Backyard Biodiversity A guide to creating wildlife-friendly and sustainable gardens in Boroondara

‘We must feel part of the land we walk on and love the Backyard that grow there ... if We our we are to achieve a spirit in love Biodiversity the garden.’ Gordon Ford (1999), gardens and trees The natural Australian garden. Bloomings Books Residents of Boroondara are justifiably proud of our green Contents leafy suburbs and wonderful You can become We love our gardens and trees 1 parks and gardens. The name a wildlife gardener Creating a wildlife-friendly garden supports biodiversity 2 Boroondara signifies shady Why biodiversity matters 3 place in the local indigenous Many Boroondara gardeners have already started to create magical Adopt sustainable gardening principles 5 dialect. We are fortunate our garden environments full of beautiful Your Council is working to protect and enhance the local environment 6 municipality has hundreds of butterflies, energetic honeyeaters, Building on what we have — biodiversity corridors 8 mature canopy trees to cool our majestic eucalypts and indigenous Backyard biodiversity — let’s get started 12 streets on hot summer days. wildflowers like bluebells and Attracting native birds to your garden 14 everlasting daisies. Your garden honeyeaters 16 We can love our native A garden full of parrots 18 With a little planning and the right choice, you too can start. Your A chorus of garden birds 22 flora and fauna too new wildlife haven can require less Butterflies, dragonflies and other garden insects 25 Our vision for Boroondara is a place maintenance and water compared to Inviting frogs to your garden 28 known not only for its leafy streets an exotic garden. You can start small Letting lizards lounge in your garden 30 and open spaces but also for its many or tackle a larger project; plan a full The secret lives of our native mammals 32 sustainable and productive private garden makeover We encourage you to get involved 35 gardens. This includes gardens rich or work with your in wildlife and local flora. neighbours to link your To attract more wildlife ‘The City of Boroondara recognises its responsibility as a custodian of the wildlife environment, as well as respectfully acknowledging the Wurundjeri people a little can mean a lot. It projects. as the first owners of this country, and the custodians of the cultural heritage takes only a few bushes, of the lands.’ Biodiversity Strategy, City of Boroondara some local grasses and

Cover images a tree in the corner to Feature image: One of many inspiring Boroondara gardens featured in this start the magic. booklet. Bottom left to right: Silvereye, Yellow-banded Dart, Gang-gang Cockatoo and Native Fuchsia (Correa reflexa). Backyard Biodiversity 1 Our beloved pets (cats and dogs) can harass and injure native animals. Creating a Wh y wildlife-friendly biodiversity matters garden supports Often overlooked, but essential to survival of life on Earth, is the understanding that plants, animals and micro-organisms provide us with ‘ecosystem services’. Examples of these life-sustaining services include: biodiversity producing oxygen for us to breathe, storing (or sequestering) carbon from Biodiversity is the range of all the atmosphere, cleaning our water, breaking down waste, pollinating forms of life on earth — the Local crops and flowers, and dispersing seeds. Every plays a specific micro-organisms, plant and animal and integral role in a balanced natural ecosystem – so protecting every species, the genes they contain and biodiversity species is important. the communities they belong to. in crisis Our rich biodiversity is • Plants and animals living in Biodiversity out of balance under increasing threat isolated pockets of land face a high risk of becoming locally Many of our centuries-old River The natural biodiversity of Boroondara extinct. Red Gums suffer from dieback. — which once included expansive The cause appears to be dramatic • Some common garden infestations of small insects eating woodlands, grasslands and herb fields, plants, like Agapanthus, the leaves. These leaf miners and wetlands along our rivers and are recognised weeds. would normally be controlled by streams — has been affected badly by The seeds invade reserves insect-eating birds such as Spotted urbanisation. Over the past 150 years, and bushland where they Pardalotes (shown right), but there most of the country has been cleared, thrive, and smother delicate are now so few of them around. natural wetlands drained and our local flora. waterways stressed by pollution and These tiny birds have been chased erratic inflows. Climate change now • Garden chemicals (fertilisers, away by aggressive honeyeaters. poses new and compounding threats pesticides and insecticides) The imbalance between the insect can harm native animals and with ongoing lower rainfall and a eaters and the honeyeaters is due our waterways. predicted increase in heatwaves and to the loss of bird habitat and hot days. Our local area, along with the • Foxes and other feral animals shrubby understorey in which the rest of and the world, is facing prey on birds, reptiles and smaller birds can hide. a biodiversity crisis. small mammals.

2 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 3 Indigenous gardens Adopt give nature a helping hand It is more important than ever that we do our bit to protect and create sustainable habitats. By using indigenous plants in your garden you can create havens for insects, lizards, butterflies and birds, thus enhancing local biodiversity. gardening principles Indigenous plants are not only native to Australia; they are plants that occur naturally in your local area. Creating a wildlife-friendly garden is just one of a number of sustainable gardening principles that can enhance your garden When your garden and neighbourhood is mostly native or indigenous it will attract a and outdoor living spaces. These guiding principles will help greater diversity of native animal species. Providing a range of habitats and protecting these plant and animal species in your garden makes an essential contribution to create gardens and living areas that require fewer resources conserving and enhancing our local biodiversity. to maintain and can be enjoyed all year round.

