Latest news with #Summerell
The Age
08-07-2025
- Science
- The Age
‘It's absolutely devastating': Urgent biosecurity warning for Sydney's street trees
Sydney's majestic Moreton Bay and Port Jackson figs could be decimated along with up to 4000 plane trees casting shade and greenery along the city's streets if an invasive tunnelling beetle hitches a ride across the Nullarbor from its stronghold in Perth. Last month, the Western Australian government admitted it had lost a multimillion-dollar fight to eradicate the polyphagous shot-hole borer, a tiny beetle originally from South-East Asia that has devastated 4500 trees in Perth, including 20 towering much-loved figs that were chainsawed and mulched. Now plant pathologist and chief scientist of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Professor Brett Summerell, has sounded the alarm over the urgent biosecurity threat the beetle poses to Sydney. 'I was just starting to do the numbers, and thinking about how much impact this could have if it got here was just absolutely devastating,' he said. 'We have a lot of heritage figs in the botanic gardens, Centennial Park, Hyde Park, pretty much in every major park and garden within Sydney is heavily populated with fig trees, which seem to be extremely susceptible to the beetle.' Summerell's warning comes after senior botanist at Curtin University Professor Kingsley Dixon said no plant material from WA should be allowed into eastern Australia, fearing more trees would be 'king-hit'. Many of the CBD's trees are plane trees which are also at risk of attack. Losing the trees would cause a massive loss of amenity and turbocharge urban heating; street trees slash summer temperatures in cities by as much as 12 degrees. Figs, plane trees and box elder maples are all known targets alongside crops such as mango, macadamia, avocado and apple trees. Trees grown for timber, including ash, elms and oak, are also vulnerable.
Sydney Morning Herald
08-07-2025
- Science
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘It's absolutely devastating': Urgent biosecurity warning for Sydney's street trees
Sydney's majestic Moreton Bay and Port Jackson figs could be decimated along with up to 4000 plane trees casting shade and greenery along the city's streets if an invasive tunnelling beetle hitches a ride across the Nullarbor from its stronghold in Perth. Last month, the Western Australian government admitted it had lost a multimillion-dollar fight to eradicate the polyphagous shot-hole borer, a tiny beetle originally from South-East Asia that has devastated 4500 trees in Perth, including 20 towering much-loved figs that were chainsawed and mulched. Now plant pathologist and chief scientist of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Professor Brett Summerell, has sounded the alarm over the urgent biosecurity threat the beetle poses to Sydney. 'I was just starting to do the numbers, and thinking about how much impact this could have if it got here was just absolutely devastating,' he said. 'We have a lot of heritage figs in the botanic gardens, Centennial Park, Hyde Park, pretty much in every major park and garden within Sydney is heavily populated with fig trees, which seem to be extremely susceptible to the beetle.' Summerell's warning comes after senior botanist at Curtin University Professor Kingsley Dixon said no plant material from WA should be allowed into eastern Australia, fearing more trees would be 'king-hit'. Many of the CBD's trees are plane trees which are also at risk of attack. Losing the trees would cause a massive loss of amenity and turbocharge urban heating; street trees slash summer temperatures in cities by as much as 12 degrees. Figs, plane trees and box elder maples are all known targets alongside crops such as mango, macadamia, avocado and apple trees. Trees grown for timber, including ash, elms and oak, are also vulnerable.
