newsletter summer 2018 friends of the waite … · 2018-03-19 · newsletter 94, summer 2018 page 4...

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS Patron: Sophie Thomson President: Beth Johnstone OAM, Vice-President: Marilyn Gilbertson OAM Secretary: Johanna Crosby, Treasurer: Dr Peter Nicholls Editors: Eileen Harvey, email: [email protected] Jenny Birvé, email: [email protected] Committee: Erica Boyle, Dr Wayne Harvey, Terry Langham, Dr Kate Delaporte (ex officio) Address: Friends of the Waite Arboretum, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, PMB1, GLEN OSMOND 5064 Phone: (08) 8313 7405, Email: [email protected] Photography: Erica Boyle, Eileen Harvey, Jenny Birvé FRIENDS OF THE WAITE ARBORETUM INC. www.communitywebs.org/friendsofwaitearb NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2018 NUMBER 94 2. From the President, Beth Johnstone OAM 3. In the Arboretum, from the Curator, Dr Kate Delaporte 4. Arboretum Report, Dr Kate Delaporte, Friends News 5. Angophora , Dr Barbara Radcliffe 7. The Coach House Garden, Laurel Crouch 8. Waite Arboretum: not just a prey place! Dr Jennifer Gardner 9. Palm and Cycad Society, Treenet Donaon, Instagram News 11. Buerfly delight Erica Boyle 12. Summer in the Arboretum Table of contents Barklya syringifolia Gold-blossom tree LEGUMINOSAE NSW QLD 1953 #820 Free Guided Arboretum walks The first Sunday of every month at 11.00 am. Walks meet at Urrbrae House on the lawn More details at: hp://www.adelaide.edu.au/ arboretum/walks/ FWA AGM Monday 16 April 7:30pm. Whats on at Urrbrae House Friends Of The Waite Arboretum are hosng the following event: Free Guided walk before the Exhibion of Basketry. Plant fibre materials coming from Country”. 11am Sat 17th Feb Later that dayNatures Pace…” Exhibion Basketry and sale of Baskets, Sculptures and Fibre Jewellery. 2pm Sat. 17th Feb 2018 . Urrbrae House , Uni. Adelaide, Waite Campus More details at: hp://www.adelaide.edu.au/waite- historic/whatson/ If you are interested in becoming a volunteer guide in the Waite Arbore- tum, or if you would like to join the Friends of the Waite Arboretum Commiee, please contact the Friends.

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Page 1: NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2018 FRIENDS OF THE WAITE … · 2018-03-19 · NEWSLETTER 94, SUMMER 2018 page 4 FRIENDS WAITE ARBORETUM hectares, containing approximately 1,100 trees from about

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Patron: Sophie Thomson

President: Beth Johnstone OAM, Vice-President: Marilyn Gilbertson OAM

Secretary: Johanna Crosby, Treasurer: Dr Peter Nicholls

Editors: Eileen Harvey, email: [email protected]

Jenny Birvé, email: [email protected]

Committee: Erica Boyle, Dr Wayne Harvey, Terry Langham, Dr Kate Delaporte

(ex officio)

Address: Friends of the Waite Arboretum, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus,

PMB1, GLEN OSMOND 5064

Phone: (08) 8313 7405, Email: [email protected]

Photography: Erica Boyle, Eileen Harvey, Jenny Birvé

FRIENDS OF THE WAITE ARBORETUM INC.

www.communitywebs.org/friendsofwaitearb

NEWSLETTER

SUMMER 2018

NUMBER 94

2. From the President, Beth Johnstone OAM

3. In the Arboretum, from the Curator, Dr Kate Delaporte

4. Arboretum Report, Dr Kate Delaporte, Friends News

5. Angophora , Dr Barbara Radcliffe

7. The Coach House Garden, Laurel Crouch

8. Waite Arboretum: not just a pretty place! Dr Jennifer Gardner

9. Palm and Cycad Society, Treenet Donation, Instagram News

11. Butterfly delight Erica Boyle

12. Summer in the Arboretum

Table of contents

Barklya syringifolia Gold-blossom tree LEGUMINOSAE NSW QLD

1953 #820

Free Guided Arboretum walks

The first Sunday of every month

at 11.00 am. Walks meet at Urrbrae House on the lawn

More details at:

http://www.adelaide.edu.au/arboretum/walks/

FWA AGM Monday 16 April 7:30pm.