We arrived in Australia from South Africa and one of the ways we Checklist for creating a sustainable garden chose to adopt our new home was to create an Australian garden and wildlife habitat. Over the last few years, we have gradually transformed 99 Design to suit local conditions. 99 Avoid pesticides or chemicals that harm beneficial organisms or our back garden. Before we began we rarely heard birds in the morning 99 Set aside part of your backyard contaminate soil and water. but now the garden is alive with native birds, which we really enjoy. for a productive garden. Enjoy fresh vegetables, fruit and 99 Recycle food and other household We are now replacing our front yard with Australian plants and this herbs year round. and garden waste using a compost has created enormous interest from people walking past and has 9 bin or worm farm. Use the rich had a small domino 9 Avoid plants that are organic compost and liquid fertiliser environmental weeds. effect as some of our to create a healthy life-giving soil. neighbours are 99 Plan for climate change by using 99 Use sustainable and, ideally, locally now including water-wise plants where possible, sourced or recycled materials but mulching garden beds and using native plants in avoid rocks, timber and pebbles tank water for watering plants their garden too. collected from the wild. when necessary. Ros and Bruce, 99 Last but not least, provide habitat Camberwell for local native fauna.

4 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 5 Your Council is working to protect and enhance the local environment

As a custodian of Boroondara’s natural and built environments, Council Showcasing our fabulous local and Above left: Native and indigenous plants on display at the Maranoa Gardens Open Day. is undertaking a range of actions from our Biodiversity Strategy and native flora Above right: Colourful displays of Biodiversity Corridors Plan to protect and enhance local biodiversity. Our Parks and Gardens staff use kangaroo paws and everlasting daisies indigenous and native plants in brighten up traffic islands on local Mapping and recording remaining local species roadways. a number of public gardens and Council has researched and recorded the natural treasures other landscapes to showcase our living around us in an Inventory and Assessment of vibrant and attractive Australian Our garden provides a Indigenous Flora and Fauna in Boroondara. A surprising flora. Maranoa Gardens in Balwyn is really restful and relaxing diversity of birds, mammals, reptiles, frogs and butterflies a dedicated native botanical garden environment and the native still lives in our precious natural bushland. Amazingly for a featuring stunning displays. built-up area, our records include Rakali (Australian Water- plants are essential stepping rat), wallabies, echidna and platypus. While we have 343 Where appropriate, Council’s street stones for birds to move through species of indigenous flowering plants and ferns, some 80% tree program focuses on using our suburbs. I know that in the -tolerant indigenous trees of them are threatened with local extinction. Above: Researcher Joanne past people have been resistant Henry from Practical Ecology in neighborhoods close to existing to native gardens because they Protecting significant remnant bushland sets small traps for skinks and waterways and bushland reserves think they look untidy and lizards in local bushland. Did you know there are as many as 58 sites of natural where they suit the landscape and Below: To restore original unattractive, but Australian significance across Boroondara? Some of our remnant ecosystems, our staff harvests character of the area. plants can be used as part of bushland is considered significant on a State level including seeds and takes cuttings from Encouraging sustainable gardening formal, cottage and natural bushland along the Yarra, the billabongs at Freeway surviving original plants to retain genetic diversity and and habitat planting on private land looking garden designs. Golf Course, majestic River Red Gums at Beckett Park and protect the variety of plants Brian and Diana, Hawthorn grassland at Markham Reserve in Ashburton. These remnant that belong here. This is where you come in! ecosystems need help to remain intact and even thrive. Schools, homes and businesses line the Investing in revegetation and restoration banks of the Yarra and are positioned close to other significant creeks and Parks and Garden’s Environment Team restores, protects habitats. You and your garden can play and manages the threats to remnant ecosystems. a really important role in helping to It also encourages local communities to get involved protect local plants and native animals by supporting Environmental Friends Groups. by expanding on and providing links Important tasks include weeding and then and stepping stones between our replanting to fill gaps, creating walking tracks biodiversity corridors. to protect sensitive areas, and fencing vulnerable sites.

6 Backyard Biodiversity 7 Building on what we have— biodiversity corridors Isolating plants and animals in small pockets dramatically increases their chance of becoming locally extinct. Biodiversity corridors reconnect isolated remnant and revegetated ecosystems. This allows animals, and the seeds they carry, to move through the tree canopy, among bushes or along the ground where there is adequate ground cover.

Boroondara’s biodiversity corridors link to remnant ecosystems in adjacent suburbs. The Yarra River and creeks that pass through Boroondara can act as natural corridors for our native plants and animals. While Council is enhancing the habitat along these corridors, private gardens can play a vital role in extending existing corridors and creating new links and stepping stones (or resting places) for birds and other wildlife. I love the fact that you can use As hundreds of wildlife-friendly gardens spring up across our suburbs, the cumulative Australian plants to create a really benefits for our local plant and animal life will be invaluable. beautiful colourful garden.

