Park signage

Hard working members of Earthcare Park Landcare putting the finishing touches erecting signposts as part of a Local Land Services Community Education grant. Signs are displayed throughout our Bushfood garden showcasing plants that were used traditionally by local indigenous peoples for food and medicinal purposes.

Lorikeets in Love

The Rainbow Lorikeet is unmistakeable with it bright plumage as it forages on flowers, nectar and pollen; and occasionally on fruits and seeds. A mostly sedentary yet communal bird they mate for life and have begun breeding at Earthcare Park. Nests are in the hollow of eucalypts in a wide range of treed habitat. Lorikeet eggs are usually found in a clutch of 2, laid on chewed decayed wood and incubated by the female for about 23 days.

A Little Visitor

This tiny frog is less than 1 cm in length. The Eastern Sedgefrog is one of 4 dwarf tree frogs which cab be active day or night living between the fringes and wetland. Growing up to 30mm in length their small size meandthey are light enough to be supported by grass stems and acquatic plants where they deposit their eggs. Usually green to camoflag themselves there are a number of colour variations along the eastern seaboard including faun and golden yellow. This little guy is sitting on some Lomandra in Earthcare Parks bushfood garden.

Tawny Frogmouths

Masters of camoflage the Tawny Frogmouth can be found on an exposed limb to mimic a broken branch. Eyes watch attentively through narrow slits as they hunt at night for frogs, spiders, large insects, small mammals and birds. The distinguished coat resembles weathered hardwood and lichen and also gives away the animals sex. There are a number of colour variations around Australia and in this case although both sexes are grey in colour, only females like the one on the right have brown shoulders. Frogmouths are predominately sedentary birds found in woodland and open forest including Earthcare Park.

Noisy Cicadas

There are more than 200 species of Cicada in Australia. Recognised by their loud noise in excess of 120 dB by some species (which is painful to the human ear) it is done in an attempt to find a mate and thought to actually repels birds. Only male cicadas sing and they have a mechanism to shield their own hearing organ so that it won't be deafened by its own noise. Different species have different songs.

As adults, cicadas have short lives, at best only a few weeks. Though as young insects (nymphs) most of their lives are spent living for 6 to 7 years underground.

Cicadas feed on the sap of a huge range of plants including acacia like this one at Earthcare Park, eucalypts and grasses by using their piercing and sucking mouthparts.

The importance of cicadas is represented in the food chain as they are eaten in large quantities by birds, bats, spiders, tree crickets and wasps.

They are considered harmless to people

Scaly - breasted Lorikeet

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet is a plain green coloured bird but when it takes flight transforms with red underwings and orange bands. Depending on woodland forests for food and shelter it forages on flowering trees including the nectar, seeds, berries and fruit of grevilleas, silky oak, banksias and eucalypt amongst others. This Lorikeet has been banded and has chosen this same nest at Earthcare Park for the past few years.