Urban Legend

Coprosma repens, or simply known as Coprosma has a bit of an urban legend about it. Some people say that the holes that you can see along the axils of the veins on the underside of the leaves are visible stomata. Now stomata are cells on the surface of the plant leaf that open and close to allow the flow of gasses in and out of the leaf. Essentially it is like a mouth, plant breaths in Carbon Dioxide and breathes out Oxygen and Water Vapor. When a plant gets dehydrated and begins to wilt, these stomata close up to help prevent any further water loss. So there are 2 main reasons why saying that the visible holes on a Coprosma leaf are stomata is false; first of all, Stomata are microscopic and cant be seen with the naked eye. Second of all, I have never seen these holes close even when the plant has wilted, which is one of the primary functions of stomata. In truth these holes are just holes. They benefit the plant, but they dont open and close to allow gasses to pass through the leaf. The holes exist as a place for the plant to grow nitrogen fixing bacteria, which increases the plants food supply as Nitrogen is a very vital part in plant health and growth. So go forth people and spread the word. Lets dispel this pesky urban legend.

Oxalis or Wood Sorrel

Due to all the rain of late, it has been hard to control some of the weeds at work. So they have gotten quite big and are flowering. I figured I would do a couple of blogs on weed identification, as it is quite common for people to pick my brain on what is a weed and how do they get rid of it.

I know this weed to be Purple Oxalis (Oxalis purpurea), but it has a multitude of common names that I have never before heard used. Every gardener I know just calls it Pink Oxalis or Purple Oxalis, however some herbicide instructions list it as Large Flowered Wood Sorrel. Like most weeds in Western Australia, it originates from South Africa and is believed arrived here as a garden plant that escaped. It prefers the heavier, more clay based soils around the South West region of WA and in domestic situations is quite a common turf weed. Even though the bulbs for this plant are usually pretty shallow, I dont recommend digging it out unless its a really small patch. It will create more work then its worth. It is an annual weed that disappears during the Summer when it gets too hot, so spraying in late winter/early spring is your best bet. Find a decent selective herbicide, it will tell you on the back what species of weed it will work on. It may list Oxalis as "Wood Sorrel", so keep an eye out. As they are bulbs, you will need to do a few repeat applications to fully remove this weed from your lawn, such is the nature of most turf weeds. One thing I do stress is ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE HERBICIDE PACKAGING! By following the instructions, you will get the job done more efficiently. I know its Unaustralian to read and follow instructions, but please believe me it is safer and worth doing.

Eyes

I was back and forth past this little guy for about an hour today. Little bugger stood out like a sore thumb, being dark brown against the green shade cloth. He was about 5cm in length and wings are very small, so Im willing to guess he has a few more molts to go before its fully grown. The thing I find most fascinating about Praying Mantis at present is their eyes. Their two compound eyes on top of their head allow them have binocular vision. This is the kind of vision that humans have, both eyes focus on a single object giving a slightly different angle of the object. The brain puts the two images together which allows for excellent depth perception. So this makes Praying Mantis excellent hunters.

Inner Child

Joys of working next to a playground. You occasionally find a rogue balloon. I'm glad to see my inner child is alive and well, as this usually brightens my day immensely.

Spider Webs and Fur

I do apologise for the photos but I was rushed to take them. In the picture is a little Willy Wag Tail nest. The top one has the bird on the nest, even though you have to look really closely at the fork at the end of the branch in the center of the tree. The bottom photo is just of the nest. You can see the little grey cup shape next to the fork in the branch. I tried to be as quick as I could, I dont like disturbing birds while they are nesting, and I didnt even realise the nest was there until the Willy Wag Tail started chattering at me.

Willy wag tails make their nests out of grasses and coat the outside with spiderwebs. They have a habit of using fur to line their nest, and have been known to take it directly from the animal itself in pasture situations. If fur is not available, then soft grasses will do the job. The male willy wag tail is just as devoted as the female to parenting. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks when they hatch.

Bwaaaar Bwaaaar Groh Groh

We had to move this little Motorbike Frog today, from the skate park. He was nestled away in a corner of the paving and unfortunately we had to blow the area down. So I shifted him over to the large hedge where there is lots of room for him to hide. I was actually surprised by how little he protested when I had to move him. He virtually crawled into my hand and sat there in his ."You cant see me" pose of being as small and flat as possible.  Normally they jump about and get really slimy. I guess the cold weather must be getting to him too.

Motorbike Frogs are the most common frog in the South West of Western Australia. They are usually the first to colonize and breed in backyard ponds. Their colours vary from bright green with gold splodges after basking in the sun, to the darker fawns and browns with green splodges when it gets cool. They are one of my favourite frogs, and this little guy brightened my day so very much.

Stunning

The colours of the Ranunculus at work are far too beautiful not to share. Arent they stunning? I also found out, the common name for Ranunculus is a Buttercup. You learn something new every day