I live near a biodiversity corridor and have lots of birds in my Our garden is quite formal and over the years garden. At night, I sometimes hear Boobook owls which live in we have gradually replaced the exotic plants and trees with the trees nearby. I have included a nest box for rosellas in one Australian plants. Our aim is to have a cottage-style garden with of my tall eucalypt trees. I’ve planted indigenous grasses so Australian plants. We’ve even substituted magnificent standard birds can eat the seed heads and insects love the -rich grevilleas for the usual standard roses or weeping cherry. flowers in my “Scarlet King” Grevillea. Just near our front door, we’ve created a rainbow garden made I’m also involved in Tree Project, so each year I nurture up of layers of red, orange, green and blue flowers. It’s a truly around 300 seedlings for farmers and revegetation spectacular sight in spring. We have some wonderful trees that projects in country . Just in case you’re are frequented by lorikeets and honeyeaters, and our dense wondering, I have a large water tank to keep grevilleas and other native are visited by my seedlings growing. Eastern Spinebills and other small birds. Jo, Ashburton David and Sue, Surrey Hills

8 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 9 Boroondara’s Biodiversity Corridors Plan Koonung Creek Corridor

Yarra River Corridor Glass Creek Corridor

Bulleen Road Eastern Freeway Doncaster Road Hyde Park Corridor Balwyn North Corridor Studley Park Kew Corridor Belmore Road Studley Park Road

Princess Street High Street Cotham Road Whitehorse Road

Balwyn Road

Barkers Road Creating Church Street

habitat Denmark Street links across the municipality Burwood Road Canterbury Corridor Canterbury Road Warrigal Road

The map on page 11 shows Boroondara’s 15 biodiversity corridors. Burke Road Riversdale Road Camberwell Road It also indicates special encouragement areas. If you live near a Outer Circle Corridor

Glenferrie Road H.A. Smith biodiversity corridor or an encouragement area, Council strongly Reserve Back Creek Corridor encourages you to create a habitat garden. Even if your home is

not in these areas, creating a wildlife-friendly garden will provide Toorak Road Willison Wattle Park Corridor Corridor an additional stepping stone and build vital habitat links. Gardiners Creek Corridor Nettleton Park LEGEND Hartwell Reserve Major Corridors Ashburton By creating a backyard for biodiversity you can help: Creek Corridors Creek Corridor High Street Ashburton Linear Corridors Park • Create new stepping stones to fill • Increase the size of existing (small creeks, disused rail lines, walkways) Warner gaps between biodiversity corridors. biodiversity corridors. Stepping Stone Corridors (links between parks and reserves) N Reserve • Reduce the risk of weeds escaping • Supplement small populations Biodiversity Encouragement areas (where you can help by planting) from gardens and invading our creek of local native plants and protect Roads corridors. them from local extinction. Freeway

10 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 11 Backyard biodiversity —let’s get started

Recipe for making a wildlife garden Wildlife garden method When you start gardening for wildlife, a little means a lot. Following Select recipe ingredients that suit your lifestyle, budget and physical this simple recipe will help ensure your garden project is a success. garden — consider things like size, location, sunshine and slope. You Recipe ingredients can include: can work in stages over time. For best results, include everything.

A tall mature eucalypt or wattle. A warm sheltered corner plus Be willing to experiment and seek advice— some rocks in the sun for lizards. A patch of natural mulch or leaf the rewards will be well worth it. litter for beetles and worms. Daisies for butterflies.

A clump of dense shrubs where Native grasses and groundcovers If you are planning a total garden transformation, we suggest asking birds can shelter. as an alternative to lawns. a landscape designer to help develop an overall plan for you. Indigenous and native plant nurseries may be able to suggest designers specialising Nectar plants for honeyeaters. Keeping the garden chemical in Australian plants and landscapes. and insecticide free. A birdbath in a high, sheltered Greater plant diversity in your garden will attract the widest range of location. Keeping cats in at night to protect visitors. Do you especially love birds? Perhaps you have a good location for nesting birds, reptiles and native A frog-friendly pond. supporting a family of frogs? The following sections provide a guide to mammals. plants and other garden elements you can include in your garden to attract specific types of animals. Adapted from Bird Observation and Conservation Australia (BOCA) Recipe for a Wildlife Garden

12 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 13 Inviting more birds to your garden

• All birds need high-energy food • Provide an escape route. Include because it takes a lot of energy to some dense or prickly small and fly and their body temperature larger shrubs in your garden to runs higher than ours. Include a provide shelter and safe nesting range of Australian trees, shrubs sites for small birds. Plants with and grasses in your garden to dense leaves and prickles enable provide a variety of natural bird passage for little birds but restrict food such as seeds, pollen, nectar access to larger birds and predators. and insects. More specific ideas and • Some birds, especially parrots plants for different kinds of birds and owls, like to nest in snug tree — honeyeaters, parrots and other hollows. Hollows form only in older garden birds — can be found on the trees but many old trees in the next few pages. city have been removed. Providing Attracting • Add a cat-proof birdbath. A shallow a nest box in your garden is a dish of water located in an elevated, good substitute for a hollow but native safe position will provide birds with remember that different a permanent drinking and bathing birds require birds to your garden place. A bath on a pedestal helps different nest birds feel secure and able to keep an box shapes, About 153 different native bird species visit eye out for predators. sizes and entry

outh holes. our suburbs. The noisy and colourful Rainbow ogm Fr ny aw t Bush T rran Lorikeets are very obvious, while other birds such Cu ly ck ri as tiny scrubwrens and thornbills are shy. Did you P know that lorikeets started coming back to our suburbs only about 30 years ago when we began replanting native trees in our gardens?