What’s on at Urrbrae House

Friends Of The Waite Arboretum are hosting the following event:

Free Guided walk before the Exhibition of Basketry.

‘’Plant fibre materials coming from Country”. 11am Sat 17th Feb

Later that day…

“Nature’s Pace…”

Exhibition Basketry and sale

of Baskets, Sculptures and Fibre Jewellery.

2pm Sat. 17th Feb 2018 . Urrbrae House , Uni. Adelaide, Waite Campus

More details at:

http://www.adelaide.edu.au/waite-historic/whatson/

If you are interested in becoming a

volunteer guide in the Waite Arbore-

tum, or if you would like to join the

Friends of the Waite Arboretum

Committee, please contact the

Friends.

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Report from the President Beth Johnstone OAM

January 2018

A Happy New Year to all those members who continue to be

our support and our raison d'être. Thank you.

After a period of waiting, we were delighted to be informed by

Professor Keller early in November, that Dr Kate Delaporte had

been appointed as Curator of the Waite Arboretum.

Her responsibility in this position also extends to oversight of

the Waite Conservation Reserve.

Kate has been appointed as an academic Lecturer Level B. As

such, she will contribute to both teaching and research at the

Waite.

Kate has a range of skills and knowledge and she has proved

her abilities while in an acting capacity. Her appointment

meets with wide approval.

Erica Boyle has also informed us that her contract has been

renewed. This is very pleasing news and made all those

wonderful people who turn up to work in the gardens each

Tuesday and Friday cheer when they heard the news. It

promises to be a good year following this start.

One of the outcomes of an association with trees or gardens is

the development of a habit of watching weather, particularly

rainfall. The annual rate of rainfall for 2017 was lower than the

previous year and predictions to date are not encouraging for

2018.

Two of the very popular spots within the arboretum, the Bee

Hotel and the Labyrinth continue to attract visitors in great

numbers. The renewal of the Labyrinth during 2017 by Dr

Jennifer Gardiner and her helpers has given pleasure to many

who use it regularly and the Bee Hotel recently attracted the

attention of a journalist who wrote of the importance of native

bees. It is good to see the spread of such a message.

The Friends Committee worked with Treenet during the

annual Symposium and was rewarded by the presentation of a

cheque for $1000. Marilyn Gilbertson who diligently assists

and organises procedures for Glen Williams, Director, does the

major part of this work and it is intended to use the donation

to provide signage in the northwest corner, where Marilyn and

Alan Retallack have volunteered for many years.

Planning is well underway for the Basketry Exhibition early in

February. The exhibition is entitled “Nature’s Pace” details are

provided elsewhere in this Newsletter. This collaboration with

Basketry South Australia is one that has brought pleasant

experiences to both groups and is very popular with the

community.

The beginning of this year is a reminder that 2021 is coming

closer when the 19th World Federation of Rose Societies

Convention will be held in Adelaide and the Rose garden will

become a focus of attendees. The committee will plan for this

during the year. The committee is also committed to planning

to have signage updated.

The Friends group held a Film Event this January, when the

Barnum story with Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams

entitled “ The Greatest Showman” was shown.

So many extraordinary things out there if you just take the time to

look. I noticed a “blue bee” – not a Blue Banded Bee, but something

different. For once, my phone camera behaved, and I discovered

that it was a Thyreus caeruleopunctatus, the Chequered Cuckoo

Bee, which lays eggs in the nest of native blue banded bees. KD.

Brachychiton discolor MALVACEAE Lacebark Tree NSW, Qld #242

Plant fibre materials coming from Country.

Come join us on a walk through the Waite Arboretum

11am Sat 17th Feb. to look for those plants that have

provided the material for carrying, pulling, netting,

filtering and sheltering people for time immemorial.

