Protecting The Parsley !

Litoria ewingi (Southern Brown or Ewing's Tree Frog)

I've had brilliant parsley this year. It didn't go to seed although all plants are self-sown.
Anyway, I wanted a bit for dinner last night and as I shone my little miner's light onto a
patch, I sprung this little bloke. I raced back to the house to grab my camera, fully
expecting it to have bolted, but no, it kindly posed for one shot then it was gone.



I've been quite concerned regarding the stability of local frog populations because of the
drought and absence of water for breeding. Last year, after some reasonable rain, there
was enough water in the 'Frog Dam' to provide reproduction habitat. L ewingi did reasonably
well and I was able to follow development of some babies as they left the dam and colonised various plants such as my raspberries and cymbidiums. I suspect the above frog to be one of
those juveniles.

Via a windmill, I have been able to maintain a decent water level in the 'Frog Dam' and have been enjoying frog opera almost every night for the past few months! L. ewingi is in there
again and I'm so pleased numbers have increased over the past couple of years.

June Fungi No. 8

(Click images to enlarge)

This was all that was left of the main fruiting bodies
when I checked them this morning! Little sultanas! :-)

I'm wondering if this is some sort of slime mould.

OK - out on that limb! Leocarpus fragilus?



This one was fascinating. No idea what it is!
It is growing amongst moss in the open and
in the vicinity of established olive trees.

The fruiting bodies are minute.
________________________________



Another Earth Star. (Geastrum sp)
Diameter approximately 2cm.
Growing in long grass between a water
tank and hay shed.
________________________________



Growing in garden mulch.

Lichens

(Click images to enlarge)


Growing on a painted cross-member of my pergola.



Growing on a deciduous tree species.




Growing on a cherry plum and two other fruit trees
in the vicinity.

June Fungi No. 7

(Click images to enlarge)

Height 5cm
Diameter 7.5cm
Growing on side of gravel road.



I'm reasonably confident this is (probably) Austropaxillus infundibuliformis
____________________________




I suspect another example of Peziza vesiculosa.
Growing in recycled paper cat litter in a very dry
garden bed on the west side of the house.

June Fungi Sightings No. 6

(Click images to enlarge)


A tiny fungi growing in a mossy environment.


Height 1cm
Diameter 1cm
Spore print - white (I think. My
sample didn't print well)
Because of it's growing habit, it could be Omphalina sp. Possibly umbellifera.
_____________________________


Height 2cm
Diameter 1cm
Growing in roadside vegetation
______________________________



Apparently two different species
growing in and around Themeda triandra
in my garden.
Brown specimen - height: 2cm
Diameter: 2cm
Gills greyish/white.

Thank You "Fungimap" !

Thanks to a kind person from Fungimap, I now have an identification for this fungi. It's Chlorophyllum brunneum which was previously Macrolepiota rhacodes and I'm glad I didn't cook it up! :-)

June Fungi Sightings No. 5

(Click images to enlarge)

Growing on decaying log on the lower side.
Gills cream
2cm diameter
spore print - white
_____________________________

This one is similar to one I photographed the
other day. Again, solitary.


Height 4cm
Diameter 5cm



Spore print - white
Thanks to Fungimap, this is confirmed
as Clitocybe clitocyboides

_____________________________
These were tiny, growing in and around a
decaying log.



Height 1.5cm
Diameter 1cm
Spore print - white
Location: Roadside containing
remnant vegetation.
_____________________________



Height 5cm
Diameter 12cm
Growing on roadside.
Probably Phlebopus marginatus

June Fungi Sightings No. 4

(Click images to enlarge)

Hypholoma fasciculare
Cap width on mature specimen - 2.5cm
Gills creamy yellow.
Spore print - brown.

There were a number of little orange fungi
growing singly or in groups on the ground in
remnant vegetation litter.

______________________________



Height: 3cm


Cap diameter: 4.5cm

Clitocybe clitocyboides
Single specimen.
Growing in remnant vegetation litter.
_____________________________




Height: 3cm
Cap: 1cm diameter
Spore print - white
Growing in remnant vegetation litter.
Possibly Mycena kuurkacea
__________________________


Full length 13cm

Cap diameter approx. 3cm
Spore print - cream/white
Single specimen
Growing in mulch around native grasses
Likely to be Xerula australis (*Oudemansiella radicata*)

June Fungi Sightings No. 3

(Click images to enlarge)


Growing in crack on a redgum sleeper.
Diameter approx. 3cm.
___________________________



Unidentified:
Approximately 2cm in length.
Growing in clay litter next to water tank.
____________________________


Probably Peziza vesiculosa.
Growing in recycled paper cat litter.
____________________________


2.5cm diameter.
Growing on mulch.


Other side.

June Fungi Sightings No. 2

(Click images to enlarge)

Light grey caps
Observations included on above photo.


White caps
Spore print - dark grey
Groups growing within 30cm of each other in mulch.
Possibly Coprinellus sp.

Update: After some rain the pale forms went grey.
__________________________

UPDATE: Identified as Geastrum pectinatum

Stalked puffball. Possibly Geastrum sp



Cup 2cm at widest point



3cm in height.
Spore powder - grey
Growing in garden mulch in groups.
__________________________

Chlorophyllum brunneum





11cm diameter.
Stem hollow; bulbous
Spore print - cream.
Growing in deep litter under Acacia melanoxylon (Blackwood)

A Vandal!

(Sulphur-crested Cockatoo)

If I had any spine at all, I would make it clean up the mess it and its mates have made in my
garden over the past couple of weeks!

And when cockies get really bored.....



They turn their talents to a bit of creative woodworking!

I found a couple of examples of the above artistry when stalking fungi in an area containing remnant vegetation the other day.

June Fungi Sightings No. 1

6th June:

This fungi is growing in deep litter beneath a Blackwood tree (Acacia melanoxylon.) As it matures, I'll check gill colour and whether or not an annulus (tissue ring on the stem) is present.

(Click image to enlarge)

______________________________________________
3rd June:

(Click images to enlarge)

I am very new to the world of mycology and as such, identifications are likely to be way out of the ballpark!

I'm taking a stab by assuming this may be Conocybe sp. as the gills are the same colour as the cap.

On the other hand, it could be Mycena sp.

This fungi was growing in litter on the south side of some water tanks. I have cattle close by but the specimens were not on cow dung.

(Ref: A field guide to Australian Fungi by Bruce Fuhrer)