Guest Speaker: Colin Totterdell. Thursday 26 January 2006.

In the 1960’s, in collaboration with two other CSIRO employees, Colin was sent to photograph Australia’s highest vegetation and ecology. The project was set above 6000 feet.

His first slide was a painting by Eugene von Guerard in 1862, two years after von Mueller’s first botanical collection in the Kosciuszko area. The painting portrayed a more romantic than factual view with mountains dominating the human figures. The next slide gave an overview of the area with post-glacial moraine and persistent snow patches that remain through to late summer. These have an effect on the plants communities within these areas.

Max Grey was a taxonomist working with Colin on this project and has spent a lifetime on the alpine flora. However one expedition on horseback went awry when one of his horses went missing. He has been rewarded by having a billy button Craspedia maxgreyii named after him.

Blue Lake was shown from varying vantage points. It has three plants that grow only in the area. The lake has a depth of 90 feet which was measured in 1962 by a group of scientists checking the floor for pollen analysis.

Slides then showed bog areas and the plant communities found here. Bog plants have a very important role in the retention of water and slowing down of runoff. Some of plants shown were Epacris paludosa, E glacialis, Richea continentis, Carex hypandra, Ranuculus sp and Sphagnum Moss.

We then moved into the alpine slopes where viola, stackhousia and snow daisy are found. There were beautiful slides of Marsh Marigold emerging through snow cover. Anemone Buttercup could only be found in rock crevices, however von Mueller stated is was widespread. Since the cessation of grazing it has returned to its more widespread habitat.

We then viewed a Feldmark, which is the Norwegian word for stone paddock. It certainly was a stony surface, with small heath plants hugging the surface.

We were treated to some general slides, rock pools, mountains and plants finishing with a stunning slide of a Eucalypt with rich red bark.

Ruby and Bill Johnson

1: Alpine Candles (Vic)
2: Silver Ewartia. A feldmark species.