Daintree Cape Tribulation Tourism - News

RAINFOREST REPORT - JULY @ COOPER CREEK WILDERNESS

by Prue Hewett*

A very distinctive aroma in the forest this month.

A heavy cloying nectar, almost like caramel with an overlay of off-meat or 5-day old socks, coming from a medium-sized understorey tree called the Javan Ash (Ryparosa javonica). The tree is living proof of the intermingling of Australian and Asian flora 15 million years ago.

Following Australia's break away from Gondwana about 50 million years ago, leaving Antarctica, Australia drifted in splendid isolation for 35 million years. Dramatic climatic changes created fire tolerant flora unique to Australia - namely the sclerophyll flora, the Eucalypts, Acacias, Banksias, Hakeas and other fire tolerant species. The isolation came to an abrupt end about 15 million years ago when the Australian continental plate collided with the Malesian plate in what is now the Timor region. There was much interchange of flora and fauna. Thus, the Javan Ash became a part of the Daintree rainforest.

The bulk of the population is in the Cooper Creek and Noah Creek catchment areas. The same species is also common in Brunei on the island of Borneo. Small flowers, dripping with nectar, hang from long racemes on the trunk of the tree. The strong aroma attracts a multitude of insects and becomes a bonus for nightwalkers. With so many insects available, tree frogs like to take advantage of a gourmet feed and the pythons and tree snakes will be in the vicinity.

Ryparosa growth This year one Javan Ash has hosted a strange plant-like arrangement on the trunk of the tree. We have not seen it before. It is not part of the regular growth of the tree. Perhaps our readers might recognise it. Visitors on a Cooper Creek Wilderness walk have been intrigued and we have a great variety of guesses. Take a look at the photo and send me an email if you have any idea what it might be.

A cold month sends the lizards into hibernation

July has been an eventful month even though it is the dormant time of the year. Below average temperatures have sent snakes and lizards into temporary hibernation. Sunny days bring them out, but they are slow and secretive, not easy to see. It is mating time for the birds and visitors have been delighted with the courting displays of the rufous fantail and Victoria's riflebird. Even the cassowaries are courting.

Young Cassowaries strike out on their own

Cerbera Two nine-month old juvenile cassowaries have been rejected by the father and in trying to adjust to their new status thought that they would like to join our tour groups. When they found that we were not a source of food, they left and looked elsewhere. There are masses of cassowary plums on the ground looking like blue Easter eggs.

The cassowary moves around the forest - a huge primitive bird - with special responsibilities for the dispersal of seeds. Thirty-six species rely solely on the cassowary for their distribution, although the cassowary has a huge appetite and devours more than 150 different fruits. The cassowary has no teeth so it swallows the fruit whole, eats a few stones to help the digestive processes and drops them out the other end in some other part of the forest. The seeds will germinate because the strong gastric juices of the cassowary break a membrane around the kernel.

Blue Quandong prolific

The Blue Quandong (Elaeocarpus augustifolius) is another blue fruit that is prolific at the present. Birds, cassowaries, flying foxes and native rats are happily devouring or gnawing on the small round fruit. David Attenborough commented on the unusual blue colour of rainforest fruit and suggested that maybe the fruit contributed to the sexual attraction of the big birds with their colourful necks. Masses of pale yellow petals from the Kuranda Quandong (Elaeocarpus bancrofti) carpet the walking track and remind us that there is a great deal of activity in the canopy that we do not see from the ground.

The local orchid, Dendrobium Nindii, is high in top of the forest, but the rainforest canopy take-over of our tropical fruit orchard has allowed us close views of the sprays of white flowers with purple throats. The next month will bring an end to the dormant season and a lot more life will be apparent, particularly at night.

Prue Hewett
Cooper Creek Wilderness
E-mail: walk@ccwild.com
Web: www.ccwild.com

*Prue Hewett is one of the land managers of the Cooper Creek Wilderness a World Heritage nature refuge in the sacred heart of the Daintree Rainforest which has four advanced ecotourism accreditations under the National Ecotourism Accreditation Program and specialises in presentation of the rainforest. E-mail: walk@ccwild.com Web: www.ccwild.com