Forests have layers
This dry forest ecosystem boasts a variety of tree species, each growing to different heights. Generally speaking, the more canopy layers a forest has, the more biodiversity it harbours, thanks to the range of shelter, food and nesting options for various animal species.
The tallest of these trees are black peppermint (lutharakumina) (Eucalyptus amygdalina), recognisable for their gumnut clusters.
Sweet like honey
Cast your eye a little lower, and you’ll see pops of yellow. This is the silver banksia (luwini) (Banksia marginata), which dominates the understory layer, providing an important late-summer nectar source when everything else has dried up.
Honeyeaters in particular love this sweet, native plant.
Hitching a ride
The next layer down comprises young Australian blackwood trees (rriyalimana) (Acacia melanoxylon), nestled under the branches of tall eucalypts.
Because plants can’t move (much), they rely on animals to disperse their seeds.
In this case, we have birds to thank. Having feasted elsewhere on the blackwood’s pink papery seeds, likely confusing it for a fleshy fruit, birds have passed the seeds through their systems undigested, dropping them to the forest floor pre-packaged in nutrient-rich fertiliser, ready to germinate and grow.
What you can’t see
If you get an eerie sense you’re being watched, it could be a Bennett's wallaby (payathanima) (Notamacropus rufogriseus). They often camouflage among these trees and shrubs during the day, before moving to open areas to feed at night.
These wallabies eat a more diverse range of plant matter than any other native in Tasmania, and are dramatically overpopulated due to minimal predators and an increase in pastures for livestock.
Explore by ecosystem
The Quoin boasts numerous ecosystems — from grassy woodland to dolerite escarpment — each unique in appearance, species makeup and functional role in the broader web of life.
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