On 13 October a group of 18 people joined SLG for a walk around the Sutton Village Reserve. The group was led by Dr Sue McIntyre, a local, highly respected plant ecologist.

There are predominantly 6 species of Eucalypt in the Sutton area: The Yellow Box Eucalyptus melliodora), Red Gum (Eucalyptus blakelyi), Apple Box (Eucalyptus bridgesiana), Scribbly Gum (Eucalyptus rossii, Brittle Gum (Eucalyptus mannifera) and the Red Stringy bark (Eucalyptus macrorhynga). That makes identifying Eucalypts here slightly easier as there are 800 different species of Eucalypt in Australia. To confuse us, the juvenile leaves are not the same as the adult leaves!

To identify eucalypts, you look at the leaf shape, the fruit and the seed pods (shape, number and positioning) and the bark as these three aspects can help a lot to identify the tree you want to know more about. Other aspects are the general look of the tree or the smell of the leaves when you crush them.

We also talked about the value of a varied understory, for the smaller birds and the need for some control of grass growth to give the small native ground covers and forbs a chance to thrive.

All in all, it was an interesting and educational walk on a gorgeous Saturday morning.

Written by Arnold Dekker, Sutton Landcare

Yass Landcare were very fortunate to have perfect weather for their second Waterwatch activity and first Habitat Hunt along the Yass Gorge.

The morning began with an acknowledgement of country and an engaging story of early life in and around the gorge by Pam Bell. Pam talked about the stepping stones which are still there today and how they were put in place so children could cross to go to school.

Ross Webster then gave the attendees an update on the Yass Gorge, the importance of the gorge for Yass and as a very precious ‘geological hotspot’ for geologists and natural scientists.

Yolandi Vermaak from Waterwatch Upper Murrumbidgee provided children with nets to begin the search of ‘what is living in our river’. Yolanda identified and explained the importance of many creatures that were found and proclaimed our river water is in ‘good health’. Waterwatch Educates and raises awareness in schools and the community on issues concerning catchment health.

Dr Melissa Snape Senior Ecologist - Urban Biodiversity with EPSDD Conservation Research, ACT Government led the children along the gorge on the Habitat Hunt. Fun Facts and images on wildlife in many forms where hidden across a large area of varying habi- tats, the children each had an answer sheet and habitat image to fill in and tag the appropriate habitat for the animal.

With over 30 enthusiastic attendees, both Yolanda and Melissa had their work cut out for them, answer a swarm of questions from both children and parents alike. Everyone seemed to want to know more!

The children were able to search, clamper, climb and rock hop as they took in this fabulous area in the heart of Yass and at the end of the activities they were engaged in finalising their work sheets on the grass under the big old gum tree before heading home.

Morning tea was provided by Yass Landcare between activities and there was much conversation and laughter between the groups on what they found, overall a very success and fun filled morning as an end of school holiday activity.

Written by Kath McGuirk

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our Landcare Children’s Play with Clay Day! It was a delight to see creativity flow as the children crafted some truly wonderful and unexpected creations from clay.

From beautiful kokedama to squishing seed bombs in little hands, their imaginations knew no bounds!

We had a fantastic time together on that cool spring morning, filled with laughter, chatter, and fun. The excitement and joy on the children's faces made the day even more special, as they embraced this hands-on, nature-based experience.

Your participation helped make this event a success. We look forward to more moments like this in the future!

Recently, a small team gathered to mix Climate Ready seed for another exciting year of sowing and growing plants for local revegetation. Over 280 packets of seed were handled on the day! 

These seeds came from a wide variety of provenances across NSW, Victora, and Queensland, with the aim of enhancing the genetic diversity of the 40 species on YAN’s Climate Ready nursery list. Greater genetic diversity gives local plant populations the best chance to adapt to a changing climate over successive generations.

The seed has been distubuted to YAN's three nurseries - Murrumbateman Landcare Nursery, Yass Landcare Nursery, and Bowning-Bookham Landcare’s Wattle Valley Nursery – as well as the Alexander Maconochie Centre’s nursery. Most of the seed will be sown this spring, with the resulting seedlings available for planting in autumn 2025.

Four new local species will be grown in the nurseries this year: Calytrix tetragona (Common Fringe Myrtle), Dianella revoluta (Black-anther Flax-lily), Einadia hastata (Berry saltbush), and Pultenaea spinosa (Grey Bush-pea).

Calytrix tetragona (Common Fringe Myrtle) is one of the new species on the Climate Ready nursery list this year. Left is the seed, above are the flowers (flowers photo: Australian Plants Society)

The annual Climate Ready seed sorting day is the culmination of meticulous work which includes assessing species for future climate resilience, identifying suitable seed provenances, sourcing seed from commercial retailers, testing germination, and maintaining detailed records of all activities.

Seed sorting requires concentration and coordination and typically takes the team most of the day to complete. However, it is also a great opportunity to catch up, enjoy a shared lunch, and this year, we were treated to a delicious homemade fruit cake.

The annual Climate Ready seed sorting day is the culmination of meticulous work which includes assessing species for future climate resilience, identifying suitable seed provenances, sourcing seed from commercial retailers, testing germination, and maintaining detailed records of all activities. All of the native seed purchased by the Climate Ready project was funded through the Landcare Australia Michael King grant - our project volunteers appreciate this funding as seed costs are increasing each year.

If you’d like to get involved with one of YAN’s nurseries or the Climate Ready Revegetation Project, please contact us at [email protected]

Written by Sonya Duus, Climate Ready Revegetation Project Officer.

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This project has been assisted by the NSW Government through its Environmental Trust. Landcare Australia Michael King grants enable us to purchase seed from diverse provenances.