Planetary Health NewsStrengthening community and restoring the health of our planet.
Photographing Littlejohni, the Rare Northern Heath Frog, in Woodford
Litoria littlejohni, photographed in Woodford (Photo: Andy Klotz)
When the Frogs of the Blue Mountains exhibition opened at the Planetary Health Centre in March it featured photos of 20 different local frogs. We were thrilled, however, when Andy Klotz and other members of the Hawkesbury Herpetological Society recently managed to photograph another frog in Woodford: the rarely seen and endangered Litoria littlejohni, also known as the Northern Heath Frog or Orange-bellied Tree Frog. We’ve added a photo of that frog to the exhibition and created a new Frogs of the Blue Mountains video in which you can listen to its call here.
Key Points:
There have been dotted sightings of the endangered Litoria littlejohni (the Northern Heath Frog) from Woodford to Lithgow.
Frogs are under threat because of the Chytrid fungus, habitat loss, bushfire and predators.
We can all help grow connected landscapes for frogs by introducing water bodies for frogs into our yards.
We interviewed Andy to learn more about the Littlejohni and how they managed to find its small local population.
Peering into a damp sphagnum moss bog might not be everyone’s idea of a good time, but for 10-year-old Andy Klotz it proved to be a catalyst for a life-long passion.
In that Kosciuszko moss, decades ago, the young boy managed to locate an endangered Corroboree frog: a frog that most people struggle to find.
Andy photographing a Peron’s tree frog in the Planetary Health Centre pond
Photographing Littlejohni in Woodford
His quest for the small and hidden things – including snakes and spiders – has continued throughout Andy’s life. Having ponds around his house and having grown and sold water-plants for years, has meant that frogs have been frequent visitors in his life, allowing him to continue his observations. Joining the Hawkesbury Herpetological Society has connected him with a team of like-minded enthusiasts.
It was while night-spotting in Woodford recently, that they found a small population of the rare, endangered frog: Litoria littlejohni, otherwise known as the Northern Heath Frog. Littlejohni is a quiet frog, but playing the FrogID app induces it to call.
View our video of the Northern Heath Frog and the 20 Other Frogs of the Blue Mountains here:
According to Andy there have been dotted sightings of Littlejohni from Woodford to Lithgow. From the Herpetological Society’s observations, they appear to particularly favor still water bodies with Gahnia Sieberiana growing along the banks. “You’ll find one frog per Gahnia plant,” said Andy. The frogs will “perch on the arching leaves over the water and call, and the moment you come near they’ll scuttle back down into the thatch at the bottom, which they’re the same color as.”
Gahnia, known as red-fruit saw-edge, is a tall native plant. It is also the habitat and food source for the Swordgrass Brown butterfly. The butterfly’s green larvae dangle from the leaves and appear to serve as a food source for the frogs, pointing to a complex, inter-connected micro-ecosystem.
The Society is aiming to plant more Gahnia plants around water bodies to test whether their presence will increase Littlejohni numbers.
Gahnia Sieberiana
Why Littlejohni is endangered
When asked why he believes the frog is endangered Andy described several reasons.
He said that since the 70’s many have been killed by the Chytrid fungus which is a worldwide threat to frogs. Littlejohni and the Golden Bell Frog are particularly prone to being killed by it. Some species, like the Striped Marsh Frog, are immune to it, but they do carry and spread the disease.
“It’s really good practice, when you’re going out on these trips, to spray your shoes and hands with a mixture of 70% methylated spirits and 30% water,” says Andy. This kills the Chytrid fungus and most bacteria that can harm frogs and other species.
Increasing urban development and habitat loss are another threat. With habitats no longer connected, isolated populations are being forced to inbreed. Fires and predators also reduce their populations.
Litoria Littlejohni or Northern Heath Frog (Photo: Andy Klotz)
Re-connecting landscapes for frogs
“There are some good programs going on,” enthuses Andy, telling of a Sydney program in which artificial ponds were built, and then loudspeakers, playing the frog calls, lured the frogs over a distance of three kilometres. Residents reported the frogs moving through their backyard ponds to reach the artificially created breeding ground that was created. It included netting to deter storks, and salt in the water to prevent Chytrid fungus.
“Frogs are amazing. They travel and they’re adaptable,” said Andy.
Andy encourages everybody to consider creating habitat to help reconnect landscapes for frogs. Attracting them to your yard provides the bonus of them reducing the number of mosquitos and pest insects in your garden.
