Bush Crew diaries July 2025

Published on 26 June 2025

Fungi on a tree

Winter rains have promoted rapid growth throughout our bushlands and the Bush Crew has been busy tackling the flush of weeds as well as using the wet season to introduce new plants to improve habitat and biodiversity, not just of plants and animals but fungi too.

Australian fungi are ecosystem powerhouses, they:

  • can be food for our small mammals
  • are vital transporters of resources between plants via their underground networks (mycelium), crucial for healthy plant growth and germination
  • create homes for our birds and mammals by decomposing wood to form hollows in trees
  • are climate change suppressors through their capacity to accelerate carbon capture in the soil.

A diversity of fungi is a good indicator of a healthy ecosystem, and Australia is thought to have up to 250,000 native species. Currently, less than 12,000 have been formally described.

You can help the Bush Crew grow the knowledge of fungi within Banyule by recording your observations on iNaturalist within the FungiMap Australia project.

Not all fungi found in our bushlands are indigenous to Australia, and just like weeds, introduced fungi can be destructive. One highly-visible, exotic species of fungi is the Orange Ping Pong Bat fungi from Madagascar.

This small fluro-orange, fan shaped decomposer feeds mostly on fallen branches. It produces chemicals that attack native fungi and rapidly creates an unhealthy fungi monoculture where it establishes.

The removal of invasive fungi is a difficult task as it can be spread through tiny spores on the air and via mammals and human traffic. The Bush Crew has important control measures, including:

  • regular cleaning of tools, boots and clothing
  • carefully timing movements between reserves
  • avoiding disturbance of known infestations.

The best measure to protect and enhance the native fungi of Banyule is to support the ecological strength of our reserves by encouraging biodiversity. It is just one of the many reasons thousands of indigenous species are planted across our reserves every winter.

Tagged as:
Back to top