A taste of the bush
Some years ago, I attended a school reunion and, since then, a small group of women who were all in year 9 and 10 together, now meet up for lunch a few times a year. It’s been great to catch up and renew our friendships.
One of them, Jenny Wood, is a photographer, and she’s made a short film for Landcare (bush conservation) in the beautiful Otway Hills, a coastal bushland area about three hours from Melbourne. Jenny and her husband have a house in Wye River. They were burnt out in bushfires a few years ago, and have since rebuilt.
So she made this little 3 minute Landcare movie — and my good friend Fay is narrating it. Even if you don’t live in Australia, listen for the background sounds of the native birds — just magic. Cool eh? I’m so proud of my friend.
What a lovely little film! I really like the pictures and while we don’t have many of those plants here, we do have a few. The pampas grass is sold as an ornamental here. I had quite a bit that I inherited when we moved here and got rid of it all because it’s so messy. But after I tied it to contain it, I took the hedge trimmers and cut it off at the ground. Made it a lot easier to dig out :) Periwinkle is sold here as an ornamental ground cover as well and you do see… Read more »
Thanks, Theo. Yes a weed is really a plant in the wrong position, and these “weeds” are indeed perfectly suited to some environments. Here they take over the bush and blot out the native plants, which then cannot support the native wildlife.
The bush behind our house is fast becoming a subdivision.
Wise to think about landscaping with fire in mind ahead of time.
Thanks Marianne, yes, the explosion of houses is a worry, I agree. And it’s good to know the “danger” plants at the beginning of a garden design.
A beautiful film and I thank you for sharing The issues from the film are some of the same issues which are faced here in Texas, or any part of our southwest. Thanks again we are all in this together.
Thanks, Annette — yes, I expect all natural environments have to deal with invasive plants brought in from other areas. It’s a worry, isn’t it?
Great work in the photography and information. I loved the bird songs in the background and other sounds. Here in the US there are many localized efforts to get rid of non native plants for the same reasons mentioned in the film.
Margot, that’s so interesting about your own efforts battling with non-native invasive plants. And yes, the bird sounds are beautiful, aren’t they? I could close my eyes and imagine myself there in the beautiful bushland.