Koala Count

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The Koala count...

this morning

I came across 

a familiar shape

resting in a gum tree

soaking up the early sun

a new koala...

how exciting

a young juvenile

I think

with a soft fuzzy brown face

changing trees

to settle

for the day...

So now we have met

Grandfather Grey Butt

Speckled Butt

Last night at dusk

I met Red Eye

a very fearless koala

who was walking 

along the track

stopping to chat

with sunset strollers 

and joggers

and very sprightly

clambered up a gum tree

He was scratching his face

his eye red

indicating he has the koala disease

My camera batteries had died

so no image of Red Eye

and today

we have encountered

Brown face

So if what the Wildlife Volunteer 

told me is true

that there are less than ten koalas

left in the park

we have now met four 

of the inhabitants

and I am still looking...

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Grasshopper in Green

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Mr Green

I went out for a walk

just before dusk

and thinking of Meri

stopped to look at the vine

that grew the curly flower

I showed you yesterday

I bent over the vine
 parted the leaves

and I came eye to eye

with Mr Green himself

as verdant and vibrant

as his surroundings

he watched me 

from his single eye

the one I could see

and pretended he wasn't there

and he almost wasn't

such was his wonderful camouflage

so I left him
to continue with his chomping
through the green
and continued on my way

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Coastal Cinquain

Coastal Cinquain

High seas
heave rolling sets
of hollow waves to shore
eager young ones sprint through the tracks
to surf

And me
I stand and watch
under the pandanus
above me a cicada thrums...
Heaven

Cinquain:

five lines

with syllables:

2

4

6

8

2

thanks Dan...


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Lush Green

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Lush Green

In the few weeks

that I was away

the coastal forest

and bush

have been transformed...

from dessicated 

brittle dry brown

to lush green

the hillsides have become 

cloaked in regal emerald

new life springs
and curls

from leafy growth

and wild green

paints the landscape 

fresh

little flying beetles

do the pollination dance

on hibertia scandens

tender wild violets

lean towards 

the soft morning sun

the painted lady
has been in her makeup box

even the rocks

at the ocean's edge

have taken on a green hue

to keep in context

the dry grasses

are festooned with wildflowers

weird flower heads emerge

lush green

has come...

for its season

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Ants or Termites

Ants or Termites

My post yesterday discussed the ant tunnel 

that I came across on my walk

I think perhaps the little critters are termites 

or white ants as they are known here.

While fascinating these creatures they can cause

much damage to wooden structures.

At Meri's suggestion I did a bit of googling 

and found an Australian website 

that included the comparison sketches below...

Alates are reproductive termites with wings. 

The others don't have wings

Termites can belong to the subterranean group 

and live in colonies with up to two million inhabitants

How on earth do they know what they are doing...

In warmer climates they like to be above ground

Drywood termites,

the ones we find here,

feed on wood from which they draw moisture.

The tubes or tunnels are made from soil, wood and saliva

Dry wood termites live in smaller colonies 

with about 3000 members.

The termites like to keep in tunnels to avoid predators

who can be ants, aardvarks and birds

The critters come above ground 

to look for food and to raise their larvae...

Now we know a little more about this amazing family

who can chomp their way through your house. 

In Kauai it is not uncommon to see houses tented

in colourful stripes like circus tents

They are being fumigated for the white ant.

Reproductive (alates)
Termite (left) and ant (right)

         

Soldiers/Workers
Termite (left) and ant (right)

Drawing a line in the Sand

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Drawing a Line

in the sand...

when I was walking

the coastal track

this morning

I came across a line

drawn in the sand

at first I thought

it may have been 

a column of furry caterpillars

that like to travel 

tip to tail

and give off a putrid stench 

if touched

but when I looked closely

I saw that it was a marvelous

feat of structural engineering

it stopped at a fallen leaf

where the ants were congregated

busy

busy

busy

and from there

some of the tunnel

was only in wall stage

looking like a pin ball maze

while other sections

were nearing completion

nearly sealed over

and I wondered...

how can this architectural wonder exist

how do the grains of sand stick together

how does the roof stop from falling in

do the ants climb on each others' shoulders to build the roof

what is the tunnel's purpose

do the ants not like the sun

or the rain

what function does the tunnel perform

how long had this building taken

how many workers were employed

how do they know which section to work on...