14 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 15 S ilv er W a Ea t ste t rn l New Ho Sp e lla in ood nd e tw H b gh o il i n l L e y e a

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r Your garden Perfect plants honeyeaters for honeyeaters eet Burs These hyperactive birds feed almost constantly. When they are not feeding Sw aria Trees for nectar they are chasing, or being chased by other honeyeaters from their favourite ÆÆ Lightwood or Hickory Wattle ( implexa) flowers. All honeyeaters have a hairy tongue for collecting and scraping pollen ÆÆ Silver Wattle () and nectar. Most honeyeaters combine honey, insects and spiders in their diet. Inviting more honeyeaters Honeyeaters local Shrubs for shelter to your garden to Boroondara ÆÆ Hedge Wattle (Acacia paradoxa) ÆÆ Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa) Honeyeaters are easy to please — they • New Holland Honeyeaters are Tree Violet Æ need flowers with lots of nectar on tap, small, and black and white with a Æ Tree Violet (Melicytus dentatus) insects and somewhere to escape if bright yellow patch on their wing. Shrubs for nectar threatened. • White-plumed Honeyeaters have ÆÆ Native fuchsias (Correa glabra and Correa reflexa) • Indigenous trees will be home to a piercing whistle. They are a dull ÆÆ River Bottlebrush (Callistemon sieberi) the most diverse array of insects. colour except for the tiny white Many honeyeaters feed in the tree stripes across the neck. Other Australian plants you might like to include canopy and will visit the same ive Fuch • Eastern Spinebills are our tiniest Nat sia trees several times a day. Banksias, grevilleas, hakeas and smaller eucalypts have and daintiest honeyeaters. The long-lasting nectar-producing flowers and provide shelter • There are many indigenous shrubs adults eat only the nectar and and nesting spots. that have a good nectar supply. pollen from flowers but catch and Many gardeners also enjoy the thrust insects down the throats of hundreds of cultivated grevilleas their hungry growing chicks. with their showy flowers and All indigenous plants suggested in this book have varied foliage. Some will flower Wattlebirds and Noisy Miners are been recommended by the Victorian Indigenous Bottle iver bru te-plumed Ho most of the year R sh Nurseries Co-operative (VINC) and are available, Whi neye commonly sighted honeyeaters ate r providing a but they are also garden bullies. along with other suitable plants, from their nursery constant Planting dense and prickly shrubs at Yarra Bend, Fairfield. VINC is a not for profit supply of will encourage the smaller co-operative and nearly all the stock sold is nectar. honeyeaters by providing safe propagated from seed and cuttings from local places to which they can escape. plants. Contact VINC on 03 9482 1710.

Backyard Biodiversity 17 a G ng-ga ng tailed Bl C w- ack o llo -C c Ye o k Tree hollows in your garden ck a a t t o o o o Tree hollows provide vital nesting sites for some birds. If you do have an older tree in your garden that needs to come down, consider leaving part of the tree in place to provide a perching spot and A garden full nesting hollows. Your arborist may be able to create small hollows of parrots in the trunk suitable for animals such as microbats.

Boroondara is blessed with lorikeets and cockatoos and other colourful parrots. R a in b Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos can be heard calling as they fly overhead in o Parrots local to Boroondara w

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and gouge out large juicy grubs. In winter, Gang-gang Cockatoos leave their • Rainbow Lorikeets will visit any Melbourne e

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s tall mountain forest homes to visit the suburbs. They are sometimes seen in garden with eucalypts. Lorikeets have Maranoa Gardens feeding noisily on seeds and gum nuts. round, brushy tongues and compete with honeyeaters for pollen and nectar. They are Inviting parrots to your garden particularly aggressive so plant some dense bushes in which smaller birds can hide.

• Parrots enjoy resting and feeding • Some parrots spend time on the • Red-rumped Parrots feed mostly on the ground Re d-r in indigenous trees. Several ground in search of fallen seeds or um and live around the Yarra’s parks and golf courses. p e d different stripping seeds from grasses. Long- P species of eucalypt will a r r • Musk Lorikeets can be seen flying high overhead in small o provide flowers and seeds at billed Corellas use the long hook on t flocks. They like eucalypts in heavy flower and hang upside different times of the year. It is their beak to dig out starchy tubers. down to feed on the flowers. They are very noisy and are seen important to make sure the trees Parrots find it easier to find food in often at Summerhill Park when eucalypts are flowering. you plant will not grow too large native grasses and mulch than on for your block. mown lawns. • Long-billed Corellas are seen overhead in flocks or on the ground digging for starchy tubers.

A us • Eastern Rosellas don’t make much fuss. They call tra li an quietly as they munch through the eucalypt K in g P blossoms. a r r o t • Australian King-Parrots will escape the colder hills and mountains in winter and may visit your garden. These beautiful birds forage on seeds and fruit.

