|
Meetings commence at 7.45 pm at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt. Coot-tha Auditorium, Mt. Coot-tha Road, Toowong. All members and friends are welcome to attend. Regular features of each meeting include Plant Exchange, Library, Discussion of Specimens, Snapshots (short items by members) and the advertised Speaker.
Tuesday 15th June
Plants of the Desert Uplands
by John Thompson, Queensland Herbarium, Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens. John has been a nurseryman, botanical consultant to mining companies and has been involved in mapping and survey in the Gulf, Desert Uplands, SEQ and other areas of Queensland. His special interest in botany is grasses of Queensland.
Monday 12th July
2009 ANPSA Conference Discussion
by Lorna Murray and delegates.
The Queensland Region Delegates to the 2009 ANPSA Conference held in Victoria in September-October 2009 will outline highlights of the day trips from Geelong and the pre- and post-Conference tours to the Grampians, the South Coast and the northern Goldfields. Although small in area, Victoria is a state with a very diverse flora and this presentation will visit some of the most interesting areas.
Monday, 9th August
Killers in Green: Poisonous Native Plants
by Dr. Ross McKenzie, retired veterinary pathologist in the Queensland Department of Primary Industries, curator of the DPI’s Natural Toxicants Database and retired lecturer in veterinary toxicology in the University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science.
Ross, a long standing member of SGAP (joined 1978), will be publishing a field guide to the major poisonous plants, fungi and cyanobacteria of medical and veterinary importance in Australia in 2011. The book will cover over 400 species in detail and review the whole field, so Ross will be able to point out which poisonous Australian plants we are growing in our gardens.
He has travelled extensively in Australia to find and photograph plants and has a large collection of images of poisonous species. Many of these are either already grown in gardens or have horticultural potential. Many others wouldn’t rate a second glance by dedicated SGAP members, but are certainly of scientific interest and economic importance. Be they beautiful or boring, Ross has the low-down on their ability to do you or your animals in (or at least give you a rough time)! Partial to browsing on bush tucker? Come and check out the nasties!
Monday 13th September
Photographs from the Grevillea Study and Small Plants Groups, July 2009 Excursion
by the participants.
This trip was organised by Jan Glazebrook and Denis Cox, with the assistance of Barbara Henderson who led the group for the first morning. The trip started at Freshwater National Park, then to the Beerwah State Forest Scientific Area, and Rupari Hill Beerwah, with an afternoon stop in Tin Can Bay. The return leg on Sunday was via Tingoora, to a cutting on the Durong Road, then back to the Bunya Highway through Kingaroy to Hartmann Park, Crows Nest and finally to Helidon Hills via Seventeen Mile Rocks Road, and Gold Creek Road.
19-25 September 2010
SGAP QLD REGION 2010 CONFERENCE
to be held at the Jacobs Well Environmental Education Centre, cnr. Behm’s & Pimpama-Jacobs Well Road, Norwell. The theme is Fragments of Green.
For further information Phone 3870 8517; or write to SGAP, P.O. Box 586, Fortitude Valley, 4006; or email: secretary@sgapqld.org.au.
Full registration = $250.
POST CONFERENCE EXCURSION to North Stradbroke Island
Bev Weir
The post Conference excursion to “Straddie” on 25th-27th September is to an area of outstanding natural beauty on North Stradbroke Island, known to the locals as “Straddie”. This excursion is open to everyone; you do not need to attend the Conference to attend, although preference will be given to Conference members up to the 31st April.
North Stradbroke Island is the second largest sand island in the world and one of Australia’s natural treasures. The island has been listed as one of the world’s most important wetlands with several wetland lakes, waterways and lagoons.
North Stradbroke Island has relatively uniform low nutrient sandy soil, its plant and animal life is diverse due to the high degree of microhabitat diversity, abundant rainfall and equitable climate. Vegetation communities include: coastal dunes, tidal wetlands, freshwater wetlands, heathlands, eucalyptus forests, woodlands, rainforest and rocky headlands.
The tidal zones are colonised by mangroves, Avicennia marina ssp. australasica and Rhizophora stylosa are most common. This vegetation is mainly found on the western side of the island, accessible at Amity and Myora Springs. There is an extensive and very accessible natural wallum heath area. Open woodlands are dominated by Banksia aemula and Banksia serrata with a variety of colourful wildflower shrubs in the ground layer. They have high species richness.
Small swamps fringe the Island’s north, east and southern shores and many lakes and swamps are formed in inland depressions. Some of these, like Blue Lake, are watertable lakes, fed by the vast underground water supply. Several, for example Brown Lake, are perched above the watertable in depressions lined with accumulated vegetation. Sedges such as Lepironia articulata and Baloskion pallens are common, as well as dominant trees, Melaleuca quinquenervia and Eucalyptus robusta.
The perfect weather on “Straddie” in September makes it a great time to see the abundant wildflowers and watch the whales returning home to the Antarctic after calving. This can be seen from the spectacular Gorge walk on the headland.
The itinerary has been carefully planned to include these areas of interest and beauty. There are still places available. Cost for the three days is $225 and includes all meals, accommodation, bus and ferry trips. Secure parking is available at the Cleveland ferry terminal for $10 per night. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore one of our greatest treasures right on Brisbane’s doorstep.
|