Finding frogs
“The best times to frog hunt are in the dark and when there is water about,” Andy says. Frogs can be found all year round in different locations and the best times are after, or during rain, particularly if followed by a warm night.
They can be found in a variety of habitats: from damp leaf litter, to shallow ditches, to two metres up a tree. Andy and the Society use a variety of techniques including sprinkling water to simulate rain and playing the frog’s call via the Frog ID app to lure them out.
“If you have a couple of you, you can hear from a few metres away from each other, point in the direction of where you hear the frog, and then you walk to where the frog is and shine your light beam and you go – that’s where it is!”
Take Action:
See the Frogs of the Blue Mountains exhibition and view the frog ponds at the Planetary Health Centre
Help grow connected landscapes for frogs by providing small water containers or building a pond in your own backyard that’s protected from cats and dogs. Find out how here: https://bmpluriversity.org/ponds/
Experience the joy and sense of purpose that connecting to community, nature, and your own creativity can provide this weekend at the Planetary Health Wellness Weekend. There will be delicious food and coffee, music, art, workshops, nature walks, talks, an Interfaith Gathering and the following stalls:
Food vendor: @8thingskatoomba Zensational Coffee Cart @blue_mts_conservation_society Blue Mountains Wildplant Rescue Blue Mountains Women`s Health & Resource Centre (BMWHRC) Greater Blue Mountains Rotary @permaculturematters Acoustic Ecologist and author of ‘Deep Listening to Nature’, Andrew Skeoch @lacebrookstitchery Sustainable death care BMCC Sustainability and Waste team BMCC Bushcare team View the full program and reserve your spot for a range of activities here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4kUkzfm
Are humans the only species capable of grief? While grief is often treated as a uniquely human experience, any animal capable of forming attachments also has the capacity to grieve. Join Teya Brooks Pribac, author of ‘Animal Grief and Spirituality: Cross-Species Perspectives’ at the Planetary Health Wellness Weekend on Sat 28 Feb, as she reviews key theoretical foundations of cross-species grief. The flip side of deeply caring for animals is the grief we also feel when we lose them - beloved companion animals, wildlife, or animals harmed by human activity. By validating both nonhuman animal grief and human grief for other animals, this presentation invites a more compassionate and inclusive understanding of loss. Reserve your spot here (link in profile for Wellness Weekend): https://bit.ly/4kUkzfm
Would you like to help those around you who may be struggling with their mental health? Come along to the Planetary Health Wellness Weekend on Sat 28 Feb for an Introduction to Mental Health First Aid. Rotarian Ian Scott will define mental health, talk briefly about the most common mental health issues in Australia, and cover the basics of recognising when someone is experiencing a mental health issue or problem. He`ll outline what is covered in a full Mental Health First Aid course. We are planning to deliver a course later this year so it`s a great opportunity to learn more. Reserve your spot here (Link in profile for PH Wellness Weekend): https://bit.ly/4kUkzfm
At our Planetary Health Wellness Weekend on Sat 28 Feb, Christopher Smith and Juan Roberson, Shared Reading facilitators, will introduce how the reading and discussion of great short stories and poetry can change lives and strengthen social connection, compassion, and empathy. Shared Reading, or social bibliotherapy, for all ages, is one of the most inspiring and magical ways of dealing with loneliness and the struggles of the human condition. "Shared reading makes the process of revealing who you are to other people safer." Learn how groups can be run in-person and online. Reserve your spot here (Wellness Weekend link in profile): https://bit.ly/4kUkzfm
You can view Christopher Smith`s TED Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=dAxk61E0R88
It`s just under a week until the Blue Mountains Interfaith Gathering on Sun 1 March, starting with a smoking ceremony by Chris Tobin at 2pm. It`s the culmination of the Planetary Health Wellness Weekend which is looking at physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. Afternoon tea will be provided. Reserve your spot here (link in profile under Wellness Weekend): https://events.humanitix.com/planetary-health-wellness-weekend
Join Harumi Hayakawa for an introduction to ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging at the Planetary Health Wellness Weekend on Saturday 28 February. You’ll get hands-on practice creating an arrangement and learn about the history and philosophy of ikebana, and how this calm, meditative practice uses flowers as a gentle and creative form of therapy. Reserve your spot here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/planetary-health-wellness-weekend
