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The
bushland is a whole world for some
creatures. In fact it is a whole subculture
of
life supporting insects, birds and animals.
This
Sulphur Crested White Cockatoo will
use a
hollow in a tree as its nest. It may
come
back to the same nest year after year.
This
Cockatoo is looking to make a new nest
for
his mate. He can be seen here listening
for
any signs of life before he takes it over.
He
will eventually chew away the edges of the
hole
until it is big enough for him and his mate
to
enter easily. |
About Australian Trees
Australia's trees are adapted to harsh conditions - they have
learned to survive heat and drought, fire and flood, to endure
nutrient-poor soils in their native environment. It is actually
these characteristics which have brought them to prominence in the
search for species that can help meet the wood needs of
resource-poor people in developing countries.
Isolation and a harsh environment have resulted in a unique
Australian flora. Over the immensity of the land there are many
varieties of habitat, including tropical rainforest, temperate
rainforest, sclerophyllous forests (Schlerophylls are plants which
have adapted leathery, hard or spiny leaves) and woodlands (wet and
dry), mulga scrub, savanna and steppe, alpine grasslands, and
deserts.
In all these areas except the rainforests the omnipresent tree is
the
eucalypt. With over 500 species it is the most common tree in
the country. Its species dominate the forests and woodlands of the
better watered regions of Australia, while vast areas of the drier
country, particularly to the south, are covered by eucalypt mallee
scrubs.
Another major species in the Australian landscape is the
acacia or wattle tree. There are over 600 species in Australia.
In the drier woodlands and semi arid areas wattles are co-dominant
with the eucalypts.
Some Australian trees and plants (for example
banksias) produce hard woody fruits and seeds, which not only
survive fire but require fire to germinate. Fire also burns back
undergrowth. Some species’ seeds are adapted to germinate only in
the presence of those nutrients available after a fire’s burning.
The presence of eucalypts can also dramatically affect the way a
fire burns. The volatile oils in eucalyptus leaves rise above the
vegetation in advance of a fire front, and can literally explode,
ahead of man-made and natural fire breaks.
The ancient soils which are characteristic of Australia are
nutrient-deficient after millennia of leaching without renewal from
volcanic activity. In some parts of desert Australia the lack of
vegetation is an effect of poor soils rather than lack of rainfall.
Salt is also becoming a problem over large areas of land as human
use of available water lowers the water table. This further reduces
the ability of the soil to provide sustenance for seeds.
 
 
 
 
 
 
These photos show some of the
diversity of Trees in the Eloura Bushland that you could see
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