Category Archives: News

2012 Bush Blitz report now available online

In November 2012, five staff members of the State Herbarium of South Australia participated in a two week survey on Hiltaba Station and Gawler Ranges National Park. These staff collected vascular plants and cryptogams as part of the Bush Blitz program.

The detailed report prepared for Bush Blitz is now available on Enviro Data SA:

Lang, P.J., Kellermann, J., Bell, G.H. & Cross, H.B. (2013). Flora survey on Hiltaba Station and Gawler Ranges National Park: vascular plants, macrofungi, lichens, and bryophytes. Report for Bush Blitz, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. (Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, South Australia: Adelaide). — 5.9mb PDF.

Area of outcropping granite dominated by the Gawler Ranges endemic shrub Grevillea parallelinervis and by Melaleuca uncinata and Triodia irritans; hill NW of Mt Hiltaba, Hiltaba Station. Photo: J. Kellermann.

A summary of the results was published in:

Bush Blitz (2015). Hiltaba Nature Reserve and Gawler Ranges National Park SA 2012: a Bush Blitz survey report. (Australian Biological Resources Study: Canberra). — 5.8mb PDF.

The primary survey effort was focussed on Hiltaba Station, which had been recently acquired by Nature Foundation SA, and records were made at 134 sites. Across the two properties the survey resulted in the collection of 782 plant specimens, plus a further 524 plant sighting records. The collections were supplemented by 136 vascular plant tissue samples collected in silica gel desiccant for future DNA analysis.

A total of 88 plant taxa were newly recorded for the Hiltaba Nature Foundation property during the 2012 Bush Blitz Survey. This comprised 36 vascular plant taxa and 52 cryptogams (26 bryophytes, 22 lichens, and 4 macrofungi). In the Gawler Ranges National Park, 21 plant taxa were recorded for the first time, comprising 12 vascular plant taxa and 9 cryptogams. These surveys have made a significant contribution to our knowledge of the flora on both properties.

Extensive area of intact Maireana sedifolia (Pearl Bluebush) Low Shrubland on open plain SW of Peeweena Bore, Hiltaba Station. Photo: P.J. Lang.

The results of the survey and the problems encountered when revising and compiling flora lists were discussed in a presentation at the Bush Blitz Symposium in July 2013 (Old Parliament House, Canberra). Recordings of all presentations from the Symposium are available online.

Kellermann, J., Lang, P.J. & Waycott, M. (2013). To the hilt: tackling flora lists for Hiltaba Station and Gawler Ranges National Park. — Recorded presentation (15 mins) by Jürgen Kellermann.

More information on the 2012 Bush Blitz:

An ABC Rural report on Hiltaba and several interviews about the new Nature Foundation reserve and the Bush Blitz survey
Hiltaba Station also has its own facebook page
A detailled blog entry by Erin Lake about the Bush Blitz survey
Press releases by our colleagues from the South Australian Museum from 8 Nov. and 29 Nov. 2012.

Bush Blitz is an innovative partnership between the Australian Government, BHP Billiton Sustainable Communities and Earthwatch Australia. It is the world’s first continent-scale biodiversity survey, providing the knowledge needed to help us protect Australia’s unique animals and plants for generations to come.

Plant ID course a success

Plant ID Course students during the field trip to Onkaparinga National Park. Photo: M. Waycott.

A Plant Identification Course for 3rd year university students was recently held by The University of Adelaide and the State Herbarium of South Australia: ENV BIOL 2510 – Plant Identification II. Before the face-to-face sessions, students were provided online resources and recorded lectures. The one-week intensive course took place in the semester break. Almost 60 students had enrolled in this course. The course co-ordinators were Dr John Conran from the School of Biological Sciences and Chief Botanist Prof. Michelle Waycott (a joint appointment of DEWNR and the University).

Bee on Leucopogon parviflorus (coastal bearded-heath) in Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park. Photo: M. Waycott.

Students were taught the basics of plant structure, plant names and nomenclature, key characters of important plant families, weed identification, the use paper-based and electronic identification keys, and how to prepare pressed plant specimens. A field trip to Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park and Onkaparinga River National Park helped students to practice their plant collection and field ID skills. Student groups were guided by State Herbarium staff members and university tutors.

In future years, the course might also be opened to members of the public, as well as students from The University of Adelaide.

Bush Blitz Lake Torrens (3)

Herbarium specimens and samples collected on this year’s Bush Blitz expedition to Lake Torrens are currently being processed. Now that they have been fully dried, pressed specimens will be mounted on acid free paper and silica gel dried leaves for future DNA analyses are stored away safely.

Participants of the 2016 Bush Blitz expedition to Lake Torrens. Photo: Bush Blitz.