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l s e t r e o e C k i d r e o l L il 18 Backyard Biodiversity b sk Backyard Biodiversity 19 - u ng Lo M Perfect plants for parrots w G Yello um Trees for flowers and seeds

ÆÆ Yellow Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon)

ÆÆ Black She (Allocasuarina littoralis)

ÆÆ Lightwood or Hickory Wattle ()

ÆÆ Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)

Shrubs for seeds k She Blac Oak ÆÆ River Bottlebrush (Callistemon sieberi)

ÆÆ Teatree (Leptospermum species)

Grasses and tufting plants for seeds and berries

ÆÆ Tussock grass (Poa labillardieri) Æ Æ Rough Spear-grass (Austrostipa scabra) ry a vi e Oak t a k Sh flo My home is my workplace a ac we ÆÆ Smooth Flax-lily (Dianella longifolia) C Bl r and my haven. I have a ÆÆ Black-anther Flax-lily (Dianella revoluta). Eastern Rosellas love to eat the berries from these lilies. corrugated iron art studio and other outbuildings that are tucked Other native plants amongst the trees. Thick banksias and other shrubs and trees Banksias and hakeas also provide seed and nectar for parrots. hide fences so I have a real sense of being in the bush.

atre ther sia Te e k-an Flax k My garden has always been a bird- friendly no-cat zone and ac -lil an Bl y B I place water bowls for the birds around the base of trees. When my daughter brought home a cat, I built a cat aviary that connects to the house to keep the wildlife safe.

Phil, Surrey Hills

20 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 21 A chorus Garden birds T aw ny of garden birds local to Boroondara Fro gm ouths

• Tawny Frogmouths rest on tree limbs by day. At night wed Sc -bro rub ite w S h re ilv they often hunt near lights that attract insects. n ereye W In your garden, the majority of birds will fill feeding young themselves with insects and spiders. Watch a feeding • Silvereyes move through the trees and bushes in your garden feeding on insects and berries. magpie — it pecks the ground with its powerful but fine-tipped beak a dozen times a minute, snapping up tiny insects. Only occasionally • Eastern Yellow Robins often pounce on their insect prey does it hit the jackpot with a cricket or grasshopper. from a low branch. • White-browed Scrubwrens feed on the ground or in n Thorn A handful of birds will also gobble down fruit. The small, chubby row bil low bushes in constant search of insects. B l Silvereye can swallow a quite large berry. Supe • Brown Thornbills form small rb Fa iry- wr flocks with other small en Inviting other birds to your garden birds as they move through trees and • Many garden birds need indigenous • Shrubs are essential. Many smaller bushes seeking out insects and spiders. trees with dense canopies because birds will weave through these safe Yellow tern Ro as bi these trees have the best variety havens while searching for food. • Superb Fairy-wrens E n of insects on which to feast. Some small birds will nest only live in family Indigenous and native shrubs in bushes. groups. Adult host more beneficial insects • Native grasses host a staggering siblings care for than introduced plants. amount of insect life. These insects their younger • Other birds find their food on the might be hard to extract but brothers and sisters. ground. They will poke around they provide a constant supply mulched soils, leaf litter and native of nutritious food. grasses searching for grubs and insects. Tiny Superb Fairy-wrens were once common in our area but, over a long period, many of the bushes that provided them with cover and nesting places were removed and they were unable to withstand constant Indigenous plants with berries are much better for the environment than hunting by cats. They are now returning to parts of Boroondara where introduced plants with berries. When birds eat introduced berries they can Council has planted indigenous shrubs and trees extensively, for deposit the seeds in the bush where they grow and become problem weeds. example along Gardiners Creek at Markham Reserve, Ashburton.

22 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 23 ia en d N o a o r r G o p w o - l H e a

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P e a Perfect p lan ts Caper White Butterfly on attractive for other garden birds indigenous rice flowers.

Trees for flowers and insects Dense shrubs that provide good shelter

ÆÆYellow Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon) ÆÆ Prickly Currant Bush (Coprosma quadrifida) Shrubs that attract insects ÆÆ Rock Correa (Correa glabra) ÆÆ Austral Indigo (Indigofera australis) ÆÆ Tree Violet (Melicytus dentatus) ÆÆ Gold-dust Wattle (Acacia acinacea) ÆÆ Large Kangaroo Apple ÆÆ Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa) (Solanum laciniatum) ÆÆ Wedge-leaf Hop-bush ÆÆ Hop Goodenia (Goodenia ovata) Butterflies, dragonflies (Dodonaea viscosa) Grasses and tufting plants for seeds ÆÆ Narrow-leaf Bitter Pea and berries and other (Daviesia leptophylla) garden insec ts Comm on Tu The easy-to-grow Common Tussock sso ck G Grass (Poa labillardierei), along with ra s s Wallaby Grass (Austrodanthonia spp) Butterflies and start life as caterpillars. They must lay their eggs on the and Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra), correct plants if the caterpillars are to feed. Each butterfly and species provide a fantastic source of seed and has its own special plant. It may be a wattle, eucalypt or an indigenous grass insects for garden birds. or . Butterflies and moths will move over large distances to find a mate attle ust W ld-d Black-anther Flax-lily (Dianella revoluta) Go and find the right plants on which to lay their eggs. You can grow most of and Saltbush (Atriplex spp.) produce these plants in your garden. Butterflies can’t chew leaves, they suck nectar fruits that are eaten by many species. from flowers, so it is important to include plants such as daisies that provide ickly Curr Pr ant Bu both a platform on which the insects can land and nectar to sip. sh A ustra l Ind igo The more indigenous plants you have in your garden the more native insects you will have. The insects will help create a balance, pollinating plants and providing food for larger creatures. Large numbers of pest insects tend to occur when plants are not indigenous.

