Twenty-two people (14 members and eight visitors) gathered at the Henderson Environmental Centre adjacent to the Star Swamp Reserve on a fine, mild morning for a walk to view post-fire grasstrees and other flora. Leaders were Distinguished Professor Emeritus Byron Lamont, Christine Curry from the Northern Suburbs Branch and Friends of Star Swamp, John Abbott (Club VP) and Don Poynton (NSB Chair).

Apart from hearing all about the habits of grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea sp.)—especially in response to a fire such as the arson attack of March 2023 in the reserve—from Prof Lamont, we saw a wide variety of trees, shrubs and ground covers. There are many sizeable Tuart trees in the reserve, an unusual pocket of small Jarrah, plus Marri, Banksia (B. grandis, B. attenuata, B. prionotes), Sheoak (Allocasuarina humilis), Swamp Paperbark, Hibbertia, Jacksonia, Yellow Leschenaultia and patches of bright Yellow Autumn Lilies (Tricoryne elatior). Some of the Banksias were showing post-fire epicormic leaf growth. And the grasstrees certainly didn’t disappoint, especially in the burnt area, where they had developed an abundance of flower spikes. We examined these for native pollinators but found mostly European Honeybees. However, one spike appeared to have a couple of Flower Wasps (Thynninae) high up on it. And we saw a Native Beefly (Oncodosia ampla) basking on the ground near the base of a grasstree.

We saw not only flora, but a number of bird species: White-cheeked Honeyeater, New Holland Honeyeater, Australian Magpie, Australian Raven, Red Wattlebird, Little Wattlebird, Brown Honeyeater, a hovering Square-tailed Kite and quite lot of Rainbow Lorikeets. The latter were avidly feeding on the nectar of the flowering grasstrees, whilst perched along the spikes: a colourful sight.

Grasstree spikes with Rainbow Lorikeets – Image by C Curry

Tanya Marwood