The June trip to TOPSY

Some time last year I discovered a track that goes from Genoa Rd to the entrance to the poo pits.  The Wednesday Walkers refer to this as the Track Opposite the Pony Club (TOPC, pronounced Topsy).  I have included this in the set of places I am visiting monthly to record changes since the fire.  My JUne visit was on the 16^th.

Here is the route (courtesy of eBird).  The little jags are where I left the track to check something.

The entrance to the track now looks wide and well-formed as a result of a bulldozer having gone down it.  If you have a bulldozer you have to take it places whether needed or not.

The first few 100 m go through a Xanthorrhoea heath (mainly X.resinosa) with Leptospermum upper storey.  The epicormic growth on the latter is developing strongly.

The heath eventually change to open sclerophyll woodland, which is accompanied by the ground layer changing to bracken (now - I can't remember what it was).  I have tried to illustrate this zone here, but the bracken doesn't show up too well. 

In places in the woodland the ground storey is more or less absent

I am used to epicormic growth on the Family Myrtaceae (Eucalypts, Leptospermum etc) but have been surprised to find it very evident on the Banksia serrata.

This image is included to show some of the few Xanthrrhoea australis, with trunks, mixed in with the heath.  (NB:  I have in the past referred to X. minor, but now think that to be a mistake as they haven't had the yellow petals of X m lutea, the subspecies found in this area.

A few flowers - of common species - were in the woodland area.  Brachyscome spathulata- much taller than those found in The Narrows.

Scaevola ramosissima 

Schelhamerra umbellata

Craspedia variabilis

Coronidium scorpioides

In contrast to our other recent walks there were few fungi around.  'twas good to renew my acquaintnce with Lichenomphalia chromacea (previously known as Omphalina chromacea).  The new name brings in the symbiosis with lichen while retaining the 'omphos +navel reference.

I think this is Laetiporus portentosus: although burnt, the host tree was still alive.

The area is one in which firewood collection is allowed and someone has been acting on that.

There is plenty of raw material for them!  In some cases the trees that have been felled have had a lot of green growth and the bole looks OK: perhaps bulldozers get grumpy if there is too long between knocking over trees?

I see the amount, and diversity, of growth as grounds for cautious optimism.  As long as the bulldozers are kept away.