Belgrave Platypus Community Count - tomorrow!!

For those of you who live in and around Belgrave, the first of 3 community count events will be held on Saturday 25th August.


From the facebook page:
"The inaugural Belgrave Platypus Community Count will held this year in spring, the peak of Platypus breeding season. 

We aim to determine how regularly the Belgrave Lake Park section of Monbulk Creek is used by Platypus, how many individuals may be using the creek and help to understand how any potential resident population may change over time.
Most importantly we hope to raise awareness of the threats Belgrave Platypus face, and the opportunities that exist to help them!"


Meet at Belgrave Lake Park at 5pm.

Children are welcome, there will be snacks and hot drinks provided, so wrap up warm and join in the fun :)

For more info, you can contact the wonderfully dedicated and irrepressible Vicki Boyle of Southern Dandenongs Landcare on 9754 4505.

PS - Please RSVP to either the facebook page for Belgrave Platypus above, or directly to Vicki.  Not me, as I'm not responsible for this event:)

SDCN Winter Newsletter Now Online

For those who're not members, the newsletter is now available online - please check it out :)

And, if you're not a member, why not?!

It's only $15 for an annual membership and you save a fortune on plants - plus there's the good advice from the committee members who can generally be found helping out.

You can find us at Birdsland Reserve - see you there Sunday! :)

Birdsland Discovery Day Announced!

I noticed today that Cr. Samantha Dunn has announced the Birdsland Discovery Day on her blog, so I'm presuming that this is the formal date.

Anyhoo... Birdsland Discovery Day is due to take place on Sunday the 9th of September from 11am to 3pm and there's a link to a scanned poster here, thanks to Sam.



It looks like being a fantastic day out and, if it's as successful as the Mini-Beasts Festival was, it's sure to be a great family day.

I will no doubt enjoy it from the nursery where I hope to be as busy as last time!

Perhaps I will see you there? :)

Edible Weeds Talk at Belgrave Library

For those of you who haven't yet come across it, one of the best little reference books I recommend to people who complain about weeds is Edible Weeds and Garden Plants of Melbourne by Doris Pozzi.

For those of you who are interested in learning more and chatting with Doris, she regularly visits the local libraries in Melbourne to give talks and also conducts weed walks throughout the area.

Her next talk at Belgrave Library will be on Thursday 20th September at 2pm.

This is a free event and a very popular one, so please book now if you are interested!

What Wattle?

Just a quick plug for the Belgrave South Community House and their What Wattle? course which runs on Saturday 1st September, considered the first day of Spring and of course, National Wattle Day :)

This course is a hands on workshop where you will be taught some simple guidelines to help identify some of the indigenous wattles in the local area, as well as the weedy intruders.

The course is from 2-4pm and includes light refreshments.  Total cost is $10, or $5 concession.

Book now to avoid disappointment! :)

The Fence...

What can I say?  At least it's half done! :)

Oodles of wonderful wrigglers!

No idea if I've posted this before, but here's what you can expect to see if you look after your soil and keep getting that organic matter in there!

I couldn't remember if I'd posted that particular picture before, but DD1 was asking whether her worms would have had babies by now and how many there would be...  a LOT!

Our soil is a veritable worm spaghetti :D

Treat Peach Leaf Curl Now! Lime-Sulphur Recipe

For those with peach, nectarine, apricot, plum or almond trees in particular, it's almost time to treat your trees before bud burst in order to prevent any hibernating fungal growths from infecting the new growth.

As soon as you see the pink starting to show on the buds, spray your tree - it is not possible to control the fungus once it's entered the leaf, so don't leave it for the buds to open.

Get your garden growing!

This is going to feel like a bit of product placement, but bear with me!

Recently, I was making a return visit to Heronswood and wondering through the vegetable garden area when I heard a group debating what chemical fertiliser products must have been used to have everything growing so well in winter.

Birdsland Reserve

This area of riparian bushland off McNicol Road in Belgrave Heights is important both from a community and an environmental point of view.

On occasion referred to as "the lungs of Belgrave", Birdsland Reserve is a 75 hectare reserved managed by the Yarra Ranges Council and abuts a further 36 hectares that is currently managed by Melbourne Water.  This latter area is referred to officially as the Monbulk Creek Retarding Basin, but to us locals the whole area is known simply as Birdsland.

Unless you have under 5's in your family, in which case it may be fondly known as Duckland :)

"What? Is that it?!"