Yesterday the team went to their favourite local playground, the Ginninderry Conversation Corridor (GCC) to help the conservation officers monitor the rare Pink-tailed Legless Lizard. This little critter is also known as the Pink-tailed Worm Lizard or affectionately “Pinky” because they look like an earthworm and have a pinkish tail.
The Pink-tailed Legless Lizard is only found on the Central and Southern Tablelands of eastern Australia. According to NSW Environment, there is a concentration of populations in the Canberra/Queanbeyan Region. Other populations have been recorded near Cooma, Yass, Bathurst, Albury and West Wyalong.
The monitoring activity involved carefully turning over rocks on the hilly slopes of the GCC. The group found a total of 19 lizards for the day with Marty and Tracey finding three each. Over 90 lizards were recorded over the week of monitoring. It was definitely a job needing gloves as all kinds of critters were under rocks – millipedes, centipedes, wolf spiders, skinks, ants nests and scorpions. One of the conservation officers also found a baby brown snake so everyone was very alert and careful. This activity needed mindful presence to stay safe, not just from the bitey critters but also because the terrain was steep and rocky underfoot. There was also an Echidna on the hills happily wandering around. He didn’t seem to be too bothered by the group of curious humans.
At Treecreate the work is more than just attending to the trees. The work is about supporting healthy and vibrant ecosystems, which means helping to understand what other creatures are vulnerable and how to best support their habitats. In this context Treecreate is very much a learning journey that seeks to connect humans with the more-than-human world and to acknowledge that we are part of a generative system that needs attention and care.
It was a a gorgeous day in the capital and the team feel very lucky to consider this region of Canberra their back yard. The Murrumbidgee was flowing well and the Brindabella ranges looked stunning.
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