Currajongs, Kurrawongs and White Cedar trees.
Out of Scone we have large numbers of Currawongs and berry laden White
Cedar trees (Melia). The Currawongs ingest literally thousands of the
berries, digest the flesh, then regurgitate the seeds and skins into the
birdbath, cattle troughs, and roof guttering after the now very occassional
rains. Make a real mess. Most trees have yellow berries, but some have deep
orange ones, which look very attractive on the tree.
Knowing the flesh of the fruit to be poisonous to at least some animals
I have been concerned re the effect on other birds, and cattle drinking at
the trough, particularly our bull, Casper. Until seeds almost fill the
containers, there has been no noticable effect, but eventually everything
stops drinking and washing there.
Our indigenous White Cedars themselves are a great tree, good shape,
very ornamental with mauve fragrant flowers in spring, deciduous but tressed
with berries in winter, leaves a relatively soft green, cool and shady in
summer. Possibly because we have so many birds, caterpillars are not a
problem at Scone, but our tree at Mulgoa becomes infested every summer,
attracting Golden Bronze Cuckoos in particular.
Kurrajong leaves are great cattle fodder, but apart from Currawongs
eating their seeds, dont seem to attract many birds, or do they? Cultivars
with very few irritating hairs on the seeds were around years ago. Also a
great ornamental, but subject to other caterpillars which make unsightly
nests in their leaves in Sydney, but not Scone.
What a great Autumn, pity its so dry.
Cheers
Michael
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