Newsletter now available – members only

The Wildflower Society of WA newsletter (August 2016, Vol 54 No 4) has now been published electronically.  Members who have elected to receive electronic copies of the newsletter have been notified.  The printed newsletter should be posted to those who have requested a hard copy (no green discount) mid to late November, as the printing of Australian Plants has been unexpectedly delayed and all the posted items are sent at the same time.

This issue features photographs of Wongan Hills plants and habitats, with the cover photograph a stunning display of white Rhodanthe manglesii amongst melaleucas and samphires at Lake Hind.  Photo by Bronwen Keighery.

You may view the newsletter online by going to the ‘Members’ tab at the top of the page, then ‘Newsletters’ at the side of the page.

 

Management Committee update available

The most recent monthly update from the Management Committee is now also available on our website, access exclusively for Members only.  Log in to the Members area and then the tab ‘Management Committee Updates.’  If you have any difficulties logging in to the system, please email our volunteer administrator at nmcl@westnet.com.au – we can reset your password, give you a simpler password, or guide you through the log-in procedure.

Fungi : Kevn Griffiths

At the talk on the 8th September 2016 meeting of the Armadale Branch , Kevn Griffiths gave a talk on Fungi. Kevn began his talk by informing the group that his interest in fungi started when his daughter Donna, a gifted artist, was asked to do a book on fungi, but she had no time to do so and that he took on the project for her.  He knew absolutely nothing about fungi at that time and he soon found himself on a steep learning curve.

Fungi in Australia are virtually unnamed, but Dr Neale Bougher, a Western Australian fungi expert, renamed and reclassified many fungi that had been previously documented here in WA.

There are many different fungi found in a woodland and their main role is composting. A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant such as a tree. The fungi help the tree by clinging to the roots where they get sugar and the tree gets nutrients far from the base of the tree because of the way that fungi attach and spread from tree roots. Fungi also breakdown leaves to compost and small animals such as Woylies eat fungus and disperse the spores far from the parent fungi.

Read more and see images of fungi :  Fungi by Kevn Griffiths

 

WA Wildflower Power – Tips on Gardening.

Remarrying WA plants with WA gardens (Ricinocarpus tuberculatus AKA Wedding Bush above) makes perfect sense, especially now when Australian climate is getting drier and drier. WA plants require no soil preparation, can be extremely water-wise once established and are attractive to our native birds, insects and of course us. Most will thrive in full sun and can happily grow with very little additional watering once established. It is normal for WA natives to brown off a little and go dormant when conditions become hot and dry in the wild. As soon as the first rains hit they will recover and start growing in preparation for wildflower season. See more Top Tips  When Trying to Grow WA WildflowersContinue reading “WA Wildflower Power – Tips on Gardening.”

Meet Dr Eddy Wajon – Our Natural Treasure

Dr Eddy Wajon has been an invaluable member of our society since 1996 and his true commitment to wildflowers is a priceless commodity we all acknowledge and appreciate. Eddy served on the Murdoch Branch Committee between 2011 – 2015 as President and Vice-president. Between 2011 and 2014 he was also the State President of the Wildflower Society. Eddy is a very active advocate for everything what concerns knowing, growing, protecting and promoting the value and beauty of our WA bushlands. Continue reading “Meet Dr Eddy Wajon – Our Natural Treasure”

Membership Renewals

Membership renewals are due for most people in October, and our new website membership system will automatically send you a reminder when your membership is due (some members have their renewal on the date they joined, at other times throughout the year).  The volunteers at Perry House are very busy processing renewals.  You can make it a bit easier by renewing on-line, using the ‘Members’ tab and clicking on ‘My Membership.’  If you can’t log in, email nmcl@westnet.com.au for help logging in to our new system – which still has some teething problems!  Of course, you are still welcome to renew your membership by post in the usual manner.  Its your choice!  (By the way, our wayward new system has automatically sent out some ‘cancelled’ emails for people who have not yet renewed…  please disregard!  Members of the Wildflower Society are given 3 months grace for renewal.  If you are late, you will not be ‘cancelled’ for a long time yet!  Our apologies for this intractable membership system.)

“Big Bang” Book – Celebrating Branch Anniversary

Writing a book takes more time than envisaged. Our dear and active member Liz Edwards (above in the middle) initially began the mammoth task of collecting information in February 2013 by using past newsletter and minutes of the Murdoch Branch Committee Meetings and started to assemble the story in an orderly manner. Easy to say but much harder to do. Liz needed help and Lesleigh Curnow volunteered her time and Publisher expertise and they formed a very committed editorial team for our 25th anniversary book. The mammoth started to take shape – from little things big things grow.

Little Cooper holds the book accompanied by Joe Fontaine and his grandpa Cameron Schuster.
Little Cooper holds the book accompanied by Joe Fontaine and his grandpa Cameron Schuster.

Continue reading ““Big Bang” Book – Celebrating Branch Anniversary”

Murdoch Branches Out – 2016 Excursion to York WA.

The Murdoch Branch of WSWA held its annual two-day field trip on 13-14 August 2016.

The excursion was  organized by Ben Sims  – Vice-President of Murdoch Mob. On the first day the group visited several roadside reserves including Wambyn Nature Reserve and St Ronan’s Reserve. A great diversity of plants was recorded, including several species of fairy orchids (Caladenia spp.), Mirbelias (Mirbelia floribunda on a photo above), Hakeas, sundews (Drosera spp.) and acacias, to name a few.

Wambyn Nature Reserve.
Wambyn Nature Reserve.

Continue reading “Murdoch Branches Out – 2016 Excursion to York WA.”

Learning about the Liyan

Dr Christine Allen joined the travelers from across Australia to explore the Kimberley with the Traditional Custodians and she shares her very unique experience with us. Christine is the Secretary of the Murdoch Branch.

In late July, I joined a group of 24 travellers from across Australia to explore the Kimberley for a week. But this wasn’t any tourist trip, we were meeting and staying with Traditional Custodians to hear their stories and understand their fight for land. And what an eye- opening trip it was!

We all met in Broome and started the trip by exploring Roebuck Bay with Bart Pigram. We tried our hand at collecting oysters just like Bart’s family has done for many thousands of years. Bart also showed us an ancient waterhole and meeting place for tribes around the region. This water hole was on an rise surrounded by salt flats with samphire and there were old conch shells which were used to collect the water.

Collecting Oysters at the Roebuck Bay.
Collecting Oysters at the Roebuck Bay.

Continue reading “Learning about the Liyan”