-on-wings, the Rainbow Lorikeet. The latter was seen entering a tree hollow in a tall Wandoo.

Two species of frog were heard calling from the damp litter in the bushland. The silk-lined tunnel retreat of the Trampoline Spider Corasoides sp. was found at the base of the densely packed Hibbertia hypericoides. It was near here too that the iridescent Zygamoth Pollanisus cupraea was captured (albeit briefly).

On the exposed section of the sloping granite, just west of the walking track, we found three species of the lichen genus Xanthoparmelia, crusting the rock. Among the low plants forming dense mats on the granite were the colourful flowers of the Dwarf Pink Fairy Orchid Caladenia reptans. Growing in a soil-filled crack on this rock too were the Winter Donkey Orchid Diuris brumalis. And on the moist edges of the track several areas of the small green thalli of the Liverwort Marchantia berteroana were observed.

Numerous fungi were noted:

• two reticulated Calvatias (of tennis ball size)
• Crepidotas – soft fans on tree trunk
• Lepiota(finely scaled) and an Amanita
• Coltricia cinnamomea
• White Punk – Laetiporus portentosus – splatted on ground under the tree above from whence they came
• Cotton-wool fungus, Trechispora farinacea, fluffy stuff under bark
• Mini Chimneypots – Henningsomyces candidus and
• a mass of tiny, orange cups at base of burnt grass tree, possibly Pyronema.

Following morning tea several members then walked on to Rocky Pool to observe the ephemeral waterfall streaming over the polished orange granites; a walk that was being conducted by many other members of the public as well – dogs, bikes and all.

All DRB agreed it had been a special and interesting winter’s morning.

Eric McCrum and Diana Papenfus