Skyrail Nature Diary
What’s going on in our Tropical Rainforests
May 2004
Fruits, nuts and spiders, while these items may not seem to be a
compatible grouping, they do provide the perfect 'what's on' guide
to Australia's Tropical Rainforests this month.
Some of the rainforest's more distinctive and popular species are
fruiting, including the Davidson's Plum and Candle Nut, while a not so
intsy wintsy spider has climbed up into the trees and built some large
and very strong webs.
The Davidson's Plum (Davidsonia pruriens), named after one of the
region's pioneer sugar cane farmers, is one of the more well-known
rainforest species of Tropical North Queensland, with its fruit being
highly prized by local jam producers. Growing up to 12 metres high
under the rainforest canopy, or four to five metres in the open, the
Davidson's Plum is a distinctive rainforest species with small pink
flowers and furry, pink new leaf growth.
Although its main fruiting season is usually mid to late year, the
Davidson's Plums have started early this year, and the plum-shaped
fruits, which are approximately 5cm in diameter, can now be found on the
trees. The fruits, which are purple on the outside with bright scarlet
insides, are covered by a thin layer of irritant hairs which need to be
removed prior to consumption. The fruit can be eaten raw, although they
are quite tart, and are more commonly used to make jams.
Meantime the Candle Nut (Aleurites moluccana), a slender, fast growing
rainforest canopy tree, is now showering the forest floor with nuts,
much to the delight of white tailed rats. The Candle Nut is commonly
found throughout the tropical rainforests of North Queensland, the
Pacific and south-east Asia and grows between 20 to 30 metres high.
Its large, globular brown fruits contain between three to five seeds,
which can not only be eaten, but also used as a fuel source to help
light fires, or keep fires burning during rainfalls. These seeds are a
favourite food for the rainforest's white tailed rats, and are also
suitable for human consumption if prepared properly. However, if they
are not prepared correctly they can cause stomach upsets, so eating them
is not recommended.
There are many species of spiders which call Australia's Tropical
Rainforests home, but one of the most visible this month is the Golden
Orb (Nephila maculata), whose webs are appearing in many trees.
The
Golden Orb produces large, very strong webs, which generally measure
approximately one metre across and are strategically positioned in
'fly-ways' between trees. These webs are so strong that if you
walk into them you will actually feel the resistance, and they are
capable of catching and stopping small birds.
The Golden Orbs' webs started appearing in April , and are easily
visible thanks to the presence of the very large female Golden Orb in
the middle of the web (they can have a leg scan of over 25
centimetres!). These spiders are reproducing at the moment, and if you
look closely at a web you will see the smaller males around the edges,
they are about one sixth the size of the females and are generally a
dull black or brown. The male Golden Orb dies once mating is complete,
while the female dies shortly after laying her eggs in a sac on the web.
Australia's Tropical Rainforests are home to an amazing diversity of
plant and animal life, and are the oldest continually surviving
rainforests on earth. Dating back more than 100 million years, these
rainforests used to cover the entire Australian continent, but today are
only found in a small coastal stretch between Cooktown and Townsville.
The best way to see the rainforest is on Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.
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