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Arb Groundsperson Andrew Walters has been progressing

the tough and laborious job of lifting canopies and clearing

the vegetation beneath, essential for fire fuel load reduction

to keep our trees safer from unwanted fires. With over

2,300 trees to care for, it’s a seemingly never ending task,

however Andrew takes it on with enthusiasm.

As noted in my first newsletter piece, every season provides

us with a chance to observe and gather new information

about the way things grow, naturally establish, and how we

can find the balance between “cultivation” and natural

systems. As often as I can, I take a walk through the

Arboretum and, really, I see it with fresh eyes every time. On

every occasion, I find myself falling over something I haven’t

seen before – and in October I stumbled over the Bauhinia

variegata #343 in full bloom – glorious!

January 2018 Report Dr Kate Delaporte

I was looking for a poem to celebrate summer and the one that

sprang to mind of course is Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, however

an English summer is nothing to compare to an Adelaide one,

except for the line “… Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven

shines, …”

Since the last newsletter the Arboretum has settled down into

the growing groove. A dry autumn, average winter and a dry

spring has resulted in minimal ground cover growth throughout

the Arb. The native grasses continue to flourish, albeit not as

well as last year. We continue to support the establishment of

Chloris truncata in the greater Arb and numerous other species

in the NW Corner.

The NW Corner was a featured free guided walk in October and

over the following months, Ellen Bennett and Marne Durnin of

the SA Native Grasses group undertook an inventory of the

grass species in that area. At least 12 species of grasses have

been identified! Over the coming months, key volunteers

Marilyn Gilbertson and Alan Retallack will work with Marne and

Ellen and myself, to produce a new 20 year plan for the area to

continue with the fantastic rehabilitation work already done.

Bauhinia variegata FABACEAE India, China 1930 #343

Orchid Tree and flowers. KD

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Fundraising Film Event Marilyn Gilbertson OAM

“The Greatest Showman”

Over 170 friends and supporters of FWA, FOUH and FWCR attended the

film event at The Capri on Sunday 7th January. While our choice of film

received a mixed reaction with some people stating that they loved it but

others were less keen, it was a happy afternoon. The Wurlitzer Organ

recital before the screening of the film was especially enjoyable.

Friends were very generous with their purchase of raffle tickets. With the

profit from ticket sales and our share of raffle ticket proceeds we raised

almost $1000.

The cooperation and assistance from staff at The Capri was greatly

appreciated.

It is always rewarding to work with the friends of FOUH and FWCR and

we look forward to having another combined event later in the year

when a suitable film becomes available.

Thank you to our members and friends who, by attending the event,

continue to support our efforts to promote awareness of the Arboretum,

while raising funds for its care.

Friends News

Arboretum News Dr Kate Delaporte

In October, Arb Officer Erica Boyle, Arb Groundsperson

Andrew Walters and I attended the 8th BGANZ Congress, held

at the National Wine Centre, hosted by the Botanic Gardens

of South Australia. I personally really enjoyed the two days I

spent at the Congress and, despite a very wet afternoon, the

delegates enjoyed the walk and afternoon tea at the Waite

Arboretum (provided and supported by the Friends of the

Botanic Gardens of Adelaide); thank you to Erica and

Andrew, and to the guides on the day, Jennifer Gardner,

Jenny Birve and Barbara Radcliffe, for taking the tours in

persistent rain. Thanks also to Amanda Jackson, Sally Carr

and Lynette Zeitz for managing the afternoon tea in the

Coach House. I met some really lovely people and

established some new connections.

