Flora and Fauna of Climbing Areas of the Upper Blue Mountains
Clive Heywood Barker, climbing enthusiast, environmental consultant and Bushcare Officer for the Blue Mountains Conservation Society.

When visiting climbing sites keep an eye out for the variety of life inhabiting the crags and nearby areas. Typically climbers will pass through vegetation as diverse as heath land, woodland, warm temperate rainforest and cliff line vegetation when accessing climbs. These different plant communities are characterised by structural differences (eg. trees of various heights and shapes or shrubbery dominating the plant life) as well as unique combinations of species or types of plants. Several of these plant communities are considered sensitive within the Blue Mountains, that are vulnerable to disturbance, and many of the plant species are known to be rare.

Climbing sites are losing their vegetation cover, some of this is purposeful clearing around climbs, but much is lost due to vertical and horizontal trampling. Many of the plant species being worn away from climbing areas are only found in the upper Blue Mountains where environmental conditions such as exposure, poor soils and moisture accumulation have formed unique vegetation communities.

The different types of vegetation also support different types of animal life. Climbers will see some animals more than others, depending on the season, time of day and luck. Some creatures such as the brick red coloured rock warbler are often seen hopping around in rocky areas, apparently unconcerned about people nearby, while others like water skinks and mountain dragons are commonly seen during the warmer months, though not in cooler weather when they stay under cover. The photos on this page show a small example of the diversity of life found at climbing areas in the Upper Blue Mountains.

The exquisitely marked White's skink (Egernia whitii) is a common inhabitant of woodlands and heaths in the Blue Mountains where fallen timber or rocky areas provide adequate retreat sites (as in the photo). They use crevices and bush rock on sandstone ridge country for shelter, often being seen in small groups of different aged individuals, an unusual trait in lizards. Disturbance to bush rock or fallen timber removes the shelter sites for many types of reptiles and their prey, for this reason it is important to minimise disturbance to bush rock and timber (particularly larger items).

This tiny shrub, called the mountain sprengelia (Sprengelia monticola), is restricted to moist places on cliff faces in the upper Blue Mountains, often coinciding with the narrow band of vegetation at the start of many of our climbs. It is most distinctive during the warmer months

when small white flowers contrast strongly against its green foliage and the sandstone backdrop. The flowers are only about one cm across and are followed by small dry fruit. Rupicola apiculata is on the list of Rare or Threatened Australian Plants and is known only to grow Blue Mountains Moist Cliffline Vegetation, a sensitive plant community, easily damaged by trampling. Its' distinctive shape; long, erect, leafy branches growing up out of bands of moss and coral ferns helps to identify it as do the small white bell shaped flowers protruding from the leaves

Rupicola apiculata

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