The expedition consisted of a team of eleven Bush Blitz and support staff (including two helicopter pilots and one cook), 16 scientists and eight BHP employees, who were volunteering and assisting the scientists during field work. (Not all team members stayed for the full two weeks.)

Two specimens of a rarely-collected arid fungus (Chlamydopus sp.). Photo: Teresa Lebel.

The State Herbarium‘s team of botanists and mycologist Teresa Lebel from the National Herbarium of Victoria reported the following highlights to Bush Blitz:

Collection of just over 900 specimens (nearly all sub-sampled by tissue in silica gel as desiccant to provide material for DNA studies). The total number of species is not yet determined, but would be over 300 vascular plants, algae, fungi, lichens and bryophytes
Collection of a population sample from the only known occurrence of a recently-discovered undescribed Sclerolaena (Copper Burr)
Discovery of an intact host-root connection of the parasitic plant Orobanche cernua var. australiana (Austral Broomrape), parasitising the daisy species Leiocarpa websteri
Recorded and sampled large populations of an undescribed wattle related to Western Myall (Acacia papyrocarpa) and currently known by the phrase name Acacia sp. Blyth Range (W.V.Fitzgerald s.n. 1898) or Acacia aff. papyrocarpa
Sampled a submerged aquatic liverwort, and several species of algae, rarely collected in South Australia
Collection of a tiny pathogenic (i.e. host-damaging) fungus on Tecticornia (samphire); lignum (Duma florulenta) was the only previously known host for this fungus species
Collected about 10 species of arid macro-fungi.

Home away from home: Old Andamooka Homestead, the expedition’s base camp. Photo: Bush Blitz

Another month – another Blitz!

October sees the State Herbarium participating in another ‘blitz’ – this time a BioBlitz!

A BioBlitz involves a team of scientists and naturalists working with the public to discover and record the life of a park or reserve, normally close to or within a city. BioBlitz events are usually run over a day and evening and include activities for all ages, experienced and novice naturalists, and anyone who wants to contribute and learn. In South Australia, Dr Philip Roetman from the University of South Australia has embraced the BioBlitz concept and, in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (which includes the State Herbarium of South Australia), the City of Marion and the City of Salisbury, formed a group called the Discovery Circle, which supports local BioBlitzes and other citizen science projects.

Warriparinga Wetland offers habitat and safe breeding grounds to native birds and fauna. Photo: Discovery Circle.

The October BioBlitzes will be held on Saturday 8 October: Cobbler Creek (see our forthcoming October Plant of the Month and Good Living’s Park of the Month for more information on Cobbler Creek Recreation Park) and on Saturday 29 October: Warriparinga Wetlands. The State Herbarium will be leading groups interested in discovering the reserve’s vegetation.

The Cobbler Creek BioBlitz will run from 9.00am – 9.30pm and will feature wildlife on display, searches for birds, wildflowers and mammals, plus spotlighting, nature play, nature poetry, nature art, kids sessions and bat detecting. The event is free but bookings are essential.

A full program and bookings are available online through “Eventbrite“

Cobbler Creek BioBlitz – BOOK NOW

A full program and on-line booking for Warriparinga was not available at the time of writing, but check out the Discovery Circle website for more information: http://www.discoverycircle.org.au/projects/bioblitzes/

Contributed by State Herbarium Manager Peter Canty.

Bush Blitz Lake Torrens (2)

During the last two weeks, State Herbarium of South Australia staff participated at the Bush Blitz expedition to Lake Torrens. For the second week of the survey, Helen Vonow and Jürgen Kellermann joined the Bush Blitz team, replacing Chelsea Tothill and Chris Brodie who returned to Adelaide. Peter Lang and Dave Armstrong stayed for the full two weeks of the trip. In addition, mycologist Teresa Lebel from the National Herbarium of Victoria joined the expedition.

Botanist Peter Lang with plant presses full of collections, waiting to board the helicopter to be taken to another site. Photo: J. Kellermann.

Fieldwork was taken to another level in this second week, by the availability of two helicopters. The botany team took full advantage of this and used them to reach sites that were inaccessible by car, or particularly remote.

A field of Polycalymma stuartii (poached egg daisy) near Andamooka Homestead. Photo: J. Kellermann.

Due to the good season with much winter rain, conditions in the area were excellent. Green was the predominant colour in this “desert”. Red sand dunes boasted displays of flowering shrubs and daisies, while gibber plains were clothed with small ephemeral daisies and peas.

State Herbarium botanists filled their presses every day with plants to document the flora of the Bush Blitz expedition area. The collections are currently drying and will be examined in due course.