Jenny and Peter Spencer are the dedicated owners of this 20 hectare property located in the magical Mount Cotton hills that signed up to the Land for Wildlife program in 2016. There are three generations of family members living and working on this site to integrate nature conservation with other land management activities. Since retiring, the original owners have worked tirelessly, undertaking habitat restoration works in gullies and along steep slopes to improve the environmental conditions. This site contains several ecosystems and is home to a vast array of significant flora and fauna species.
Firefly Gully has been appropriately signed and has firefly light displays starting late winter to early spring most years. These unique beetles are welcome annual visitors and stay for a few weeks. The beetles come out at night and light up the darkness with their light show. The males fly around flashing their light to attract females, but they do need to be wary, as some female fireflies entrap males from other species and then feed on them! The light also acts as a warning to would-be predators to stay away. Fireflies have a few basic needs which are food, shelter, moisture and protection from pesticides. Fireflies are nocturnal beetles and are beneficial to have in your garden. They like to shelter in leaf litter and feed on slugs and snails.
Due to Richmond Birdwing butterflies being seen in this area some years ago, this property was chosen for a Richmond Birding Vine planting and the vines are now thriving.
In 2017 the owners had an issue with their electric boom gate – the gate was going up and down as if ghosts were setting it off! An inspection of the gate’s electrical box revealed the surprising culprits of the gate’s strange behaviour – a family of Feathertail Gliders were nesting inside and their movement was triggering the gate! The owners quickly took up the task of making a Feathertail Glider nestbox in one day. The nestbox was placed in a nearby tree with the gliders taking up residence within days. This was certainly a good news story supporting the old saying, “build it and they will come!”
In the early years of the program, the owners partnered with Redland City Council and worked on controlling the invasive weed, Madeira Vine. Contractors were engaged through council and follow up works were undertaken by the committed owners. As anyone who has dealt with this weed will know, the control of Madeira Vine requires long term management. After initial weed control efforts, the owners worked in the gully below pulling vines, collecting fallen tubers on tarpaulins and disposing of them. This was very successful in reducing the large curtains of vines within the gully area.
The endangered Native Jute (Corchorus cunninghamii) is found naturally occurring in small numbers on hillslopes on this property. Native Jute has a short lifespan of 3-4 years and grows to 1.5m tall. Its stems are often reddish in colour with leaves between 5-15cm long and 1.5-5cm wide. The leaves are soft, smooth, and narrow with finely serrated margins. The owners have also planted this species on the site and collected seed for further propagation and genetic diversity. These plants are under threat from land clearing, habitat loss, weed invasion, inappropriate fire regimes and grazing. Native Jute has beautiful bright yellow flowers. These are produced year round, but are particularly spectacular during the peak flowering period from November to May. At IndigiScapes, you can view Native Jute in the gardens and purchase them from the nursery when there is available stock.
Both adult and larval Regent Skippers, a threatened butterfly, were found on this property and are just another example of the significant flora and fauna present.
This property is one of the natural gems of Redland City and is in the good hands of the owners who are committed to its protection.
Article by Maree Manby
Land for Wildlife Officer
Redland City Council