Whiteheads Creek bio blitz

National Tree Day, Whiteheads Creek, Seymour.

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About sixty people, young and old, turned up on Saturday 30th July to join in a National Tree Day planting on a small section of Whiteheads Creek opposite to Abdallah Road. Blessed with a sunny day, a great time was had by all in the group, which included people of all ages. Those new to the area were able to make new friends, and everyone was chatting away while planting.

Only two hours later the place looked quite transformed, as seven hundred native shrubs and grasses were planted, guarded and mulched by this amazing group of volunteers. These plants will enhance the quality of the creekline vegetation and bring back the bushland birds, possums and gliders, and the rich diversity of insects and other species that are essential for a healthy environment.

A big pile of mulch was kindly provided by local arborist Sam Vass, and four hundred plants of Microlaena stipoides, a native perennial grass, were grown on purpose for this event by Peter Mitchell and Barbara Moss, valuable volunteers of the Seymour Urban Landcare group. To encourage the growth of more native grasses, a bag full of Wallaby grass seeds (Austrodanthonia spp., a native perennial) was dispersed on site when the planting was over. 

Prior to the planting day, the above-mentioned group had invested about fifty hours of work in getting the site ready, mainly whipper snipping a vast area, removing huge amounts of weeds and pre-digging holes for the shrubs.

One of the most interesting weeds we've found is the so-called Madeira Vine (Arendera cordifolia), a vigorous climber originally from South America that proliferates disrupting native vegetation and it can reproduce either by the offshoots of its roots or by the great quantity of aerial tubers that grow along its stems. No wonder that the sale and dispersal of this plant has been prohibited by the 2015 Biosecurity Act. The removal of these tubers from the planting site will require some additional effort.

This day was organised as part of a bigger project, that aims to encourage local people to become acquainted with the Whiteheads Creek. After the planting, a few people commented how happy they were to have discovered such a lovely new place in Seymour, and after spending time and effort planting on site they already felt a sense of stewardship. For most of us it was as close as we’ve come to the creek up till now, and we were able to appreciate its wild beauty. Along this stretch of water some local residents have previously spotted some exciting wildlife, like a reed warbler, a few koalas, a platypus (about 200m downstream) and a turtle that was wondering on the nearby road.

As part of this project other activities are anticipated, for instance water quality monitoring over time and talks on turtles, water bugs and in-stream vegetation, with speakers from Turtles Australia and the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority. 

The organisers would like to offer heartfelt thanks to all who came, to those who prepared the site, and the members of the Seymour volunteer group of Cancer Council Victoria, who provided the delicious lunch and will donate all the proceedings to cancer research.

A really great day, demonstrating how people have an innate love of the natural world, that just needs a spark to light up.  

Vanessa Malandrin, Coordinator - Seymour Urban Landcare Group