Sky News AU
17-06-2025
- Health
- Sky News AU
‘Disastrous consequences': Toxic death cap mushrooms found littered throughout NSW prompt grim health warning from authorities
Authorities have pleaded with members of the public not to forage or consume wild mushrooms after the notorious death cap variety was identified in numerous regions throughout New South Wales. The highly poisonous fungi, Amanita phalloides, more commonly known as death cap mushrooms, have been detected by health officials in numerous densely populated areas of the state including Sydney, the Southern Highlands and Southern NSW. NSW Health in a statement warned residents of the extreme dangers posed by the fungi, and that as little as one mushroom could prove fatal if ingested. NSW Poisons Information Centre's Senior Specialist Genevieve Adamo said that symptoms from the fungi are initially difficult to detect, and that early intervention is crucial. 'Symptoms of mushroom poisoning can sometimes be delayed, but early treatment is vital to health outcomes," Ms Adamo said. 'These include vomiting and diarrhoea, and in severe cases, liver and kidney damage or death.' Chief Scientist at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, Professor Brett Summerell, stressed that identifying the difference between an edible wild mushroom and the death cap were almost impossible. 'There is no easy or reliable way to identify if a wild mushroom is edible or poisonous, so we advise people against foraging for, and eating, wild mushrooms,' Professor Summerell said. 'Cooking poisonous mushrooms does not make them safe to eat. "You should only eat mushrooms you buy from a reputable grocery store, supermarket or produce market,' Professor Summerell reiterated. The alert follows a drastic rise in mushroom poisonings throughout the state, with 23 people hospitalised in 2024 due to toxic mushroom ingestion, including two children under five. The NSW Poisons Information Centre revealed they had received 363 calls about wild mushroom consumption incidents in NSW and the ACT, a 26 per cent increase on 2023 statistics. There have already been 190 calls to the centre reporting poisonous mushroom sightings as of May 31. Ms Adamo said young people were particularly susceptible to the effects of the deadly mushroom and advised parents to closely supervise their children. 'As young children have a tendency to put things in their mouths, they can be at risk,' said Ms Adamo. 'Watch your children when they are playing outside, especially around large trees in parks or your garden at home where mushrooms may grow. 'With the identification of highly poisonous death cap mushrooms in NSW it is a warning that there can be disastrous consequences from eating wild mushrooms' the NSW Health statement read. NSW Health and local council authorities have been conducted regular surveillance operations for death cap mushrooms after the variety was first identified in the state two years ago in Southern NSW.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Woman's 'strange' find sprouting from backyard lawn: 'Smells awful'
An Aussie woman is in awe after stumbling upon an 'amazing' discovery in her backyard. The local, who has lived at the property on the NSW Mid North Coast for 'many years', said she was pottering around her home last week when she spotted an 'unusual' and pungent growth sprouting from the grass. 'This amazing bridal veil stinkhorn fungus popped up overnight on my back lawn,' she posted online alongside a photo of the bell-shaped brown and white organism in her Old Bar garden. In all her time living in the area, the woman said she had 'never seen one before'. And it turns out she's not the only local to come across the bizarre looking species, with one person claiming they 'saw a bunch of them' recently. 'They are popping up all over the place, very strange,' another added. 'I've had about five so far. Very unusual things aren't they?' someone else said. Others mentioned the fungi's strong smell, noting the blowflies seemed to 'love it'. 🌱 Warning as 'extremely dangerous' growths appear in gardens 🪵 Mysterious find growing in forest concerns Aussies 🩸 Bizarre backyard find dripping 'blood' stumps locals The bridal veil stinkhorn features a delicate lacy 'skirt' and can be found growing in woodlands and gardens on Australia's east coast, and some parts of the Northern Territory. 'They very much come up in response to rain — so the conditions over the past couple of weeks have been ideal, and there are lots of different species of fungi appearing all over the north coast,' Professor Brett Summerell, chief scientist at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, told Yahoo News Australia. 'They hatch from egg shaped structures underground in the soil, will be present for a few days and then just as quickly disintegrate and return to the soil. They are important for the ecosystem as they help break down organic matter and return the nutrients to the soil.' Professor Summerell described the species' smell as 'awful' yet very effective at attracting flies to spread the spores, 'which they do very effectively'. The scent is often likened to rotting meat or sewage. 'They don't appear to be poisonous — but who or what would eat them — dogs sometimes like to rub against them because of the smell! But no harm seems to happen.' The numerous stinkhorn species come in various shapes but all produce the smelly brownish slime. Previously, a lantern stinkhorn fungus shaped like a tongue was found in a Queensland woman's yard, leaving other Aussies 'creeped out'. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
