Magnificent monarch butterfly
This beautiful monarch butterfly captured our photographer's attention when it landed on a brightly coloured milkweed flower on the bank of Calamvale Creek.
Apart from being beautiful to look at, monarchs have an extraordinary ability to fly vast distances when they overwinter — especially in the northern hemisphere.
Read about Regal, our magnificant monarch, on the monarch butterfly page.
What's on this website?
This site features birds and animals living in a small wetlands system in Brisbane, Australia.
The system consists of constructed and natural wetlands, and a creek that local residents call Calamvale Creek.
Small wildfowl habitats like the Calamvale wetlands provide a valuable refuge, and a retreat for visiting water birds from other wetlands. The creek is a permanent home for many eastern water skinks and water dragons (pictured below).
Calamvale Creek is part of the Golden Pond wetland system in the Brisbane suburb of Calamvale, 17 kilometres south of Brisbane city. It relies on stormwater runoff to refresh the ponds and small lagoons.
The system runs through only a few blocks in the middle of a thriving suburb, and is unusual in that the constructed wetlands are dominated by water lilies, aquatic creepers, and submerged pond weeds, rather than emergent sedges, rushes or reeds.
In their own words
We have allowed many of the critters to tell their story in their own words (well, with a little help from a human writer). We hope this will especially interest students, and may encourage schools to instigate projects that help their students grow up with a love of nature and a lifelong fascination of wetland wildlife.
We will also show you photos documenting changes in the history of the Golden Pond wetlands system, point out research showing that mosquitoes are not a problem from the wetlands, and we will describe the “treatment train” designed to improve water quality in the wetlands and creek.
Attention local teachers
Teachers — we may be able to provide an expert to speak to your students about the wetlands and creek, advise the best months to visit, or run activities for them. Email us for information at creeklife@gmail.com.
— Robert Doolan