Xanthorrhoeas or grass trees are an iconic flowering plant found only in Australia, and they are as striking in the bush as they are in the garden. You may have noticed impressive flower spikes on some of our local species at the moment. Xanthorrhoea means ‘’Yellow-flow’ and refers to the resin at the base of the leaves. Xanthorrhoeas provide food and shelter for a wide range of animals and insects and were an important resource for indigenous Australians.
Planting natives is a great for our wildlife, but there are other ways we can help.
It was a pleasure this month to have Tony Wellington’s interesting and informative presentation at our workshop. It highlighted how privileged we are to live in this beautiful and biodiverse part of Australia and Tony shared his knowledge about photographing our wonderful wildlife.
Seeing leaves being eaten by caterpillars can be very frustrating for the urban gardener. It can be tempting to spray them. But if we are serious about wildlife then caterpillars are a vital part of local biodiversity and food supply for other wildlife and often transform into beautiful butterflies and moths.
Our March workshop presenter, Dan Rumsey, from Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, spoke about our local snakes and how to live safely alongside them.
The summer holiday period has been a good time to relax and spend time in the garden.