The Waymakers - Josephine Jakobi

The Waymakers.

Acacia mearnsii, the Black Wattle, is a pioneer.  

This tree thrives in East Gippsland, occupying niches in the forest, especially around the edge. It seeds prolifically and responds rapidly to disturbance. Fire, flood, disruption of the soil, will trigger a flush of germination. Crowds of saplings compete for space, fixing nitrogen in the soil and paving the way for other species to follow. 

Hoards of insects thrive on this bounty. Moths lay their eggs; the grubs eat their way into the wood, leaving expanding tunnels as they grow, causing sap to leak from the tree in golden dollops. Yellow tailed black cockatoos shred the branches in search of the grubs. Bees gather the pollen and eat the sap when nectar is in short supply. A host of birds feast on the insects. At night, sugar gliders also eat the sap and feast on insects. Owls hunt the…