Life and Wildlife on the Banks of the Murrumbidgee
What an excellent idea, lilies that smell like chocolate. Or vanilla, or caramel, depending on your sense of smell (or lack of it, in my case, thanks to allergies). Something to make you smile, anyway. When I saw the first glimpse of purple in the long grass, I thought it was Paterson's Curse ( echium... Continue Reading →
Seeds are such hopeful things. The propagation days have started for the season at Murrumbateman Landcare. I usually go on the Thursday evenings, but this time I went on a Wednesday morning. The seeds all look so enticing in their carefully marked plastic jars. I love the fact that there are neatly printed label for... Continue Reading →
Weevils are cute. No, really. Beetles tend to be sturdy and a little alien, flies have those weird multifaceted eyes, but weevils are like the Disney version of an insect, with big eyes and a long ant-eaterish nose. We were out chopping and spraying weeds in a revegetation area when I noticed that many of the... Continue Reading →
Things are blowing and banging around here. Trees lean over, the grass on the Adnamira hills ripples in patterns reminding me of a sandy sea bed. The hatch for our new guinea fowl house clatters every time a gust comes through. The irises in the garden flutter, no wonder they call them "flags". ... Continue Reading →
There's a saying about fences. And it's true. I have an extra one: "If you want to plant trees on a grazing property, you'd better have good fences." Not as catchy. Only a couple of years ago I was naive enough to think that a few star pickets could prop up a fence with sagging... Continue Reading →
After the long chilly winter, it seems that finally we've got flowers again. The wattles as always make a show of golden baubles at the very end of winter and the beginning of spring. Up on the hills and down to the river the Early Nancies (Wurmbea Dioica) have been flowering for a few weeks.... Continue Reading →
Once upon a time, a scientist was interested in the physiology and adaptability of Australian snowgums. The official name of snowgums is eucalyptus pauciflora because they have only a few flowers (not because their flowers are crummy). In the mountains they're known for their twisted shapes and striped trunks. They're the highest... Continue Reading →
A late addition to the collection of trees we've been planting this year has been a group of trees that have just graduated from the Australian National University. They're now decorating the slopes of our box-gum woodland plantation with tasteful stainless steel pendants and copper necklaces identifying them. The concept of the research (by Tricia... Continue Reading →
We went out yesterday hoping that it was the perfect day for a small bushfire. We've had a dry couple of weeks, and rain was predicted for the evening. Lovely. I wanted to set fire to some grass in a small enclosure on a windy ridge that Mum had made about ten years ago. It... Continue Reading →
We've been planting grass this weekend. It seems a strange thing to do in a season that's been plentiful with the green stuff. That may have been why I got eight trays of mixed native grasses going cheap. On the other hand, I know that the top of the ridge in our Box-Gum woodland... Continue Reading →
Have you seen this bird? It turns out that nobody knows much about Gang-Gangs, even though they're an iconic bird for this region. It's not really clear what they feed on, or where they nest, if their numbers are declining or if they've moved out of town. Most of the recent sightings have been in introduced... Continue Reading →
Ten brave souls came out to make merry in the winter solstice weather. They scattered across the landscape like sheep (which are happily excluded by the new fence). That's because the plantings are widely spaced to mimic the type of rich grassy woodland we are trying to regenerate. In weather not as bleak as... Continue Reading →
So it turns out mud and wind are also no obstacle for Europeans coming to plant at Esdale. We had to cancel this weekend's mass tree planting for a new Box Gum Woodland, for which we've had a grant from Local Land Services. We'd hoped to have 20 people and plant 400 trees. Instead... Continue Reading →
When the wind gets above 45km/h every gap and crack in this old house begins to whistle. The walls are two feet thick, made of rammed earth, but many of the windows are single-glazed and rattle...a lot. Even the ones that are double-glazed seem to have gaps for cold drafts. The oil-burning central heating we... Continue Reading →
This map comes from an aerial photo my Dad had taken in 1980 and then carefully stencilled the outlines of the paddocks onto glass. It's been framed and hanging on the wall for years. It's great to have that picture to compare with current images, including another aerial photo I ordered from the state government... Continue Reading →
There are lots of issues clamoring for attention in our world - war, hunger, climate change, disaster, death and despair. I find reading the newspaper a dangerous activity likely to explode a blood pressure cuff across the room. 'Nearly two years ago I got the opportunity move back to the family farm and work... Continue Reading →
One Bend In The River 