It was still early morning

and few joggers and walkers 

had made their way

along the track...

Within an hour

the tunnel would be trodden on 

and destroyed

by feet oblivious

to the structural masterpiece

created during the night

in the sand...

would the ants start again

or would it be time

to draw a line in the sand...

who would make the decision to quit

would there be a consensus

do ants have telepathic communication...

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Koala Rescue

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 Koala Rescue

in the National Park

At the end of my walk 

early this morning

I came across

a wonderful couple

who had rescued an old

and ailing koala

 He had been noticed 

by walkers last night

at the foot of a tree

skinny and weary

too weak to climb

Unable to find him in the dark

they went searching 

early this morning

and tracked him down 

in the bushy undergrowth

I wondered whether

Grandfather koala

was Grey Butt,

shown above,

as koalas tend to keep

to the same foraging corridors

and territory

He will be taken

to the wild life hospital 

and cared for

The lady told me

that there are fewer than ten koalas

in the whole 

Noosa National Park

and where it was once common

to have a sighting

they are now rare

Development and disease

have taken their toll

on the koala community

I think that we have been very lucky

to have had Speckled Butt

as a neighbour

even if only 

for a brief period.

I have not seen him since

the day I posted

of his slumbers

The lady was excited 

to hear of Speckled Butt

Every sighting is good news

when you have a population

dwindling throughout the state

People 

such as these volunteer workers

are so admirable.

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Early Morning Sounds

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Sounds

at early morning

on my walk

 

Cicada songs float

out over the briny drifts

soft footfalls on sand

  

Waves wash over stones

while far above Granite Bay

Splendid Blue Wrens sing

 

Thank you Dan

for inspiring me 

to capture these sounds

in Haiku

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The Pandanus Parable

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The Pandanus Parable

In the few weeks

that I have been away

our corner of the state

has received its entire annual rainfall

and more...

the dams are full

and the trees and plants 

are leaping greenly...

when I walked 

into the National Park 

this morning

I saw lush green

but it is not lush 

that I am going 

to tell you about today,

that is the content 

of a future post

Today

I want to tell you 

the Pandanus Parable

When I first moved to Noosa

many moons ago

if you had told me that 

pineapples grew on trees

I would have believed you

not knowing that they grow

in straight rows 

on the ground

like cabbages

but these fruit aren't pineapple

they are the fruit 

of the Pandanus tree

A few years ago

a terrible blight,

a virus,

spread down the Sunshine Coast

attacking all the Pandanus trees

and many

like the one above

lost their limbs

and their multiple heads

And it appeared as if 

the entire population of Pandanus 

was doomed

the Pandanus 

is a gorgeous tree

with a deeply textured 

chicken poxed trunk

and sweeping sculptural limbs 

that arc out over the ocean

and the blue skies

in striking architectural form

it grows along the walking track

in the rocks

precariously clings

to rocky escarpments

and has an amazing root system

the tree throws out

aerial roots

for support

and ballast

to brace itself 

against the prevailing wind

or to hold the trunk upright

on a sloping gradient

the pineapple like fruit

are found way out

on the end of a limb

from where the seeds 

are dropped by munching birds

like the cockatoo

or nibbled on 

by the marauding brush turkey,

when the fruit has fallen

to the ground

and a new plant

will spring up 

over time

today I noticed

that the forest 

was full 

of healthy pandanus trees

the trees had regenerated 

from their ordeal

after a period of endurance

and recovery

the trees are once again flourishing

the Pandanus parable

is a story of persistence

in the face of great odds

of tenacity and resilience

of stoicism and faith

of toughing it out 

and never giving up

It is a story 

of regeneration

regrowth 

and new life...

It is a triumph

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