Backyard Biodiversity

I've been sick for almost a month but carrying on as best as I can. Blah. Had a cold on and off for two weeks, felt a bit better, then came down with a respiratory infection a few days ago that floored me. Today the sun was shining and I dragged myself out of bed, grabbed a blanket and had a snooze on a lounge chair in the front yard. Listening to a TED talks podcast after I woke up, I was amazed at the action happenin' in my little patch.

Suburban gardens support a huge amount of biodiversity. In a rare afternoon where I physically couldn't do any more than watch the world, I saw a myriad of bird and bug species at close range...what a joy! The wattle birds and mockingbirds were warbling, the bees were buzzing and the ants were crawling. I saw four different types of butterflies including the Australian Painted Lady (in pic above), Yellow Admiral and Common Brown. There were native and European honey bees collecting nectar, ants of various sizes, at least 3 different types of spiders, and a few flies.

Last week I had the pleasure of hearing the dynamic ecologist, author and professor James Hitchmough speak several times while visiting from Sheffield England. He mentioned a book called Wildlife of a Garden by Jennifer Owen. This amazing 30 year study by one woman of her own garden documented over 2,000 species of insects and other invertebrates. There's a lot happening close to home when we can slow down and have a look.

Garden Friends

A dragonfly

One of a pair of Rainbow Lorikeets who have been singing to me the past few weeks. I throw snails and wormy tomatoes on the carport roof for them.

A grasshopper on the wheelie bin.

A very tidy Golden Orb-Weaving Spider. Scary but harmless and helpful! I saw it consuming a wasp in its web a few weeks ago. It is about the size of the palm of my hand.

Keeping the birds at bay

This summer, I have discovered that those mesh fruit bags you get in the supermarket are great for keeping the birds away from your fruit and seedlings. I first saw something similar being used at the Alcoa bauxite mine in Western Australia en masse to protect native seedlings from wallabies. The seedlings are grown right into the mesh bags, and apparently they biodegrade over time (I'm dubious about that). I looked into it recently for a large project near Winchelsea for rabbit and hare protection, but apparently they eat right through the mesh. So if you have birds or wallabies (could work for roos too) in your garden, this may help. I'm not sure about deer - are they grazers like wallabies or gnawers like rabbits?

My apple tree looking like an alien's Christmas tree. Note the CDs - they did not work.

A mesh bag cut open and tucked under seedling punnets in a tray.

The mesh is flexible, so it moves with the seedlings as they grow.

Does anyone have any other clever tricks for keeping seedlings alive? If you have any tips for repelling earwigs, I would be especially interested. They love gnawing at the stems of seedlings and kill them in a single night. I've tried crumpled newspaper traps in plastic pots with limited success. Diatomaceous earth (kitty litter) spread around the plants or mixed as a spray is supposed to help, but we have had too much rain lately to try these. All ideas and kill-methods are welcome! Please remember that even some organic pesticides, like Pyrethrum, can harm beneficial insects like bees and often have a withholding period in the garden (a period of time that you have to wait before it's safe to harvest). Also, read the warning labels and instructions and wear suitable gloves and protection. A chemical is still a chemical, even if it's organic! It simply means that it is plant or animal derived instead of synthesized in a laboratory. I try to avoid any chemicals - even organic ones. I'm sure I have a lower yield in my garden but it's my preference. Lately, my neighbor's 3-year old has developed a keen interest in picking snails and pill-bugs out of the veggie patch. She's my best weapon in the garden this summer!