Butterfly Host Plants: An Introduction to Butterfly-Plant Associations

1. Wildlife Queensland Bayside Branch Newsletter July 2019 • Next Meeting. • Friday 26th July 2019 at 7:00 PM • Doctor John Moss – Butterfly Host Plants • John is a retired medical practitioner with interests in cicada taxonomy, native freshwater fishes, moths and butterflies and their host plants, (especially mistletoes, grasses, sedges and mat rushes) as well as Australian native plants generally and has published in all these disciplines. • A member of the Queensland Region of the Australian Native Plants Society (NPQ), a long-standing member of both the Queensland Naturalists’ Club and the Entomological Society of Queensland and is a founding member of the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), the Australian and New Guinea Fishes Association (ANGFA) and of the Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club (BOIC). • John currently lives in the Redlands east of Brisbane, on a small acreage block, where he grows his native plants and encourages the wildlife to come and eat them! • His illustrated presentation “An Introduction to Butterfly Hostplant Associations in SEQ” will focus on which local native plant families the larvae of various groups of butterflies have evolved to feed on. He will briefly discuss how this association influenced the resultant biodiversity within the Australian environment. John will have copies of his books for sale after the talk. • When: Friday 26th July 2019 at 7.00 pm • Where: Redlands Multi Sports Club Cnr. Bailey & Randall Rd, Birkdale 4159 • Enjoy the club facilities beforehand. For more information phone Steve 0423036676 In this edition Celebrating NAIDOC https://www.naidoc.org.au/ NAIDOC Week celebrations are held around the country each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

2. From the Executive Team... Presidents Report Hasn’t our weather been great lately, fairly benign, regular showers that are sweetening the bushland and bringing out the fungi, have a close look around your favourite areas you will be surprised at the seasonal changes that have suddenly happened. Last weekend we walked along the foreshore at Pt. Halloran, enjoying the noise from the Cockatoos and Corellas fighting over the nesting hollows and the flat calm of the bay right out to the islands. It was low tide, unfortunately there were a couple irresponsible dog owners letting their dogs run amok on the sand banks, we need strict enforcement of the regulations that dogs should be leashed, that are clearly signed along the footpath. It has been 8 months since the container recycling scheme started and our Branch has so far recycled 15250 containers, what an effort. If you want to direct deposit containers our account number is C10044396, you can find a depot at https://www.containersforchange.com.au/ I have also set up a bin at my house in Alexandra Hills which is cleared regularly, if you want that address contact me directly, all funds are going to wildlife projects, Maureen has also been collecting from our members. I have attached some disturbing photos sent from a couple of our members of the rubbish they noticed at low tide at South Gorge on North Stradbroke Island, maybe as that area traps rubbish quite regularly, cyclic clean ups could be undertaken. ABC Four Corners https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/extinction-nation/11241318 recently had a compelling programme called “Extinction Nation”, it is well worth watching it featured Toondah, Quolls, Leadbeaters’s Possums and Swift Parrots, there are excruciating interviews with state and federal politicians where the blame game continues, let us not do today what we can put off until tomorrow, it is all about jobs and votes. Our June speaker Professor Rob Capon spoke passionately about his research project to achieve an innovative way of reducing tadpole numbers, the Branch will certainly consider a way of helping with funding, many organisations and councils are already on board and capturing large numbers of these pests. This years’ WPSQ AGM will be held in our own backyard at “The Lions Hall” Shore Street Cleveland, Saturday 7th September, programme details will be out soon. A great chance to network with other Branches and WPSQ administration. Our Facebook site is full of information on local events and wildlife issues that affect us all, it is updated regularly, check it out. https://www.facebook.com/WPSQBB/ Our speaker this month 26th July will be Doctor John Moss on “Host plants for butterflies” Our speaker this month 26th July will be Doctor John Moss on “Host plants for butterflies” Nature doesn't need people - people need nature; nature would survive the extinction of the human being and go on just fine, but human culture, human beings, cannot survive without nature. Harrison Ford Selection of Rubbish found South Gorge North Stradbroke Photo John Reeves Many helium balloons found South Gorge North Stradbroke Photo John Reeves Pristine environment? South Gorge Stradbroke Photo John Reeves

