Greetings fellow Foxies,
 Have you noticed large numbers of dead leaves on local wandoos, particularly where a whole twig or small branch has died?
This condition where wandoos die back and leave dead branches projecting though the leaf canopy is called Wandoo Crown Decline. This is a cyclical problem that caused huge damage in the 1990’s when the Wandoo Recovery Group was formed.
Research showed that boring insects and associated pathogenic fungi, are the principal agents disrupting stem nutrient and water conducting channels. Symptoms are worse in dry autumns, but underlying factors driving the long term cycle are unresolved.
This autumn I couldn’t find any pattern of areas affected. There are a couple of monitoring sites in Foxes Lair that don’t appear to have a lot of very recent damage. Affected trees in Foxes Lair seem to be randomly distributed, but badly affected ones have obviously been repeatedly attacked.
Being a loyal citizen scientist, I nipped out and sampled a couple of branches from a badly affected tree for close analysis.
My first observation was that the branches were distorted and gangly with lots of dead lower shoots, stems with dark cankers (sunken dead lesions) and resprouting shoots. Clearly not a single year problem.
Looking closely, it was amazing to see so many things attacking the tree. I found stem and leaf galls, and leaf damage from a range of chewing insects, but the real cause of branch death is inside the stems.

The insect involved is a jewel beetle Cisseis fascigera). Beetles emerge from November to February, mate and lay eggs on stems. The larva that looks like a witchetty grub chews tissue and wood inside and along the stems (longitudinal galleries), before pupating in its gallery and emerging a year later.
Unfortunately the insect introduces spores of rot fungi that spread through the stem.

Greetings fellow Foxies,
Recently I was invited to see a wonderful stone structure on a private property that has a sad story. Below is a quote from Gwen Warren’s book “Wolwolling Reflections”
(Two sons and their mother from a Pustkuchen?) “Family, had cleared 150 acres (60ha) and fenced and poison grubbed the rest, about 500 acres in all. They were in the process of building an excellent stone cottage along the creek in a beautiful setting when the country was burnt out by one of the many fires that escaped in those hot summers. This brought up such a dense growth of Heart–leaf poison that they were forced to abandon it”.
This was one of many family setbacks at a time when many local men experienced World War 1 and the 1930’s great depression. Most new settlers in the area went broke and walked off leaving a debt to the Agricultural Bank. Those that hung on gradually bought out the debts and built up many of the farms we see today.
The house consists of nearly complete stone walls of carefully placed granite blocks and smaller pieces cemented by local mud. A wonderful example of German precision, but the structure is weakening as mud washes out.
The family lived in a smaller bush structure alongside, of which, only a stone chimney remains.
Unfortunately, the once attractive river terrace site with fresh water soak, has now become saline.

Update: It is likely that the house was built by Kurt Pustkuchen (D.O.B. 30/07/1908), (Ossie's brother)  before he married Marion Knox in 1934. and moved to another farm further north on Dumberning Rd.
Clues to the family’s connection with South Australia are:

1. Sugar Gum (Eucalyptus cladocalyx), and Kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus Vic, NSW Qld) trees.
2. Reference to Heart –leaf poison that does not occur in WA agricultural areas. The Gastrolobium poison plants were probably local Box and York Road poisons.
   

 For a visual exploration Crtl+click this link

Greetings fellow Foxies,
Brooklyn Farm Williams location 3177 ( 680 acres 275ha) is one of the early farms in the Lol Gray area, that were established at the turn of the 20th century by ‘enthusiastic pioneers who soon found it impossible to make a living on these very small holdings. These people were mainly English settlers who had been convinced by the government propaganda of the time, that they would be successful farmers’ (source Numbat Country - The story of Cuballing shire - from earliest times to 1997).
Lol Gray was an English immigrant in the 1800’s who was a shepherd and sandalwood cutter, and who dug the (now buried) Lol Gray soak on the Lol Gray Road/ Narrogin Wandering Road intersection. The flooded gum hollow here would have been a wonderful cool place for students of the Lol Gray School on the other side of the road.
Brooklyn Farm was originally owned by Clem Marwick of York, followed by a number of succeeding inhabitants. The building shown here was a brick and iron combined house, shearing shed, and machinery shed. Surrounded by bits of historic machinery, it was still being used to crutch sheep when a storm blew it down. Fascinating spot (private property not available to visitors).
For a visual exploration Crtl+click this link https://photos.app.goo.gl/7LmfwJh3EFGolVWc2

.Greetings fellow Foxies,
The name millipede means ‘thousands of legs’ but they generally have up to 350 in pairs. As their diet consists of leaf litter and other detritus, native millipedes are very handy in the bush for recycling nutrients. Native millipedes have a lumpy ‘Michelin Man’ look, and are common in low numbers.
Alas, now when I turn over a rock in Foxes Lair I find dozens of a smelly invader the Portuguese Millipede (Ommatoiulus moreletii) that probably arrived in plant pots with potting mix. There were thousands crawling around York gum rocky red soils this morning. They swarm and mate after first rains in autumn, so expect them soon in houses.
When I was with the Ag Dept, we would get lots of queries on control from anguished householder who were being invaded in the evening.

This is an excellent article with everything you wanted to know about Portuguese millipedes. (apart from permanent control – an introduced pest with no effective predators).
They are attracted to light so turn porch and hall lights off for now
A friend of mine "let my chooks out of their yard and they scratched and disturbed all  of my leaf litter.
---- it coincided with my massive invasions on the first rains,reducing to bugger all."