After the Congress, I was contacted by Dale Arvidsson, the

Curator of the Sherwood Arboretum in Brisbane. Dale visited

the Waite Arb as part of the Congress Tour and was

impressed by our site. In December, while in Brisbane for a

family Christmas, I visited Sherwood and met with Dale and

two of the Sherwood Friends, Barry Golding and Andrew

Benison. The Sherwood Arboretum covers an area of 15

hectares, containing approximately 1,100 trees from about

300 species. The Arboretum comprises parkland, and an

artificial freshwater wetland and has an extensive frontage

to the Brisbane River, complete with a boardwalk and

mangroves! The Sherwood Arboretum is a very interesting

site, populated mainly with trees native to the South East

Queensland area, and well worth a visit! I hope to establish a

collaborative relationship with this site, and trial some of

their local species here at Waite in the future. Please take

the time to look up the Sherwood Arboretum on https://

Urrbrae House Gardens now has a Street Library. A lovely

new feature that has already captured the interest of

neighbors and visitors who come to the gardens to exchange

their books. Located at the entrance of the Gardens, by the

Andrewartha Gate on Claremont Avenue, interesting books

are waiting for you! You can find out more about Street

Libraries in Australia at https://streetlibrary.org.au/

Special thanks to Lynette Zeitz, Manager of Urrbrae House,

for arranging this new attraction in the gardens. We also

extend our thanks to Terry Langham who volunteered his

time painting the lovely house-shaped box before its

installation.

Erica Boyle

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Angophora Dr Barbara Radcliffe

Gum trees are a well known icon of Australia. The scent of

gum trees as well as their form and resilience to fire and

drought are well-known characteristics. Most, but not all, gum

trees belong to the genus Eucalyptus, although we are

allowed to refer to all gum trees as eucalypts or gums.

Formally the eucalypts are divided into three genera:

Eucalyptus, Corymbia, and Angophora.

The genus Corymbia, or blood woods, was defined as separate

from Eucalyptus, as recently as the mid-1990s. Well known

species include C. citriodora (Lemon-scented gum) and C.

ficifolia (Red flowering gum). These species are readily

observed in Adelaide. There is a fine example of C. citriodora

near the small pond towards the lower end of the water

course in the Arboretum as well as those that line the Eastern

end of the main drive. C. ficifolia is a popular street tree and

when in full bloom in mid-summer delights us with its profuse

flowers that may range in colour from cream to pink to

scarlet. In addition, its plentiful supply of nectar attracts

numerous nectivorous insects and birds that add to the show.

So that gets us to Angophora. According to DNA studies,

Corymbia and Angophora are more closely related to each

other than to members of the genus Eucalyptus which seems

to have had a more ancient origin.

The genus Angophora has the smallest number of species (14)

which hail from coastal areas of southern Queensland, New

South Wales with one species A. floribunda native to New

South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria. Distinguishing

characteristics of Angophora sp. include mature leaves in an

opposite arrangement and flowers (always cream-colour) that

have prominent stamens, but also small petals. On the other

hand, members of the genus Eucalyptus usually have mature

leaves arranged alternately (there are exceptions in the case

of mature leaves, and juvenile leaves are usually opposite).

The petals of Eucalyptus flowers are fused to form a ‘cap’ that

falls off to liberate the stamens surrounding the pistil. The

woody fruits of Angophora resemble ‘gum nuts’ but are

always ribbed.

Glycyphana stolata or the Brown flower beetle feeding on Angophora floribunda. This beetle is an Australian native

introduced from the eastern states and feeds on nectar. Julie Paulus ID SA Natureteers photo JB

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Angophora hispida MYRTACEAE NSW #159A JB

Note the ribbed “gumnuts”.

Angophora (cont.) Dr Barbara Radcliffe

One of the most commonly grown species is A. costata

(Smooth-barked apple or Sydney red gum) which is a

handsome, large tree with fresh bark distinctively coloured

pink or orange that fades to grey in winter before shedding

again. There are five specimens of A. costata in the

Arboretum. Due to its large size up to 30 m tall, it is best

suited to large public gardens.

Another popular species is A. hispida, commonly known as

Dwarf or scrub apple. It grows as a mallee form or small tree

to about 7 m. Attractive features include red new foliage and

profuse white flowers that may attract nectivorous birds,

bees, moths, butterflies, and various species of beetles. The

Arboretum sports four specimens of A. hispida as well as one

hispida X floribunda hybrid.

In total there are 21 specimens of Angophora in the

Arboretum comprising 7 species and three hybrids. There is

an attractive grouped planting of them just west of the

watercourse near the ‘Owl Pole’. Why not visit it and

compare the characteristics with the nearby Eucalyptus

species and enjoy their beauty.