Native grasses provide a great home for insects and are drought tolerant.

Backyard Biodiversity 25 Local garden Burgan y d a L d e for t in Perfect p lan ts g a butterflies in P st n la lia er ra Ev st and butterflies and insects ed r Au dragon flies Cluste • The Australian Painted Lady may visit your garden in Trees with shredding bark for insects ÆÆ Clustered Everlasting ow on Br n Bu m tte spring and summer. They feed and lay their eggs on to hide and lay their eggs beneath (Chrysocephalum semipapposum) m rf o ly C everlasting daisies. ÆÆ Yellow Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon) ÆÆ Cut-leaf Daisy • Common Brown Butterflies emerge in spring. Their (Brachyscome multifida) Shrubs with nectar-producing flowers caterpillars benefit from native grasses. The males for butterflies and other insects, and Grasses on which butterflies lay die before the females. leaves for caterpillars their eggs • Common Grass-blues are small and delicate, flying very ÆÆ Austral Indigo (Indigofera ÆÆ Common Tussock Grass (Poa low in search of flowers. Their pale blue eggs may be australis) mon Grass- m blu labillardierei) and Kangaroo Co e laid on Austral Indigo and other native pea plants. ÆÆ Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa) Grass (Themeda triandra) both • The large Dingy Swallowtails can be seen fluttering ÆÆ Hop Goodenia (Goodenia ovata) attract Common Brown Butterflies around citrus trees where they lay eggs and feed. and provide a home for a range Æ Their caterpillars will not harm your citrus trees. Æ Burgan ( ericoides) of insects.

• The Yellow-banded Dart (skipper butterfly) is a small, Wildflowers that provide nectar ÆÆ Spiny-headed Mat-rush (Lomandra hairy butterfly found around your garden flowers. ÆÆ Local Bluebells (Wahlenbergia species) longifolia) is an excellent choice for Swallo Like other skippers, it has a green caterpillar. Skipper butterflies but watch the ngy wta Di il ÆÆ Shiny Everlasting • Adult dragonflies are fierce hunters snatching other sharp leaves. (Xerochrysum viscosum) flying insects in midflight. Males are territorial. lls be ue The underwater nymphs (mudeyes) are equally Bl terrifying predators.

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26 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 27 Pobblebonk Inviting frogs to your garden Frogs that may come Can you hear frogs call at night? Frogs and their tadpoles have had a tough to your frog pond in time in built-up areas and are now rare and under increasing threat. Redressing the balance for frogs Boroondara rn Brown T he ree ut F Consider building a shallow pond or frog bog, especially if you live near existing o ro • Pobblebonks fill the air with their amazing call. It’s the S g wetlands or waterways. A frog bog is a very shallow pond covered with water plants. males begging the females to be their partners. A little bit of shade is good for a small pond but it will become polluted if too many • Common Froglets are tiny. They are the most common leaves fall into the water. frogs in eastern Australia. The male’s call sounds like a cricket chirping.

• Southern Brown Tree Frogs are found in Maranoa Gardens on the trunks of tree ferns and other plants. They are known to leap to catch an insect in mid flight.

Our pond originally had goldfish. To transform it into a frog pond, we dug out all the mud to remove all the fish eggs. We put in a few different types of aquatic plants that grew very quickly. We also planted lots of indigenous grasses and other native plants Image: Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA) around the pond for the frogs to hide in. It took a little while 1. Obtain water plants from your indigenous nursery. Try Nardoo (Marselia drummondii), Water Milfoil (Myriophyllum crispatum) and White Purslane for the frogs to come, but they did! Soon we (and our (Neopaxia australasica). These plants will flourish in your pond, providing food neighbours) heard the amazing calls of Pobblebonks also and protection for tadpoles. known as Banjo frogs. These calls have now stopped and other 2. Create hiding places by planting Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra), Spiny-headed frogs, which we think are Common Froglets, are now living in Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia) and Loose-flower Rush (Juncus pauciflorus) and the pond and calling at night. We think the Pobblebonks might placing small logs and rocks on the soil beside the pond. be hiding under the soil waiting for the next big rain. 3. Never place fish in your pond. They will eat the frogs’ eggs. Avoid water pumps — they damage tadpoles. Jo and Bill, Ashburton

28 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 29 Marbled Gecko Letting lizards Perfect lounge in your plan ts garden for lizards Grasses and rushes for food � and shelter K an ga ro ÆÆ Wallaby Grass (Austrodanthonia spp) o G ras Do you have tiny skinks scurrying through your leaf litter? Or have you s ÆÆ Tussock Grass (Poa spp) seen blue-tongued lizards in your garden? Small reptiles are active ÆÆ Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra) Snakes should not be on mostly in the warmer months but lizards and skinks have declined steadily in suburban ÆÆ Spiny-headed Mat-rush your garden invitation list. gardens because of injury from dog and (Lomandra longifolia) Snakes usually bite only cat attacks and lawn mowers. ÆÆ Loose-flower Rush when they are provoked and (Juncus pauciflorus) feel threatened. If you find a

