Mt Beppo - Camp Somerset

On the second day of camp it was such a pleasure to visit “Peppertrees”, the Fysh property at Mt Beppo. They knew they had a piece of scrub with a reputation in the district as being of good quality, but I don’t think they knew, until Bill started recording the species, just how good it is. We started to see unusual things even on the drive in, which follows a long row of native dry rainforest trees (mostly Whalebone Tree Streblus brunonianus, Scrub Boonaree Cupaniopsis parviflora, and Scrub Wilga Geijera parviflora).

Starting the walk at Peppertrees

Native Bryony, Diplocyclos palmatus

The two Barrys enjoying a cuppa

The view from Peppertrees

Many of the trees and vines are butterfly host species, so it was not surprising that even at this time of year we found quite a few butterflies. The scrub must be alive with them in summer. We finished our morning with a picnic lunch on the lawn, and thanks to Betsy and Frith for letting us wander around their interesting property.

Bird List: Brown Quail, Australian Wood Duck, Grey Teal, Australasian Grebe, Little Pied Cormorant (overhead), Australian Pelican (overhead), White-bellied Sea-Eagle (overhead), Pale-headed Rosella, Red-backed Fairywren, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Lewin's Honeyeater, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Varied Triller, Rufous Whistler, Australasian Figbird, Pied Butcherbird, Australian Magpie, Grey Fantail, Torresian Crow, Magpie-lark, Mistletoebird.

Butterfly List: Grass-yellow sp. Eurema sp., Black Jezebel Delias nigrina, Pearl White sp. Elodina sp., Evening Brown Melanitis leda, Tailed Emperor Polyura sempronius, Glasswing Acraea andromacha, Meadow Argus Junonia villida, Common Crow Euploea core, Wanderer or Monarch Danaus plexippus.