Angophora costata MYRTACEAE NSW #189

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The collection of assets can also come through the process of

discovery. During the formative years of the Coach House

Garden it came through the manual work of hand digging. It

was whilst constructing the dry wall back in 2010 that more

paving belonging to Peter Waite’s garage was found to exist

and was unearthed for full exposure.

During the years of 2012-2015, trenches were hand dug

across the entire area in the effort to make soil with a total of

266 bags of horse manure added and dug several times over.

It was from the labour of digging near the olive hedge at the

top end in 2014 that treasure was found in the form of a

horseshoe covered in clay. It was ironic, that digging a trench

to add horse manure an asset from Peter Waite’s era was

rewarded. It also provided the boost to keep digging.

Digging an area built on clay and rubble amassed a significant

collection of rocks of various sizes. Rather than seeing it as a

debit it was useful for providing fill for two gabion seats for

the Coach House and the Garden of Discovery gardens. An

incidental recyclable resource given a new purpose above the

ground.

The Coach House Garden nestles in the historical

surroundings of Peter Waite’s garage and horse stables. It is

fortunate that these significant buildings have been retained.

The 100 year old mulberry tree takes pride and place in the

midst of a young garden. A living treasure from a bygone era

sharing its life with other collectable assets in the garden’s

progress of connecting with its past and future.

The 100 year old Mulberry tree. LC

The Coach House Garden Laurel Crouch

A garden consists of many accumulative assets that give

its own distinct character and story: the Coach House

garden is no different. Some assets can come through

incidental ways. For instance, a memory of a tree once

standing takes on a new purpose as an abode for a

succulent. Small trees cut back to their trunks become an

asset as living sculptures rather than removed completely.

These are two instances where this has occurred in the

garden. What can be regarded as a debit becomes an

invaluable asset.

Echevaria in its stump abode. LC

The stump has provided a suitable abode for a low

maintenance plant and has added texture to a garden of

characteristics. The ‘V’ shape structure left over from

trees cut back provided the opportunity to create a living

sculpture using a native climber. Its resemblance to the

shape of a harp, although the interpretation can be in the

eye of the beholder, conveys, a symbolic gesture befitting

the Peter Waite legacy and how he nurtured musical

talent.

Hardenbergia ‘Happy Wanderer’ harp taking shape. LC

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Waite Arboretum: not just a pretty place!

Dr Jennifer Gardner OAM

Waite Arboretum is a place of tranquil beauty and treasures aplenty. There are towering trees like the Sugar Gum Eucalyptus cladocalyx #1201G at 35 m, the height of a 12-storey building . There are rare species endangered in the wild like the Torrey Pine Pinus torreyana #499A . There are trees like Tree Fuschia Schotia brachypetala #324 ablaze with scarlet flowers in November and a-chatter with Rainbow Lorikeets imbibing the abundant nectar. There are dense shady trees like Rusty Fig Ficus rubiginosa #199 with its wide-spreading canopy touching the ground creating a hidden cubby house for nature play. There are gnarled remnant trees like the Grey Box Eucalyptus microcarpa #1621 with hollows for possums and kookaburras and crevices for geckos and microbats.

Less apparent, but quantifiable, are the multiple ecosystem benefits the Arboretum trees deliver. Our urban forest cools the air, improves air quality, sequesters and stores carbon, and captures rainfall to avoid runoff and soil erosion.

My colleagues Marian McDuie, Arboretum Officer Erica Boyle and I have completed our research project to quantify and assign monetary values to these ecosystem services using the i-Tree Eco software and standardised field data, collected by Erica and her team of volunteers, on 1,255 specimens representing 601 species in 146 genera.

Our report1 is available on i-Tree Eco Resources www.itreetools.org/resources/reports/WaiteArb, and the Waite Arboretum www.adelaide.edu.au/waite-historic/arboretum webpages. Quantifying these benefits has added a new perspective to our appreciation of the Arboretum trees and the urban forest more generally.

