Last month saw the launch of Urban Wildlife Gardens, a new program run by the Noosa Integration Catchment Association (NICA) with some funding support from Noosa Council.
This program has long played on the minds of Noosa Integrated Catchment Association (NICA) stalwarts Tony and Stephanie Haslam, who wanted to help urban landowners create native gardens that will increase biodiversity values on their property and promote enjoyment and awareness.
“As residents we have a duty of care to provide a safe environment for the diverse wildlife in the Biosphere that we call home,” Stephanie says.
“Human development has severely fragmented the natural environment, and while Noosa Council has secured a lot of land for wildlife protection, the creatures that are moving between our gardens and protected areas are at risk.
“Native gardens and even patios can provide a sanctuary for birds, frogs and other fauna.”
The program was launched by Mayor Tony Wellington who made an impassioned speech about the importance of gardens that can support our local wildlife in suburban areas.
My husband and I were excited to sign up for the program and, after paying the one off fee of $30, program coordinator Michelle Newall visited our home to give advice and guidance on how we can improve the biodiversity in our garden.
We are fortunate to have a well established garden with plenty of trees and shrubs that provide ample spaces for little creatures big and small to hide away. Our garden is definitely not extremely manicured, and we leave branches and leaves on the ground to improve the condition of the sandy soil. These provide lots of hiding spots for lizards and other little creatures.
In our backyard we have planted a variety of fruit trees including bananas, papayas, lemons and limes, and my husband created a very rustic raised garden bed for herbs and vegetables.
We also have a lone male Casuarina tree which is in dire need of a female if we were to attract some Glossy Black Cockatoos to our garden. Casuarinas usually grow in clumps and apparently it’s quite rare to see them alone in a garden, although ours seem to be more than 20 years old already.
We are now focusing our efforts on the front yard where we aim to plant plenty more native plants and get rid of the fishbone fern (pictured below) that is slowly but surely taking over.
Michelle suggested a couple of ways we could make our garden more wildlife friendly, including providing more water sources like bird baths or ponds, and planting a couple of native plants with flowers and berries as food sources. She left us with a few examples to try including a Midyim Berry (a small shrub or groundcover that produces edible white and purple fruit), and Native Sarsaparilla that produces deep purple flowers.
She also gave advice on how to best get rid of of nasty weeds like Asparagus Fern. We were surprised to hear that our beloved Mock Orange trees weren’t natives, but since it provides a great privacy screen between us and our neighbours Michelle suggested not to worry about removing it but just to be aware and not to plant any more.
We were left with our lovely Wildlife Garden sign, a folder full of helpful information and some great ideas on how we can improve on what we have already.
I highly recommend this program to anyone wishing to turn their garden into a wildlife haven. To register your interest, visit http://noosariver.com.au/urban-wildlife-gardens/