C

o m Plants for berries snake in your garden, call a Inviting lizards m o n ÆÆ Saltbushes (Atriplex semibaccata, B wildlife specialist to remove to your garden lu e Einadia nutans, Enchylaena - to n it. Search for ‘snake handler’ g tomentosa) produce berries that u ed • Reptiles are solar heated so include Li skinks like to eat. in the Yellow Pages. zar some warming rocks in your garden d as lizard lounges. Lizards seen in ries ber ush • Leaf litter and mulch provide places ltb Boroondara gardens Sa W where lizards can hunt for insects allab y G ra and other small creatures. • Marbled Geckos are nocturnal and ss you will most likely find them asleep • Lizards need some rocks and logs under a log or in a garden shed. to hide under at night and when it’s cold. These also provide shelter • Common Blue-tongued Lizards are from cats and dogs. very useful for eating snails and other garden pests. The females give birth • Avoid using snail baits (even the pet- to about six live young at one time. friendly ones) in your garden as blue- tongued lizards will die if they ingest • Garden skinks eat animals so tiny you either snail bait or the dead snails. can’t see them with your naked eye.

30 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 31 The secret lives I have always thought that we are so lucky to have such remarkable and unique native m of our native u ss o wildlife in Australia, and eight l P ai gt Rin years ago decided to do what mammals I could to help them. We believe Boroondara is still home to around 11 different native I joined Wildlife Victoria, trained in wildlife mammal species. Most of these furry creatures shy away from humans rehabilitation at Victoria University, became and only a couple are likely to visit your garden. If you walk through a foster carer and finally, a registered wildlife shelter. bushland along the Yarra River you might just see the amazing but rare Platypus. These shy creatures share the river with the Rakali (Australian I’m currently caring for about 20 rescued Grey-headed Water-rat), which has a distinctive white-tipped tail. Flying-foxes. When they are ready, they will all be returned to the wild. • Ringtail possums are small, cute • Grey-headed Flying-foxes have their and harmless marsupials that eat daytime camp within Kew’s Yarra These bats are classified as a threatened species and gum leaves and blossom — their Bend Park. At night, they leave the about one quarter of Melbourne’s colony has been favourite food tree is the Narrow- Yarra in search of nectar and pollen wiped out by heatwaves in just 14 months. leaf Peppermint Gum. They prefer to from eucalyptus flowers. Many of the flying foxes that come into my care have build nests in trees not in your roof. • Brushtail possums are not our most been caught in netting put around backyard fruit trees. • Microbats are mouse-sized insect- popular garden residents and visitors. If people want to cover their trees in netting, they should eating bats. You can hear their high- The best way to keep these animals pitched squeaks at night as they fly out of your roof space is to close up buy the white, knitted variety and make sure it is strung through the air catching insects. any entry points. Consider providing taut over the tree. If they have the old, single- Microbats, such as Gould’s Wattled Bat, a nest box strand black netting, they should pull it need tree hollows or nest boxes to roost in your down. Flying foxes have terrific eyesight in. Indigenous plants in your garden will larger trees. but that netting is very hard to see provide insects on which they feast. and cuts and tangles bats dreadfully. Close encounters of the prickly kind The injuries can be horrific and sometimes fatal.

x Fo Parks and Gardens staff working at Council’s Kew Depot g Anyone who finds an injured bat should in Fly were surprised to find an echidna living in their gigantic Grey-headed not attempt to handle it and should call Wildlife mulch pile. A couple of echidnas have ambled into the depot E over the years, probably in search of mates. Our prickly little friend chidna Victoria’s 13 000-WILDLIFE (13 000-94535). was discovered after it hitched a ride to the City of Darebin in the mulch truck. Other injured native animals can be taken It was then returned by car to the Kew Depot where staff made sure it was safe. to any vet, who will treat them at no cost.

Bev, Ashburton 32 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 33 Backyards planted with indigenous and We encourage your native plants usually Maintaining need less maintenance you to than gardens planted get habitat garden with exotics. Feeding your plants involvedBest of Friends

Australian soils have low nutrient levels and Australian plants have adapted to grow in There are many dedicated friends groups that play a vital role in these conditions so they rarely need fertilising. Keeping your garden mulched will help restoring our local environment. These locals meet regularly to help look return nutrients to your soil and, in many cases, this is enough. after our parks and reserves and work closely with our Parks and Gardens staff. Join these groups to both help the environment and gain valuable skills that will help Pruning you transform your home garden. Visit Council’s website for contact details for the following friends groups. Giving your plants a light prune after flowering encourages them to invest energy into new and healthy growth rather than seed production. Pruning also prevents plants from ÆÆ Friends of Ashburton Forest ÆÆ Friends of Kergunyah Wetland work becoming twiggy and untidy. Some Australian plants can be pruned into a hedge or topiary work at various sites in Ashburton to rejuvinate the small wetland at to suit more formal gardens. Indigenous grasses and some lilies can be cut right back after and Ashwood. Balwyn Community Centre. flowering or they can be dug up and divided to produce additional plants for your garden. ÆÆ Friends of Back Creek work between ÆÆ Friends of South Surrey Park work Watering Cornell Street and Riversdale Road, in South Surrey Park between Union Camberwell. Road and Riversdale Road, Surrey Hills. Australian plants, planted in correct conditions, ÆÆ Friends of Burke Road Billabong ÆÆ Friends of Walmer Street bushland generally require little watering except after work at the Burke Road Billabong work in land along the Yarra River. planting. Having a rainwater tank in your garden site, Kew East. provides a ready source of fresh water. Use grey ÆÆ Hawthorn Historical Society – water in moderation and alternate with fresh ÆÆ Friends of Gardiner’s Creek Valley Friends of Wurundjeri Gardens work water to avoid a build-up of salts in your soil that work along Gardiners Creek between in the Wurundjeri Gardens, Glen will affect the health of your plants over time. Winton Road and Great Valley Road Avon Road close to Riversdale Road, in Glen Iris. Hawthorn.