In summary, the structural value of the surveyed trees (50% of the Waite Arboretum collection) was calculated to be A$13 million. Additional structural and functional values of the surveyed trees were:

Carbon storage: 1,167 tonnes (A$26,600), equivalent to annual carbon emissions from 910 vehicles or 373 single-family houses;

Air pollution removal (O3, CO, NO2, SO2 and particulate matter <2.5 microns): 1.2 tonnes/year (A$4,840 / year) equivalent to annual emissions from 160 vehicles or 36 single family homes;

Carbon sequestration: 34.3 tonnes/year (A$783/year);

Oxygen production: 91.5 tonnes/year;

Avoided runoff: >1,072 cubic metres/year (A$2,420/year).

Especially exciting for us is that Marian has created a map, available free in ArcGIS online maps, in which selected environmental benefits of each of the 1,255 specimens surveyed are now available at the tap of a finger on. Click on the link http://arcg.is/1iTTCy or type ‘Waite Arboretum Tree Inventory’ into your favourite search engine.

A Waite Arboretum aerial image with every surveyed tree highlighted in light green with the 10 colour range reflecting the age class of the tree and labelled with the scientific name will be displayed. Click on a tree to display its environmental benefits which will also be uploaded to the Waite Arboretum App. For example: Sugar Gum #1201J

Photo: J.Gardner Arboretum Tree #1201J Eucalyptus cladocalyx Sugar Gum Height 34 m, DBH 202 cm, Age 140 years, Carbon stored 6.2 tonne, Carbon sequestered 5.3 kg/yr, Total Pollution Removed 5.3 kg/yr, Structural Value A$56,891.

View and explore the collection with the online map. Then download the App and visit the Arboretum on a beautiful day while the weather is pleasant. When you pause to admire a tree take a moment to appreciate its environmental benefits as well as its beauty. How fortunate we are to have this wonderful botanic jewel for our enjoyment and well-being.

1 Gardner, J., McDuie, M. and Boyle, E. 2017 Valuing the Waite Arboretum, South Australia An i-Tree Ecosystem Analysis

Neutrog donates fertilisers for the

Urrbrae House Gardens and the Waite

Arboretum native plants.

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Palm & Cycad collections. Erica Boyle

In October a group of Palm & Cycad Society (SA) members

met at the entrance of the Palm sector with tools ready to

get down to work. The result of more than five hours of hard

work was a wonderful flagstone paving around two new

bench seats donated by the society. The site is under the

Eucalyptus halophila at the entrance of the Palm & Cycad

Walk along the watercourse.

These lovely and enthusiastic group of people meet

regularly at the Waite Arboretum to water, weed and plant

new specimens to add to the collection. Afterwards they

share a lunch or a drink beneath the palm fronds. We hope

this new site attracts many more visitors.

Recently the Arboretum received a new donation of 14

specimens from the Palm & Cycad Society (SA) members.

The Waite Arboretum with its two prestigious palm

collections is home to 220 palms and 55 cycads.

TREENET donation

During one of the November’s garden volunteer morning

teas, Glenn Williams, Director of TREENET, delivered a

cheque to the Friends of the Waite Arboretum in

appreciation, recognizing the involvement of some of the

FWA members in the ‘behind the scenes work’ for every

TREENET symposium since its inception.

Thank you TREENET for this important recognition of the

efforts of our dearest Marilyn, Beth and Terry and those

volunteers who have always endeavored to make the

symposiums a success for the last 20 years!

Glenn Williams, Director of Treenet donating to FWA. EB

Palm and Cycad Society (SA) installing flagstone paving. EB

Instagram impressions Erica Boyle

@waitearboretumandgardens INSTAGRAM account

continues to increase its number of followers. You can get a

quick glimpse of the many impressions we have had from

the pictures* we have posted. ‘Impressions’ refers to the

total number of times the post has been seen. That means

that not only the ’likes’ are important in this social media

world, impressions are too!

If you haven’t created your Instagram account yet, you

have a good reason to do it now, and its free!

Find us at @waitearboretumandgardens

*All the photographs posted on Instagram are taken from

specimens at the Waite Arboretum and Urrbrae House Gar-

dens by Erica Boyle.