3. Report Littering On your mobile or on the web https://report-littering-dumping.ehp.qld.gov.au/ Yellow Sea were awarded World Heritage listing Birdlife Australia are excited to announce what is truly a milestone achievement for our special migratory shorebirds – and it’s thanks to your wonderful support! On Friday, globally important mudflats in the Yellow Sea were awarded World Heritage listing, protecting hundreds of thousands of migratory shorebirds! These mudflats have suffered decades of over-development, causing shorebird populations to crash. This listing will protect vital habitats and help shorebirds to flourish! The World Heritage listing will allow 36 species of migratory shorebirds, many of which are globally threatened by extinction, to rest and refuel during their epic journey between Australia and the Arctic. BirdLife Australia has worked for years within the world's largest nature conservation network, BirdLife International, to protect shorebirds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. https://support.birdlife.org.au/emailviewonwebpage.aspx?erid=16984196&trid=bf04f296-70f9-417f-a425-52e536fec802 Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I) (China) - The site features an intertidal mudflat system considered to be the largest in the world. These mudflats, as well as marshes and shoals, are exceptionally productive and serve as growth areas for many species of fish and crustaceans. The intertidal areas of the Yellow Sea/Gulf of Bohai are of global importance for the gathering of many migratory bird species that use the East Asian-Australasian flyway. Large gatherings of birds, including some of the world's most endangered species, depend on the coastline as a stopover to moult, rest, winter or nest. http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2001

5. Coevolution of flies and Eucalypts Flies form one of the five most diverse insect orders, including about 150,000 described species in 150 families. It's estimated that there are 30,000 species of fly in Australia, of which only 6400 have been described. Flies can be distinguished from other insects because they have only one pair of functional wings. Almost all flies have mouthparts that are adapted for lapping or piercing and sucking. A large component of the world's fly fauna is unique to Australia. Flies are ubiquitous and often abundant in Australian terrestrial ecosystems. They perform important ecological functions such as nutrient recycling, predation and pollination, and their larvae are often parasitoids of other insects. https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/Collections/ANIC/Insect-research/Flies-Research Many species of fly are regarded as a nuisance, including the bush fly (Musca vetustissima), mosquitoes, sandflies and blackflies. Flies are responsible for the transmission of a wide variety of disease-causing micro-organisms in humans and animals. Most of these diseases are absent from Australia, with exceptions such as dengue fever and some types of encephalitis. Mosquito-borne malaria has been eradicated from Australia. PhD student Michaela Purcell is studying the coevolution of the flies, their nematodes, and host myrtaceous plants. Nematodes of the genus. Fergusobia have a symbiotic relationship with flies in the family Fergusoninidae They spend part of their life cycle in the abdomen of female flies, and part inside galls on Myrtaceous plants such as Eucalyptus. Spotted-tailed quoll The spotted-tailed quoll, Dasyurus maculatus maculatus is listed as Endangered under Commonwealth legislation, Vulnerable in Queensland (southern sub-species) and as one of Logan City Council’s Threatened Wildlife. Through its dedicated Quoll Seekers Network (QSN), Wildlife Queensland (WPSQ) has used infra-red wildlife cameras to monitor for this endangered species in Logan for the past five years. https://wildlife.org.au/spotted-tailed-quoll-july-2019/ Queensland Globe update DNRME's Queensland Globe is an online interactive tool that turns physical, geographical and spatial data about a particular location into map format. Use the Globe to access hundreds of spatial data layers on Queensland roads, property and land parcels, topography, mining and exploration, land valuations, natural resources (vegetation, water, soil etc.) and more. Access the Queensland Globe here.https://qldglobe.information.qld.gov.au/ Natural Resources Inventory for Queensland The Natural Resources Inventory for Queensland is an interactive natural resources data website that was created in collaboration with DNRME. It is the world’s first fully digital natural resources inventory, drawing on the extensive open data about the state’s land, water, vegetation, geological and energy resources. The website is a reference point for investors, industry groups and peak bodies about the general availability of resources. Users can explore topical themes such as vegetation management, land use, renewable energy, water availability and the value of the resources sector to the state’s economy. Read more about the website here: https://inventory.dnrme.qld.gov.au/about

