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Thanks to everyone who has been keeping an eye out for the Pararistolochia praevenosa (Richmond Birdwing) vine. I have found what seems like 1000 variations of the vine. It is very difficult to spot so I will give you a brief description of it again. The leaves are alternate which means that there is one going off one side then the next leaf goes off the opposite side a couple of cm further up the stem. The very common weed silkpod vine is almost identical but has the leaves opposite. The other characteristics of the RB Vine are that it has a deeply veined (like quilting) rough textured leaf with smooth edges that can be any length but fairly narrow with a pointed tip with a curly stem attaching it to the vine. The vine itself has corky bark and will generally be found in sheltered riparian areas but has been known to grow in full sun if it has supplementary watering. Please let me know if you suspect you have found it and I will have a look for you (better to be sure than to die wondering).

I was fortunate to attend a workshop hosted by our local Wilvos. Wilvos are a very dedicated group of people who care for our sick and injured wildlife and release them back into the wild when they are rehabilitated. The workshop was about ‘Tracks and Scats’ and was a revealing look at nesting sites, scratches and tracks and what our wildlife eat and how it looks when it comes out. It was a bit like reading a book and with a lot of practise can be a very valuable tool for researching our wildlife.

We have a resident population of possum gliders in the area and they are in decline and certainly worth our efforts to save them. Gliders have a thin membrane of loose furred skin that stretches from wrist to ankle. They spread it out when they jump between trees for a distance of up to 100 m. They are adept climbers with slender, jointed toes and sharp curved claws. Their hind feet have opposable first toes that provide a pincer-like grip. Several species also have a thumb on their front feet that comes in handy for climbing and holding food.

The ability to glide gives possums greater access to scattered and seasonal food sources as well as a means of escaping predators, such as pythons, quolls and cats. Possums rely on plants for food. Some are herbivorous feeding on leaves, flowers, fruit and tree sap. Others supplement their plant diet with insects and some have slender brush tipped tongues to feed on nectar and pollen. Possums are known to disperse pollen and seeds on their fur in exchange for food and nesting material. All family members use their long sharp lower incisors to dig our insects and to slash neat grooves in trunks and branches to release sweet sap which they then lick off. Most gliders return to the same feeding spots every night with a set route and markings on the same side of a tree, then they glide from tree to tree feeding as they go often in a zig zag path on a downward slope. Generally the bigger the scratch marks the larger the animal.

All are nocturnal and live in trees, resting during the day in tree hollows. While most of these mammals are relatively quiet, yellow-bellied gliders and mating striped possums are extremely vocal. Most gliders are solitary, except when males accompany females before mating the couple share a den until the mostly single young leaves the pouch about four months after birth. The gliders tend to communicate by scent to mark trees rather than sound. Their only call is the females shrill twittering as she nears the den containing her young. She rarely carries the young on her back. Once the young leaves the pouch it is den bound for a further 4 months and then sets out and explores its surroundings. So keep your ears and eyes open for marks on trees and if you have time record what you find as it will help Scott when he comes at the end of July. Thanks for your help.