After the big flooding rains earlier in the month, the Deanei forest was damp but the sky was blue.

Cobblers Pegs at the stockpile site was again the target. But a pleasant surprise was the discovery of tiny Deanei seedlings in the mulch, obviously deposited by the gums towering overhead. Well spotted Mike!

Nathan was on hand to lead us through an assault on the thriving Cobbler’s pegs (Bidens pilosa) at the work-site.

And trust Rob to pick up a leech on his fingertip on his first foray into the shrubbery . Luckily it didn’t become too attached to him.

The forecast 36 degrees by 11am wasn’t going to deter a terrific end to the year.

Council provided a much-appreciated sweet treat for the celebratory morning tea at the stockpile site.

Other highlights included watering activity, some interesting insect life and leaf damage, fungi, and amazing tongue orchids.

An interesting session among the light drizzle saw bird watching, mysterious bugs, and intriguing plants.

At the start it was noticed that some of the young trees were infested with was first thought to be psyllid nymphs, but could also be leafhoppers.

Then it was time for a spot of birdwatching. The lack of bell miners – long a constant audio presence in the forest – was noticed. Later it was confirmed that they had vacated the area a while ago, with some of the eucalypts already looking healthier.

The plant ID apps were working overtime to identify some interesting plants spotted around the site.

While snow threatened in the upper mountains, and Blackheath had gusts of 104km/h, the sun shone in Springwood.

Mike provided some young Deanei trees for planting, and older cages were replaced.

The second month back after the COVID-19 break started with a session of Trad work near the Eucalypt Rd entrance.

A whipbird, eastern spinebill, and butcher bird passed by to give us encouragement, but there was no sound from the usual bell miners.

After morning tea the group went for a tour of the outer perimeter to check on the deanei plantings and the drainage issues by the highway.

Most of the deanei seemed to be growing strong, although cobblers peg (Bidens pilosa)  was growing in abundance. It was also good to see that work had started on resolving the drainage problems up by the highway, which will be of great benefit for the local ecosystem.

The long COVID-19 enforced break ended on 27 June when the team regrouped under new rules designed to keep the virus at bay.

Physical distancing, no sharing of morning tea, and cleaning of equipment were new habits to learn in this strange new world… but the shared love of the environment remained.

The lengthy layoff meant that a tour of the reserve was required to see what had changed and where the issues were.

Starting off at Lawson Rd, the happy gang went down through the Fitzgeralds Creek gully and wound back up to the “stockpile” site, with evidence of bandicoot presence.

The Deanei Reserve team transplanted themselves to Else-Mitchell Park for a hands-on session of potting.

Thanks to Mike, there was a great variety and quantity of young native plants that were replanted in pots and good soil. The park shelter kept us dry from the rain.

The plants included Eucalyptus deanei, Bleeding Heart (Omolanthus populifolius), Acacia parramatensis, and Doodia aspera (prickly rasp fern).

Thanks to Monica and Richard for taking the potted plants into safe keeping, and to all the team for a wonderfully productive morning.

Bushcare cancelled, and “danger tape” at the Lawson Rd entrance – the big dry was having a scary impact on the Deanei Reserve.

With recent plantings obviously suffering, Mike and co were able to do some emergency watering, and hope that conditions improved soon…

It was an awesome foursome that rocked up to Deanei Forest on a Sunday morning for some watering, but found excitement in seed collecting.

Liz, Mike, Richard and John did some emergency watering at the “stockpile site”, focusing on the many new plantings.

But then the fun started when authorised seed collector Liz found numerous seeds easily accessible thanks to wind and birds.