our planting day success

On Sunday the 12th June, some of us headed out to Aveley to help with some bush rehabilitation. Check it out if you're in the area - it's on the corner of Torres Parade and Argent Street.

Before we started, we were given a quick demonstration of how to plant the tubestock by David and Luke from Natural Area Management & Services. They supplied all the plants that we put into the ground. Luke also dug the holes for the plants, which made the planting really quick for us; it took only an hour or so for us to plant 300 plants. 

David shows how to remove a plant from its pot

The two little boys in our work crew did a great job running around and picking up rubbish from the site.  They helped Luke with watering the plants with water from a big tank on a truck.  I think it's good to see kids getting involved like this - it gives me hope for the future of the environment in the hands of the next generation.

gloves on, let's get to work!

We planted local trees, including Banksia attenuata, Corymbia calophylla and Melaleuca rhaphiophylla, and some local shrubs (such as Allocasuarina humilis, Beaufortia elegans and Regelia inops) as well as native sedges (such as Baumea articulata). The planted area is on the edge of a paperbark wetland, and these local species should blend in well with the existing trees and shrubs. When the trees and shrubs grow bigger, they should provide good habitat for birds such as Grey Fantails, Splendid Fairy-wrens, Yellow-rumped Thornbills and Brown Honeyeaters. These smaller birds depend on local plant species for shelter from predators and the elements, places to nest, and the insects and nectar the plants provide. 

We put some stakes and plastic around some of the smaller plants, to protect them from the wind and hungry rabbits. (Yes, unfortunately we have rabbits! They are one of Australia's infamous feral pests - read more about rabbits and the damage they do to bushland here.)

At the end of our planting, we posed for a photo, and had a sausage sizzle and some cool drinks to celebrate having put all the plants in the ground.

some of the less camera-shy work crew

The day was organised by Kellie from Brookfield Vale, who also did a great job supplying the food and drinks, and cooking up the sausages for us all. (Kellie took all these photos too!)  The sausages on rolls were delicious!

And since then, we've been having rain this week, so the timing couldn't be better for the plants to get their roots down into the sand and start growing. I want to thank everyone involved for making this planting day a pleasure and a success.  I hope we have another planting day soon.

Stay tuned, as I intend to go back periodically and take photos of “our” plants as they grow to maturity.