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Butterfly delight Erica Boyle

The winter plantation of Buddlejas davidii or Butterfly

bushes has bloomed, attracting graceful butterflies in the

Sensory Garden.

Sensory Garden volunteer, Paul, planted three dwarf

Buddleja davidii next to the milky Gomphocarpus cancellata

or Cotton Bush - host plants of the Monarch butterfly. As

privileged spectators we have been watching the whole

process of metamorphosis in butterflies.

Another spectacular show of nature can be found on the

Capparis mitchellii specimen or Native Orange tree in the

Arboretum. The leaves are the larval food of the migratory

Caper White butterfly Belenois java teutonia. A cloud of

butterflies currently surrounds the small and compact tree.

Don’t miss out on this marvel of nature happening now!

Search tree #222 Capparis mitchellii on the Waite

Arboretum App and walk towards the red pin on the map!

Waite Arboretum App

iTunes App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/waite-

arboretum/id939518896?mt=8

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?

id=au.edu.adelaide.waitearboretum

The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (Danaus plexippus)

is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family

Nymphalidae. The monarch has six legs like all insects, but

uses only its middle legs and hindlegs as the forelegs are

vestigial, as in all other Nymphalidae, and held against its

body.

The caterpillar goes through five major, distinct stages of

growth and after each one, it molts. Each caterpillar, or

instar, that molts is larger than the previous as it eats and

stores energy in the form of fat and nutrients to carry it

through the nonfeeding pupal stage.

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Belenois java. Adult female, dorsal side on Capparis mitchellii.

A highly migratory butterfly. Eggs are laid in groups on the top of the

host plant's leaves. The caterpillar feeds on currant bush

(Apophyllum anomalum), scrub caper berry (Capparis arborea), dog

caper (Capparis canescens), nipan (Capparis lasiantha), Australian

native orange (Capparis mitchellii), wild orange (Capparis sepiaria),

Australian native caper (Capparis spinosa) and bush orange

(Capparis umbonata). Unlike other caterpillars of its size the B. java

feeds on a fairly minimal amount of food, making it less of an agri-

cultural pest than the others. The caterpillars feed for about three

weeks until fully grown and then is ready to pupate. They emerge

around December in much of their range.

Capparis mitchellii CAPPARACEAE SA, WA, Vic., NSW, NT, Qld.

1944 #1152A

Urrbrae House Garden Volunteer Paul. EB

Urrbrae House Garden Volunteer Pamela

Andrew and Caroline. EB

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SUMMER IN THE ARBORETUM 2018

Pyrus x canescens ROSACEAE hybrid 1978 #768 Pear wood is one of

the preferred materials in the manufacture of high-quality wood-

wind instruments and furniture, and was used for making the carved

blocks for woodcuts and tools. JB

Citrus glauca RUTACEAE 1966 #163 Inland Australia. Desert Lime, the

yellow fruits are rich in Vitamin C. Used as a grafting rootstock for

commercial Citrus species because of its tolerance to low soil mois-

ture. JB

Zelkova serrata Japanese zelkova Keyaki ULMACEAE Japan 1944

#969 A7 The leaves are simple and ovate to oblong-ovate with ser-

rated margins, to which the tree owes its specific epithet serrata. It

is often grown as an ornamental tree, and used in bonsai. Keyaki

wood is valued in Japan. JB

Carissa macrocarpa Natal plum APOCYNACEAE S Afr. 1996 #923A A8

Like other Carissa species, C. macrocarpa is a spiny, evergreen shrub

containing latex. A traditional food plant in Africa, this little-known

fruit has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster

rural development and support sustainable land care. JB

Grewia optiva TILIACEAE Himalaya 1942 #970 The genus was named

by Carl Linnaeus, in honour of the botanist Nehemiah Grew (1641-

1712) from England. Grew was one of the leading plant anatomists

and microscope researchers of his time. JB

Paliurus spina-Christi Christ’s Thorn RHAMNACEAE S. Europe- N Chi-

na 1983 #935 Christ’s thorn, is a prickly or thorny shrub, of the buck-

thorn family, native to S. Europe and W. Asia. It grows about 6 m tall

and is sometimes cultivated in hedges. JB