Our garden was originally full of exotic plants which had not been well maintained and they Participate and learn required a lot of maintenance. When we cleared the Citizen science offers non-scientists the chance to contribute to research projects. original garden, we set about creating a framework of trees Council is currently working with BirdLife Australia to monitor bird communities and shrubs and then gradually filled in the gaps. There are still some at local reserves and encourages residents to get involved in this and other jobs to do to keep the plants looking good, but less work is required. projects. Visit council’s website and urban biodiversity strategy webpage to view Diana and Brian, Hawthorn a list of interesting citizen science projects.

34 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 35 Finding Local environmental Online gardening gardening books sites to visit resources There are many great books about gardening with native plants and gardens for wildlife – here are just two: ÆÆ Maranoa Australian Native Botanic ÆÆ City of Boroondara website Garden, Parring Road, Balwyn (www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/ The Australian Garden: Designing with Australian plants by local resident, Diana Snape (Melway 46, F7) environmental-sustainability). (published by Bloomings Books, 2002). Visit Council’s website for more ÆÆ Beckett Park, Parring Road, Balwyn The Flora of Melbourne: A Guide to the Indigenous Plants of the Greater Melbourne Area information on biodiversity (Melway 46, G7) 3rd edition is a technical but very comprehensive reference compiled by members of the in Boroondara. Follow the Australian Plant Society, Maroondah Inc. (published by Highland House, 2001). ÆÆ Willsmere Park, Grove, Kew Living for our Future link for (Melway 45, F1) details of our workshops on Your local nursery or bookshop may be able to make further recommendations or ÆÆ Nettleton Park, Dawson Drive, sustainable gardening and other you could visit specialist bookshops at the Royal Botanic Gardens (Cranbourne and Glen Iris (Melway 59, J7) sustainability related topics. Melbourne) or the CSIRO’s website (www.csiro.gov.au). Boroondara’s libraries also have Æ a wide selection of books available for loan. ÆÆ Welfare Parade, Glen Iris Æ Sustainable Gardening Australia (Melway 60, E8) (www.sgaonline.org.au) ÆÆ Birds Australia’s Birds in Backyards Credits Other sites to visit (www.birdsinbackyards.net) Boroondara City Council would like to acknowledge the following around Melbourne ÆÆ Flora for Fauna individuals and organisations for supporting this publication: (www.floraforfauna.com.au) ÆÆ Greenlink Nursery, Box Hill North • Residents of Boroondara, featured throughout this booklet, who shared ÆÆ Australian Plants Society Victoria their passion for Australian plants and backyard biodiversity with us. ÆÆ Victorian Indigenous Nurseries (www.apsvic.org.au) Co-operative, Fairfield • Students, parents and teachers from Solway Primary School. • Ian Moodie who provided Council with most of the beautiful flora ÆÆ Kuranga Native Plant Nursery, and fauna images free of charge, to illustrate this publication. Mt Evelyn • Craig Allen, Paul , Andrea Dennis, Robert Graner, Barbara Oehring, ÆÆ Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne The Connies and Bob Winters for their exquisite flora and fauna images. and Cranbourne • The Victorian Indigenous Nursery Co-operative (VINC) for their assistance Æ Æ La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary, with plant selection. La Trobe University, Bundoora Text: Andrea Lomdahl, Michaela Skett and Janyce McMurtrie (Boroondara ÆÆ Melbourne Zoo (great City Council) and Bob Winters (Educating Options for a Sustainable Future) indigenous plantings), Editing: Nikki Saleeba Design: Johanna Villani Design Parkville © Boroondara City Council 2010

36 Backyard Biodiversity Backyard Biodiversity 37 ed G bl ec r k a o M

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a i o r d a iv d e n rs oo ity in Bor

This booklet is designed to help you, your neighbours and friends protect and enhance our local biodiversity by creating wildlife-friendly gardens. Even small changes will make an important contribution to biodiversity and your enjoyment of your garden. Some of our residents have kindly shared some of the ways they have used indigenous and native plants to create wildlife wonderlands. We hope this booklet inspires you to take your first steps or further develop a special space for biodiversity in your garden.

Produced by the Environment and Sustainable Living Department, Boroondara City Council, Private Bag 1, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, phone: 03 9278 4444

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