In 2020 and 2021, Weddin Landcare held several very successful Wildflower Walks within the Weddin district.
Two years of above average winter rainfall meant the wildflowers put on a fabulous show and participants were amazed by the incredible diversity of wildflowers that we have in our local area.
In 2020, the walks visited three different native vegetation sites within the Weddin district including Vaughn’s Dam Reserve, a roadside site on the Pinnacle Road and, finally, James and Linda Maslin’s property ‘Caragabal West’ near Caragabal, where the natural open grasslands, lack of cultivation, good grazing practices and good winter rainfall resulted in a mass of wildflowers as far as the eye can see, with over 70 species of native plants identified.
The walks were conducted over two days at the end of September 2020, with almost 40 participants. Participants were guided by Melanie Cooper and Mikla Lewis who spoke about the different qualities of the vegetation communities and identified the plants. A provided lunch was enjoyed amongst the wildflowers.
Wildflower Walk participants gained a new-found appreciation for the diversity and beauty of our local native plants, that many did not realise existed!
In 2021, the Wildflower Walks focused on some of the amazing orchids in the district and visited two sites in mid-October that had been recommended by local nature enthusiast and photographer, Jenn Graham. Again, the walks were very popular, with around 45 people attending in total. The 2021 walks began at The Company Dam where participants learnt about some of the different plant families from Mikla Lewis and Melanie Cooper, particularly the Myrtaceae, Fabaceae, Liliaceae, Orchidaceae and Asteraceae families.
After a short walk, participants drove to the Holy Camp Picnic Area at the Weddin Mountains National Park where they enjoyed a morning tea before heading off to see more unique native plants. We were lucky enough to find at least 7 species of Orchids including Pink Fingers, Green-comb Spider-orchid, Purplish Beard-orchid, Sikh’s Whiskers, Greenhood, Hooded Caladenia and a Sun-orchid.
Weddin Landcare hopes to make the Wildflower Walks an annual event, with still plenty more sites to visit within our local area. The walks are held in Spring and are dependent on seasonal conditions and quality of flowering.
Several species lists have been created for the sites that have been visited to date. These are available from our Resources page, which also lists some useful plant books for our local area.
For more information about the Wildflower Walks or if you would like to learn more about our native plants and wildflowers, please contact Melanie Cooper on 0417 963 475. Melanie can conduct property visits and assist in the identification of native plants.
