Cicada Insect

Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 14,020

Date uploaded in Sydney, Australia – 26 DECEMBER 2024 .            

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

xxxx  

After a 55 year gap, I did my third rain Forest visit. This time we, three families , climbed the steep mountains in the  Minnamurra rain forest  and saw the water falls at the top.

My  previous two walks were done in India. As a botany student, we took coaches to Tenkasi Kutralam and Agumbe in Karnataka from Madura College, Madurai (Tamil Nadu) to collect different plants for submission at the B Sc Final Year Examination.

This time the trip was to enjoy the forest sceneries at Minnamurra. We breathed fresh air. But it was 4.2 kilometres walk up and down that took over two hours of continuous walking. As I was the oldest in the group, I was panting. Now and then I had to stop and take rest. The forest is full of Cicadas making unbearable, deafening noise. It must be made by at least million cicadas.

(There are more than 200 Australian species of cicadas, most of which belong to the one large family, the Cicadidae. Cicadas are sometimes known as locusts in Australia, but that term is more correctly applied to certain migratory species of grasshopper. Cicada adults die shortly after mating. Cicadas have an incomplete metamorphosis, meaning eggs hatch into nymphs, which then turn into adults.)

At certain places it was very steep, but the authorities have provided handrails. We saw Chinese and other foreigners were also walking along the narrow path. The scenery was awesome and breath taking. All the trees were very tall with tarzan film like wooden climbers (lianas). But we warned not to touch the wood because of poisonous insects and spiders. The lyre birds were the attraction of this forest. We saw the rarer bird two times.

The tall trees provided us enough shade. Since it was summer time in Australia, the weather was good. We saw hanging orchids from the branching trees. After reaching the top we saw the water falls with little water. But if it is rainy season, one could imagine the water flow.

Now and then the boards installed by the forest department gave us information about the plants and animals.

Here below are some details :

Vehicle day pass – 12 Australian dollars

Last visit 4 pm.

The amphitheatre shape of Minnamurra Falls gives a feeling of enclosure and escape from the outside world. This is one of the few places you can walk through a living forest.

Socket wood

The Illawara Socketwood belongs to an ancient Gondwanan family of trees. The endangered species is found only in the Illawara region, and is restricted to a few locations.

Upto 25 metres tall, with a broad and shady crown and small , pale greenish white flowers, this rain forest tree is especially interesting  as it primarily reproduces by cloning itself by suckering from underground rhizomes or stems. Recent research  have recorded trees  900 metres away from the parent tree.

Rare species

Threatened species in BUDDEROO NATIONAL PARK (Minnamurra is part of it) include the grey headed flying fox, the southern brown bandicoot, the spotted tailed quoll, the waterfall greenwood orchid, the illawara irene, the Illawarra socketwood and the lesser creeping fern.

(But we saw no animals in our route)

One good thing about this visit is No Entrance Fee; but car parking fee is there. The shop at the entrance sells good mementos.

Where is Minnamura Forest?

From Sydey: 1 hr 58 min (117.8 km) via M1

2 hr 2 min (150.0 km) via Hume Motorway/Remembrance Driveway/M31 and M1

Minnamurra Rainforest

A place where waterfalls tumble into a lush tangle of subtropical forest and vines, and where wallabies and elusive platypuses live alongside bowerbirds and king parrots, the Minnamurra Rainforest is like a Jurassic landscape that time forgot – with a distinct Australian twist. Located at the eastern edge of immense Budderoo National Park, Minnamurra is the gateway to all manner of nature-based activities, from family-friendly walks to clifftop treks.

Rainforest Loop Walk (1.6km, 1 hour)

Traversing a network of suspension bridges, the Rainforest Loop Walk offers an immersive snapshot of the national park, with viewing platforms and interpretive signs illuminating its rich flora and fauna – you’ll spot everything from cabbage palms to banksia, strangler figs to rare orchids. Then discover the animals, butterflies and birds; look out for the elusive lyrebird, practiced in mimicking other avian calls.

(We took the long route, not the loop walk) Waterfalls – 4.2 kilometer walk (Two hours)

Halfway through you’ll see signs to The Falls walk– a detour worth taking. You’ll pass cool streams lined with mossy rocks and feathered ferns, to reach a lookout offering stellar views over the lower and upper Minnamurra Falls.

From Sydney, the drive south toward the Illawarra region of the South Coast weaves along the Grand Pacific Drive, one of the most scenic stretches of road in Australia. Your trip to Minnamurra will take just under two hours. From here, it’s a 20-min drive on to Kiama or 10 mins to Jamberoo, with a wealth of attractions in between.

A rainforest is a forest that receives a lot of rainfall and is characterized by: 

·         Rainfall

Rainforests receive more than 80 inches of rainfall annually, and in some areas it rains every day 

·         Canopy

Rainforests have a dense canopy of trees that can form multiple layers 

·         Biodiversity

Rainforests are home to millions of species of plants and animals, making them some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth 

·         Climate

Rainforests help regulate the global climate by storing carbon dioxide in the trees and soil, and by releasing water into the atmosphere through transpiration 

·         Location

Rainforests can be found on every continent except Antarctica, with the largest rainforests in South America and Africa 

·         Other features

Rainforests are also characterized by high humidity, a moist layer of leaf litter, and the presence of epiphytes and lianas .

—-subham—-

Tags- Minnamurra rain forest, Australia. My visit, cicada , lyre bird, waterfall