Ringwood Field Naturalists Club Inc.

Our group of 21 people left Healesville and drove up through tree fern gullies to the car park at Mt St Leonard where we were greeted by Flame Robins and in trees over head were Yellow tailed Black Cockatoos. The Shining Gum or Eucalyptus nitens has small shiny (nitens means shiny) barrel-shaped fruit and is a tall smooth barked forest tree found at Mt St Leonard. We examined the shiny fruit and stems of this tree before walking along the Mt St Leonard track.
Mt St Leonard walk is 2km walk along gravel road up to the fire watching tower at the summit. An excellent view towards Melbourne, Port Phillip Bay, over Healesville, Mt Macedon and Dandenongs at 3370 feet above sea level. The viewing platform is the old 1940 tower cut down in height and fitted with a platform. In 1968 a larger structure was built by Telstra for communication equipment.
Along the way we found the Mountain Pepper (Tasmannia lanceolata), Pimelea axiflora, Austral Mulberry (Hedycarya augustrifolia) and Pittosporum bicolor in flower. Near the summit the Mountain Hickory Wattle, Acacia obliquinervia was in flower with attractive bright yellow balls. At the summit we had a well deserved rest and admired the view, although it was a bit hazy and very windy today. Some birds seen were Wattle bird, Grey Fantail, Yellow Robin, Pardalote and White-browed Scrubwren.
Lunch was at Toolangi Forest Discovery Centre which was open today as the Toolangi Festival was this weekend. During lunch, Crimson Rosellas were flying around and everyone was encouraged to visit the Discovery Centre to see the exhibits and watch film of 1939 bush fires. There are several walks around the Centre and flowering plants seen include Prostanthera melissifolia or Balm mint bush, Pultenea muelleri, Pultenea daphoides or large leaf bush pea, Bird Orchid or Chiloglottis valida and Tetratheca ciliate. We were lucky to be shown the rare Pomaderris vacciniifolia or Round leaf Pomaderris.
Next we went to the Wirrawilla Rainforest Walk which is mostly along a board walk following the Sylvia creek through fern gully and Cool Temperate Rainforest. Rainforest plants seen include Myrtle beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii), Southern Sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum) and Black Wattle (Acacia melanoxylon). There were many ferns and mosses including Dawsonia superba the giant club moss found here and we enjoyed the cool walk along the creek on this warm day. A rest at the amphitheatre were we listen to bird calls and saw Crimson Rosellas and Pied Currawong.  Ziera arborescens was flowering along Quarry track and an interesting green spider was observed.  Moira Mintie found a leech before we left to return to Healesville.
On the return trip back to Healesville John Gregurke saw a Wedge Tail Eagle on the top of a tree stump.
Thank you to all the people who attended this excursion and enjoyed a great day with fellow naturalists.

Lynn Smith