Bush Crew diaries March 2024

Published on 26 February 2024

The summer months for the Bush Crew are a busy time where it does its utmost to preserve and maintain the rich diversity of our local parks and bushland. One of our main focuses during this period is the removal of woody weeds. These are trees and shrubs that are either not native to Australia or not locally Indigenous Banyule.

This work includes the management of significant broadleaf and grassy weeds across all of our sites. Weeds are a major threat to our precious biodiversity and the crew's efforts conserve our native plant species, freeing them from the competition of weeds and securing their increased access to natural resources.

A lot of ground is covered across Banyule and the crew interacts with some great examples of our local fauna. Over the recent summer months, one of the highlights is the Imperial Hairstreak butterfly (Jalmenus evagoras), found all throughout Banyule at this time of year. You can spot them and their larvae feeding on a variety of Acacia species.

Like the Eltham Copper Butterfly (Paralucia pyrodiscus), this species has an ant that attends to their larvae, commonly known as the Black Tyrant Ant (Iridomyrex sp.). These ants help ward off wasps that use Hairstreak larvae to plant their own. Caterpillars provide a food source to the ants in the form of honeydew secreted from a gland on their back. This mutual relationship is fascinating to observe during summer while the crew is working throughout the reserves.