Learn how to incorporate meditation and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction into your life at our Planetary Health Wellness Weekend on Sat 28 Feb. Experience a short interactive mindfulness activity led by Betty Ramsay, physio and health coach at The University of Sydney. She has years of experience working with people who are living with life stresses including caring roles, work demands, pain, chronic illness, depression, and anxiety. Reserve your spot for this inspiring and free event here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/planetary-health-wellness-weekend
Thought about doing yoga but never tried it? Join Sheila Annis from Mountain Mist Yoga in Woodford to experience how this rich and vast practice can lead you on a path to better health, and can even be practised from a chair! Reserve your spot for the Chair Yoga session on Sat 28 Feb at the Planetary Health Wellness Weekend in Katoomba here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/planetary-health-wellness-weekend
Learn more about Mountain Mist Yoga here: https://mountainmistyoga.com/
Join multi-award-winning photographer Sue Lightfoot at the Planetary Health Wellness weekend on Sat 28 Feb as she shares how taking up photography to manage her mental health after PTSD has opened up a life filled with creativity, compassion and consciousness. Living a creative life has expanded to include creating permaculture gardens from recycled materials and finding multiple ways to give back to the community. Through creativity she has learnt "to see and feel the world, to live with awe and wonder, to change lenses, shift [her] focus and embrace all forms of light … to enjoy nature and mother earth and accept we are all connected.” She’s been inspired by Miksang, Tibetan for “good eye”, which is a form of contemplative photography that is about seeing and photographing the world exactly as it is, rather than how we want it to be, focusing on colour, light, texture, and pattern. Her session is free but reserve your place here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/planetary-health-wellness-weekend
Learn more about Sue and her work here: www.suelightfoot.com
We are Nature, and the more intimately we connect with the living world around us, the more alive we are. Hone your observations and connect more deeply in an inspiring nature journalling workshop led by Anna Barnes from @ArtFoodCultureNature on Saturday 28 February at the Planetary Health Wellness Weekend. Bookings essential here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/planetary-health-wellness-weekend
“When we see with clear eyes, we know that we are surrounded by beauty. Let yourself fall in love with your life by paying attention”. John Muir Laws
How can we engage our hearing to connect more deeply to nature around us? Join us at the Planetary Health Wellness Weekend on 28 February and 1st March to hear from one of the most inspiring and engaging presenters we’ve ever had at the Planetary Health Centre. Author and acoustic ecologist Andrew Skeoch will guide us into hearing the languages of nature. Learn how we can develop our auditory awareness, identify species by ear, recognise behaviours and repertoire, and find empathy with the voices of other beings. Andrew’s presentations are an immersive weaving of evocative recordings, fascinating spectrogram analysis and original ideas. You’ll hear the natural environment around you in a whole new way. Each morning at the Wellness Weekend Andrew will also lead Deep Listening Immersive Field Workshops demonstrating how to increase your sensitive auditory perceptions of the extraordinary natural world around us. Tickets available here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/planetary-health-wellness-weekend
This event has been made possible because of the generous support of Greater Blue Mountains Rotary and the Katoomba and Upper Blue Mountains Bendigo Community Bank.
We are looking forward to this (Em)power(ing) tools presentation being delivered by Robyn Catchlove, Sherlie McMillan, Suzie van Opdorp and Teja Brooks Pribac at our Planetary Health Day on Sat 28 Feb. It`s free but you need to register to attend here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/planetary-health-wellness-weekend
This interactive presentation explores an unexpected but deeply empowering practice: using power tools. With the help of co-presenters and their favourite tools, the session demystifies DIY and shows how accessible practical skills really are. Beyond the satisfaction of building and repairing, working with power tools fosters confidence, patience, and problem-solving skills. It can also be financially empowering, reducing dependence on paid labour, and reinforces the belief that challenges—practical and personal alike—can be worked through with focus, persistence, and curiosity. This session invites participants to reconsider what empowerment can look like, and how hands-on making can translate into resilience in everyday life.
It`s one of many events during our Planetary Health Wellness Weekend at the Planetary Health Centre in Katoomba on 28 Feb and 1 March and has been organised in collaboration with Rotarians 4 Planetary Health and Greater Blue Mountains Rotary
“Every body can help the planet” is the tagline of Earthly Remains, a not-for-profit organisation set up to advocate for human composting as a more sustainable death care option in Australia.