6. Cane Toad Challenge Professor Rob Capon and his team have discovered a way to turn cane toads’ own toxin against them, which has real potential to eradicate this long-term pest. Cane toads are relentless invaders that reproduce at an astonishing rate, eat just about anything, and are highly toxic at all stages of their life cycle, as eggs, tadpoles and adults, poisoning and killing virtually all potential predators. The release of just 100 adult cane toads in Australia a mere 80 years ago, created the current situation, where hundreds of millions of poisonous cane toads now occupy millions of square kilometres of Australia, devastating native species as they advance across the nation. For many years, the only option for reducing cane toad numbers has been hand capture of adults – known as Toad Busting. Despite dispatching many tens of thousands of toads, toad busting alone is not the answer. Each new generation of toads replenishes and builds on the last, and the invasion continues unabated. “We have discovered that cane toad tadpoles are drawn to a chemical attractant released by toad eggs. We isolated and identified this chemical, and developed tadpole attractant baits that we call BufoTabs. When placed in the shallows where cane toad tadpoles congregate, a single BufoTab in a funnel trap attracted and trapped several thousand tadpoles, in just a few hours. As a bonus, the attractant was highly selective for toad tadpoles, and did not attract frog tadpoles. Once trapped, toad tadpoles could be harvested, humanely euthanised, and disposed of safely. To take the battle to the toad we created the Cane Toad Challenge. We provide free BufoTabs and teach the public how to make and use their own traps. Although its early days, our tadpole trappers have already removed over a million poisonous tadpoles from local waterways. The Cane Toad Challenge (CTC) is a community engagement and citizen science program operated through UQ and led by Prof Rob Capon, aimed at fast-tracking the roll out of cane toad tadpole trapping. This is a big challenge on many levels. If you are interested in getting involved you can register to join as either a CTC Member, or a CTC Affiliate, and/or make a donation. If you are an individual member of the public you can register as a CTC Member (for free). From time to time we will send out CTC Updates to inform members on how we are tracking. At present, for legal and logistical reasons, we cannot provide baits direct to the public; however we can supply them to CTC Affiliates. https://imb.uq.edu.au/canetoadchallenge Treetop to bedrock: understanding resilience of Australia’s Critical Zone to human impact Earth’s outer skin—where water, atmosphere, ecosystems, soil and rock interact—regulates the environment and determines the availability of life-sustaining resources. But how resilient is this Critical Zone to growing human impact? An interdisciplinary team is working to help scientists answer this question for the Australian context by developing the nation’s first Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) Strategy — the first step towards providing a robust, long-term framework for more effective and collaborative Critical Zone Science (CZS). From inland deserts to coastal dunes, sensitive estuary environments and fertile agricultural soils, scientists are working hard to respond to these national challenges. Robust time-series data will help them predict how the critical zone will respond to future human impacts. At the same time, researchers in sustainability, economics, agriculture, food and climate science are drawing on these data to help Australians adapt and live within changing biophysical limits. Click here to read more https://www.tern.org.au/Newsletter-2019-Jul-CZO-pg32899.html

10. Backyard natives Across the bayside there a many species who live in and around our backyards and local parks, here are some. Trichosurus vulpecula – Brushtail Possum Body length 500 mm; tail length 380 mm; weight 4 kg. Cat-sized; light grey; large pointed ears; black tail bushy to tip; paws light grey. In the wild, the Common Brushtail Possum's diet consists of leaves, blossoms and fruits, but in suburbia it will eat almost anything. Habitat and Range: Dry and wet forests — usually anywhere the Short-eared Possum is not found. In the inner suburbs, almost anywhere with a tree or a ceiling. Most common Brisbane marsupial. Australia-wide, but declining in Central Australia. Traces: Urine stains on the ceiling; heavy breathing (a throaty ha-ha-ha) in breeding season. Droppings like thin jellybeans with one pointy end (22 mm long by 7 mm wide). Source:https://www.qm.qld.gov.au/Find+out+about/Animals+of+Queensland/Mammals/Common+mammals+of+south-east+Queensland/Marsupials/Common+Brushtail+Possum Entomyzon cyanotis – Blue-faced Honeyeater The Blue-faced Honeyeater is a large black, white and golden olive-green honeyeater with striking blue skin around the yellow to white eye. The crown, face and neck are black, with a narrow white band across the back of the neck. The upperparts and wings are a golden olive green, and the underparts are white, with a grey-black throat and upper breast. The blue facial skin is two-toned, with the lower half a brilliant cobalt blue. Juvenile birds are similar to the adults but the facial skin is yellow-green and the bib is a lighter grey. This honeyeater is noisy and gregarious, and is usually seen in pairs or small flocks. It is known as the Banana-bird in tropical areas, for its habit of feeding on banana fruit and flowers. The Blue-faced Honeyeater is found in northern and eastern mainland Australia, from the Kimberley region, Western Australia to near Adelaide, South Australia, being more common in the north of its range. It is not found in central southern New South Wales or eastern Victoria. This species is also found in Papua New Guinea. The Blue-faced Honeyeater is found in tropical, sub-tropical and wetter temperate or semi-arid zones. It is mostly found in open forests and woodlands close to water, as well as monsoon forests, mangroves and coastal heathlands. It is often seen in banana plantations, orchards, farm lands and in urban parks, gardens and golf courses. Considered sedentary in the north of its range, and locally nomadic in the south. Some regular seasonal movements observed in parts of New South Wales and southern Queensland. The Blue-faced Honeyeater feeds mostly on insects and other invertebrates, but also eats nectar and fruit from native and exotic plants. It forages in pairs or noisy flocks of up to seven birds (occasionally many more) on the bark and limbs of trees, as well as on flowers and foliage. These flocks tend to exclude other birds from the feeding area, but they do feed in association with other species such as Yellow-throated Miners and Little Friarbirds. Source: http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Entomyzon-cyanotis

11. Resources • Page 3: https://support.birdlife.org.au • Page 5: https://www.csiro.au • Page 6: https://imb.uq.edu.au/canetoadchallenge • Page 6: https://www.tern.org.au • Page 10: https://www.qm.qld.gov.au https://www.naidoc.org.au/ Membership Application Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland